What is a Christian?

Good morning ya’ll! I woke up this morning to a beautiful 70 degrees on the coast with low humidity and I had to remind myself that it’s only False Fall. If you’re from the south, you totally know what I’m talking about. If you’re not, well.. it’s the climate of the souths way of tricking you into thinking glorious days are ahead when it’s just giving you a tiny bit of hope that summer is finally gone. Two days from today, second summer will start with 90+ if not 100 degrees and oppressive humidity are back with a vengeance. I was so excited I actually did my nails with a pretty fall pattern.

A girl can dream right? I’m not built to sweat like the south makes you sweat & contrary to what beauty queens say (girls don’t sweat, they shimmer or something like that) I definitely do not shimmer or glow. I look like I went for a swim fully dressed lol. Regardless, I plan on enjoying today by taking a walk outside and working in my garden later this evening.

Enough about the weather, let’s jump into today’s post: What is a Christian? I’m sure the most frequent response you’ll get when asking this question is a follower of Christ. It’s the simplest and easiest definition. We can also add to it that Christians are people who believe in Christ and in the life, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus. And we also believe that Jesus died for our sins (yours, mine, and everyone in between) and that He will one day come back. In Romans 10:9, Paul shares that those of us who believe will be granted entrance into Heaven if we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord & believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

You might be reading this thinking, okay I believe in Jesus, check, I believe He died for me, check, He is my savior and He is coming back one day, check & check. And that’s great. I hope more people out there are firm in their faith and have an ongoing relationship with Jesus. But the truth is, many people call themselves Christian, but don’t live up to the title. I can go to church every Sunday and sit in the first pew. Those around me will think I’m a Christian, but how I am outside of the church? Is saying I believe in God and going to church the only characteristics used to define what a Christian is?

Being saved is obviously a huge part of being a Christian, right? I mean salvation is number one on my list. But being a follower of Christ comes with a lot more than just a title. It comes with responsibilities and it’s a lifestyle. Being a true follower of Jesus means dying to ourselves so He may take up residency in our hearts. When we first come to Christ, we’re asked to repent (to ask forgiveness of our sins) and we are called to live like Jesus and to share the good news of the gospel. Let me say this before diving deeper into this conversation that I do not have a Holier than Thou attitude when it comes to this topic.

I don’t write this or come to you thinking that I am perfect or standing on a soapbox. I come to you as a person whose life was a HOTMESS for a long time. I come to you with a list of transgressions that were a mile long. I was broken, lost, and literally crying to God to let me come home. I write this as a sinner who has been forgiven & washed cleaned and as a person who knows what she has been called to do.

There’s a song by King & Country that goes “and they’ll know that we’re Christians by our love” and this is where we start to dive into what being a Christian really means. How I interact with every one around me will show other people God’s love for me and for them, or will show them that I am no different than every one else that they encounter. As Christians, we’re called to help those in need, preach the Gospel, share the good news of Jesus, and forgive those who trespass against us.

Being a Christian means becoming more like Jesus. We will stumble and we will fail during our sanctification process because lets face it, none of us are like the Lamb of God, but we’re called to be like Him. It’s an on going process and one that will never stop until Jesus calls us home. It means reading His word, letting it seep into our hearts. It means walking on the path of righteousness. The Christian life is not easy and if it were, we wouldn’t be considered lost and broken or sinful. But I believe that it is so worth it. I believe that dying to our flesh daily is worth it because of the peace and relief it brings us.

I hope each of you have a great day and always remember that even when you forget to walk with Jesus, He is always walking along side you.

With love, -Ana

*These views above are my own and not affiliated with anyone else or organization. These are my opinions and thoughts about my own personal journey with God. Your journey to and with God is your own & your experiences are unique to you.**

Love Thy Neighbor

Hey ya’ll! How goes it in your neck of the woods? I wish I could say that I’m enjoying a glimpse into fall, but alas, I feel as if this hot oppressive summer is never going to end. I’m literally dreaming of cool morning breezes, pumpkins, and golden red leaves as I type this. It has been awful with this heat and while I know an awful lot of people that love it, this girl does not. I cannot stand the humidity (it feels like you could drink the air, I mean seriously) and I can almost hear the beads of sweat sizzle on my forehead as I walk to my car. And this is at 8:00 in the morning. Every day we’re being hit with “Excessive heat warnings” and I am over it. A hot and sweaty me makes for a short tempered firecracker version of me. Which kinda leads me into our topic this week, “Love Thy Neighbor.”

Everyone has heard this phrase a time or two, and if you haven’t well you may have been living under a rock or are not from here. Or maybe you have another phrase, but something that essentially means the same thing. To love one another, help, and build each other up. I talked about this topic on my podcast (Jesus and Makeup) last year and I felt like it was worth writing about on my blog as well. I’ve been trying my best to smile, say good morning, good afternoon, or have a great day during the encounters I have with people throughout the day. It’s been something that has become important to me. So much so that when I reflect back to my day, if I think I’ve been rude or unkind, I beat myself up or apologize if it’s possible to that person. The reality is, we all fall short sometimes. I know I do from time to time. Especially when I am under a lot of stress.

When we’re stressed, under a lot of pressure, not feeling the best, the ugly side of us tends to come out. And sometimes, that ugly side might be the only side that the people we encounter throughout the day will ever experience. Sometimes the first impression might be the only impression they ever see. Or sometimes, we may encounter people who live the complete opposite of how we live, have horrible morals, or have done some absolutely horrible things to us or others. Right now, more than ever in our culture is divided and filled with so much hate and animosity.

When Jesus walked the earth as the son of man, He spent His time among some of the most wretched of people by the standards of those in religious power or by common everyday folk. And while Jesus didn’t partake in any of the sins the sinners He sat among committed, He loved them nonetheless. Jesus treated each person He encountered with dignity respect and most importantly, love. That is what His calling on our life is to be. He even loved Judas even though He knew that Judas was going to betray Him in the end. Jesus was the walking talking example of love. I know that even though I constantly pray for Him to change my heart for the better, I still lack in the love and kindness department. I also want to tell you the story about the Samarian woman at the well that Jesus encountered.

In the Gospel of John, he writes about the woman at the well. Two important things you need to understand about this story. The Jews hated the Samaritans and the Samaritans hated the Jews. So much so that if one had to travel to and from a city or country, they would go around the country of Samaria and add additional days to their trip rather than go through Samaria. Everyone knew this. Even the disciples of Jesus, but you didn’t argue with the Messiah. Jesus didn’t care about the hatred between Jews and Samaritans. He only cared about doing the will of God, period end of story. When Jesus reached the town of Sychar where Jacob’s well still stood. There, Jesus found a Samaritan woman. But not just any woman, but a woman of ill-repute. She had to come to the well when the sun was at its peak and no one would be around.

So not only was this woman is a Samaritan, but she’s also one that’s fallen beneath even the social standings of those around her. Jesus sits by the well and requests that the woman draw out some water for Him. She responds in surprise that how is that He a Jew requests water from a Samarian woman. Jesus tells her that if she understood the true gift of God, and who spoke to her, she would be asking Him for a drink of water. Of living water. And the conversation goes on that He doesn’t have anything to draw water with and that the well is deep, from where did He get the living water?? So Jesus tells her about His living water and how whoever drinks of this water will never thirst again. She asks Jesus to give her this living water and Jesus told her to go fetch her husband and come back.

Embarrassed, the woman told Jesus she had no husband. She told Jesus the truth, and Jesus preceded to tell her everything that she ever did. She was cast out of society and thought poorly of, yet this is the woman who Jesus chose to tell that He was the Messiah. The one that everyone has been waiting for. Then she ran and told EVERYONE that the Christ had come. She told them “come see a man, which told me all the things I ever did, is He not the Christ?” Jesus forgave her at the well and rather than still hang on to the shame of her past and all of the things that she did, she ran into the village and told them all, He had come. This is the type of love that Jesus wants all of us to display. To know that even though a person of ill-repute, isn’t in the same political party, committed some transgression that society would mock and look down upon, doesn’t have the same values or even religious beliefs as you, that you would love them and help them.

Even His disciples didn’t understand what had just happened. Astonished that Jesus, their master, their Messiah, was talking to someone Jews loathed. The Bible is full of stories of redemption and love. Forgiveness and second, third, chances. This is how Jesus wishes us to love one another. We’re not only called to love people that look like us or share the same thoughts. We’re called to love every single person we encountered with the same love that Jesus offers to us. It’s hard, I know. But isn’t it a beautiful thing that we get to do better day after day. Isn’t it beautiful that the way others will recognize us as true believers and followers of Christ is not by the cross we wear or the church we attend, but by the love in our hearts that we share with everyone. As the song by King and Country goes, “And they’ll know that we are Christians by our love.”

Until next time, I hope you remember that even when you forget to walk with Jesus, He is always walking alongside you.

With love,

Ana

Choosing Joy

Hey ya’ll!! Hope each of you that read this post are doing great. The summer is slowly starting to wind down. Kids are going back to school (at lease here in the Southeast) and many of us are getting back into routines. I use to be one of those people that hated routines. Routine brought stagnation in my mind. But ya’ll, I quickly learned that routine and planning has helped my anxiety tremendously. That’s not to say that I still don’t crave spontaneity, but there’s peace and joy to be found in building your routines and making sure your household functions as smoothly as possible. Notice I said smoothly and not perfectly. There are still mornings where we are scrambling to find shoes, keys, and making sure teeth are brushed before we head out of the house.

As we start our routines and back to school, I thought it would be important to make sure we focused on finding the joy in these simple moments. Maybe you like me enjoy the easy days of summer with no homework (PRAISE JESUS for no homework) and no bedtimes. Maybe you love the longer days and the amazing sunsets in these moments. Or maybe it’s been chaotic trying to figure out what camps your kids are going to go to, who is picking them up, or how you’re going to keep them entertained for TWO WHOLE MONTHS. I hear you friend. I hear you. Regardless of which person who are or which problems you face, there is joy to be found in each of these moments.

I think it’s important to say that there is a distinct difference between being happy and being joyful. There’s a reason that the phrase “pursuit of happiness” is used frequently in life. Happiness is a fleeting emotion and it’s one that we are always chasing. We say things like “if I get this job, if I can just buy a house, if I can just hit this milestone” I’ll be happy. How many times have we said this to ourselves, our friends or family? I can’t speak for anyone else, but I made a decision a few months ago, that I was no longer interested in the “pursuit of happiness.” If it comes, then GREAT! I’ll greet it with open arms and relish in its presence. But I know that I have the never ending JOY of the Lord in my life.

This wasn’t an easy place to get too. It’s hard to to keep a joyful heart sometimes. Especially when you all you see or hear is negative (social media & the news have a great way of keeping negativity in your face). Or maybe you’ve recently been experiencing Murphy’s Law. You know “everything that can go wrong, will” mentality. Or how about that old wives tale that bad things come in threes and your waiting for that third shoe to drop. So you’re just walking around in a funk. I know! I have been here! I have literally sat in my car and cried out “is there anything else that the world would like to throw at me?!!!!” as I am wallowing in self pity.

And let me tell ya’ll, I have thrown myself some pretty epic pity parties. It’s so hard not too. Sometimes I’d have to put on the song Rescue by Lauren Daigle on full blast just so I can have myself a good cry fest. But in the process of this whole dramatic, “GOSH, CAN I JUST HAVE A BREAK” moments, I am also forgetting the blessings that God has given me. But most importantly, we forget that we are supposed tp rejoice even in the times of troubles. James 1:2-3 says “Consider it pure joy, my brothers whenever you face trails of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” This almost sounds like what our parents use to say about tough times building character. But deep down, we know that there are truth in these words.

In the moments of your life, when life gets hard, maybe try reciting verses that remind you of your blessings, what God has promised you, or even reciting your blessings when you’re at the end of your rope can help talk you back from the brink of despair. One I personally like to remind me of the joy and peace I have in my life is Romans 15:18- “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with the hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Write it down. Repeat it to yourself. Tape it to your bathroom mirror if you have too. The truth is that God knows that this life is filled with times of sorrow, troubles (health, money, life in general). Partly because we live in a fallen world. A world that seems to fall further and further from Grace – but John shared Jesus’s words with us. John 16:22 reads “So with you: now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”

Jesus shared those words with his disciples before His crucifixion. He knew that they were all going to be swallowed by grief because they didn’t yet understand that Jesus was coming back from death. But He gave them a sense of hope. That hope that even though you’re in desperation or grieving, that the sun will shine again and the joy is still to be found. Knowing that you still have salvation and that the problems of today won’t last forever should also bring you closer to joy. This life that we’re leaving is a temporary stop. I know some might read this and roll their eyes. It’s hard to count it all in joy as your laying on the road changing a flat tire and wondering where you’re going to get the money for a new one.

I also get those of you who may not believe. I’ve seen comments of “where was your God when” or “if there was a God, He should be able to stop them.” And the list goes on. And for those who see it this way, I want to remind you of two things: 1. We live in a fallen world. Away from paradise which was a place where there was no suffering, no illness, no knowledge of good or bad. When Adam and Eve decided to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge, humans were cast out to live as we do. 2. God is the God of choices. Free will. Each and everyone of us has the ability to choose to live worthy of the calling that God has for us or to live as the world we live in.

God doesn’t force His will on us, even though many times I wish He would. He doesn’t force Himself into your heart. Our God is a gentleman and He knocks on our door waiting patiently for us to open the door. We can let Him in or not. I opened the door to Him in depths of my own despair and darkness. He found me there when I was ready to let Him in. I hope this touches someone’s heart today. I hope you know that you have an opportunity in every moment to choose joy or to wallow in self-pity and continue to only see the negative instead of your blessings.

Until next time, I hope you remember that even when you forget to walk with Jesus, He is always walking along side you.

with love,

Ana

My Journey to God..

I’ve debated deleting this blog for a while now. I rarely post any content (last post was in 2020) and I barely read any blogs anymore myself. But I thought maybe, I’ll give it the ol’ college try and try this thing again. Only this time, my posts will be from the point of view of a woman who’s grown over the last few years. Who’s gone through loss, anxiety, and depression, but most importantly a woman in her 40’s who’s found Jesus.

I’ve always thought of myself as a Christian. I never questioned God’s existence and I don’t recall ever thinking that He wasn’t real despite what the world tried to say. I occasionally prayed to God, even in my much younger days and while I didn’t grow up going to church, I’d go occasionally on my own, with friends, or when I got married, my family. Both of my children were baptized, my Hails in a Catholic church and my son Maverick in a Methodist church. So God or rather religion was a part of my life. But I think some of you will understand that there is a big difference between religion and God as there is a difference between knowing about God and KNOWING God. As in having a living breathing relationship with our maker.

Back in May of 2018, our family lost our three dogs within 24 hours. For the first time in my adult life, that was the first experience that caused trauma for me because of the details regarding their passing. I grieved for days. Weeks probably. And while my anxiety didn’t start there, I think that’s when depression started creeping it’s way into my life. The demands of every day life of being a mom, a coach’s wife, and a full time Community Development Assistant started to make my ability to manage everything on my plate near impossible.

And then 2020 hit. COVID wrecked havoc it seemed everywhere. Having chronic and severe asthma, I was really terrified of the possibility of contracting the disease. Then there were both of my parents who both had underlying conditions that could also be made deadly if they contracted the virus. Additional anxiety and stress enter the chat. And then there was all the back and forth on social media and on the news. To say that I became someone I didn’t recognize that year is an understatement. I was mean to people who I knew for years or didn’t know (on SM) and I was beginning to resent anyone that didn’t take COVID seriously. But what really set me over the edge was when after working from home for three months (which I loved honestly, it was the first time in my life since I had children that I felt like I had a work/life balance) I had to return to the office.

That time away from the office made me realize how much life I was missing out on. With my spouse, with my kids, with my hobbies. And while I read scripture and did little devotionals, I was not communing with God during the peak COVID season. During my spiral into darkness. I didn’t have any peace at all and hadn’t for a long while. I was trying to manage EVERYTHING and thought that I was had to do it all on my own. And then the spiritual attacks started. I was being kicked like a dog that was already down. Sinful habits creeped in. I wasn’t the wife or the mom that I needed to be for my kids. I didn’t want to go to my job anymore. A job that I had prayed for and loved. And I hated myself. I resented where I lived, I resented life in general. And not once did I ask God for help during this time.

I kept telling Nick that I wanted to go home and he would respond that I was already home. But I meant heaven. That I was so so tired of being here. I didn’t realize that while I was also depressed, but my soul was just so tired. Like bone weary, I have nothing left in me to give. To give to anyone. And if you’ve ever felt like this, you know that there is such a sense of hopelessness and despair associated with this. One day while driving, a thought entered my head that had no business being there. A thought that I knew didn’t really come from me, but it was my voice in my head. At that moment, while sitting in my car, I broke down and started pouring my soul out to God. And just like in all the past times that I’ve ever reached out to him to when I prayed, He answered me. In the most remarkable way possible. And I knew then that this wasn’t the end for me and I wanted to fight to stay.

I began counseling two weeks later and one of the first things my counselor asked me was if I considered myself to be a spiritual or religious person. When I told him I believed in God, he asked me if I’ve been leaning into him during this season of my life. Or for the last few years. The obvious answer was no, I wasn’t. So Carlos (my counselor) suggested that I begin to reconnect with God. I honestly didn’t know where to begin. But, actually getting my Bible out and being sincere about having God guide me was a good start. Carlos and I also talked about minimizing time on social media, the news outlets, and trying to focus more on the things that were blessings in my life. I took every possible step I could to renewing my life, but most importantly my broken spirit.

I began small, beginning every day with writing three things I was grateful for. Even if they were the simplest things. I learned that so much of what we take for granted could be the biggest blessings for someone else. From being able to see, being able to take a hot shower, or having access to clean running water. Being able to start my day off with a grateful heart, really started to improve my outlook on life. It wasn’t an immediate life change, but little by little, it started to change the way my mind was processing things. Then, I began limiting my time on social media and anytime that I found myself with the urge to scroll mindlessly through an app, I began looking for God instead. In the Bible, in daily devotionals, in apps that I downloaded such as the Pray.com app. I went from checking my FB first thing in the morning, to listening to my daily prayer on that app. Then in the evenings, I’d listen to a meditative prayer right before bed. I submerged myself in everything I could that would bring me closer to God.

The third thing I did was find a new church. One afternoon, I saw a post on FB for a “Women’s Night” at a church that several of the coaching staff attended in Biloxi. And I felt the nudge. The nudge that said “Hey, maybe you should give this a try” and the nudge persisted. Not nagging necessarily, but the thought just would not go away. So I decided to obey the nudging and go. And I am so glad that I listened and attended. I joined a small group (Bible study group) and I found a safe place to discuss my journey with God and learn about the journeys of other women as well. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God led me to that church and to the people within its walls. My family and I didn’t officially attend the church, but that didn’t stop anyone from reaching out to me, praying for me and with me, and just giving me the spiritual sounding board and God filled community that I hadn’t realized I so desperately needed in my life. After a year of attending small groups, my family and I decided to officially become a part of Church of the King and we haven’t looked back.

The more time I devoted to God, the more I found Him in my life. The more I realized what a precious gift He has given us, all of us, with His son Jesus Christ. And how I found my own identity again in Him. I’ve come to realize that everything in life is connected to God where before I didn’t. I find myself thinking about Jesus and His grace. About how I’ve been forgiven and how I no longer have to live with the shame, guilt, and regret that I’ve carried with me for years. I’ve also found ways to combat those thoughts or enemy arrows that try to worm their way back into my life in an attempt to pull me back to where I was. My hope for writing this blog from the perspective of sharing Godly wisdom, love, and stewardship is that someone out there who feels like they’re in desperate need of help or who feels that it’s their soul that’s tired, will find some hope in these words. I hope you read these words and you feel the nudge as I did to trust and lean into God.

Until next time, always remember that even when you forget to walk with Jesus, He is always walking along side you.

**Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. I am sharing my experiences with anxiety and depression and am in now way trying to convince anyone that my methods of healing should be implemented on their own journey.***