And You Call Yourself a Christian?

Sometimes being labeled can be a good thing; other times being labeled feel like a cruel target.
I wear the label Christian as both a blessing and a curse. My mind grapples with God's great grace toward me because I deserve something entirely different. I deserve condemnation. The scarlet letter S for sinner sounds more apprioriate than saint. I should steal Paul's title, The Chief of Sinners!

This agony of how fallen we are can warp our confidence. Still, Christ knew just how wretched we were when He chose to put on flesh and die in our place. Try wrapping your mind around that miracle.

Then Christ calls us His children, and our label changes to something eternally sacred. A relationship blossoms and on days when we are doing pretty good with our sin nature we feel secure and set in heavenly places. Possibly then we get comfortable and we revert and a bad day springs up before we can stop it and we stumble, slip, and stagger back into bad habits. Which lends way to the voices that start speaking louder than the Truth.

And you call yourself a Christian.

Christians don't get angry.

Christians read their Bible more.

Christians pray without ceasing.

Christians don't make the same mistakes over and over again.

And you call yourself a Christian.

Christianity isn't a checklist. It's not a ritual or a routine. Christianity is a moment by moment confession of our need for Jesus Christ to envelope us and equip us to overcome. He even helps us overcome ourselves. We feel cursed when we can't measure up. We feel cursed when we miss the mark.

Here is where Jesus helped me hear Him over the lies. As a mother I want my children to know I love them unconditionally. It doesn't matter how they mess up-- they belong to me. Each of us belong to God regardless of our condition. Hello- He can handle the challenge of cleaning us up! We can stop beating ourselves up, pick ourselves up, and barrel back into Christ's arms. He's waiting on you. Whatever your plight is confess it and let His love cover it. Every confession that you bring to feet of our Lord cradles you deeper in His embrace.

38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither
angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to
separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans
8:38-39)

Let's wear our label with appreciation and awe. Today, I want you to join me in transfixing our eyes on the present and not the past. We are redeemed. We belong to a divine relationship. We are ready to believe who God says we are-- His children.

We are Christians who sin-less.

We are Christians who strive every day.

We are Christians who stick to God's plan.

We are Christians who stuff the Word into our hearts.

And yes, we are calling ourselves Christians.

Share with me in the comments: Do you struggle to stand sure? Do your

shortcomings keep you from embracing eternal deliverance?

Tamika Eason is a passionate wife, writer, and awestruck mother to three daughters. She is amazed by God's great grace- that He chooses to love a woman so full of unworthiness. She and her husband serve in ministry in Austin, Texas.
You can find her writing inspirational fiction that showcases the power of supernatural love, and blogging at The Potter's Wheel http://www.tamikaeason.com/