Freedom in Christ!

Wow, it's only May and it has already been QUITE a year! God has been opening windows and definitely shutting doors. Being at UTA is probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. It's forced me to make decisions I never before encountered. Not only have I developed as an actress but definitely as a Christian. God has showed me His Grace and Mercy so much! Particularly in my recent car accident that was so terrifying! It was absolutely nothing but the Grace of God and I can't explain my gratitude and even my new appreciation of time. More and More I'm reminded that no day is guaranteed and every day should be a day lived for Christ, where just your simple actions can be a reflection of his love that has the ability to change lives.

Because of this, I refuse to keep quite about the ways in which God has been moving in my life,
specifically since I've been at UTA. Being in an environment that isn't Christ centered forces you to be accountable to Christ and places a major responsibility on you to try your best to fulfill His principles. There is a huge pressure that comes with knowing that you might be the only glimpse of Christ many people get. But more than being a pressure, it's a privilege. To think that God, creator of Heaven and Earth, trusts YOU to represent him, it's just amazing! Learning how to balance this freedom in Christ has been quite the challenge. Everyone knows how I am, over caring always trying to compensate everyone's needs, always encouraging and going through great lengths to make myself available. Well, not everyone appreciates people like that and more than ever, this semester I have realized that. In the past, I always felt guilty if I didn't let people "use" me, if that makes any sense. I felt an obligation to people and thought that it was a sin not to let people take advantage of me or to ever take time out for myself to pray and to meditate. Because of this I often had secret pain, secret struggles and tears that never were shed. This semester, I've been through some things I NEVER would have expected. As a result I realized something had to change. What kind of an example was I setting for a relationship with Christ. You can't be disrespectful to Christ, not be loyal or attempt to follow his principles and expect blessings to flow. I realized it was completely hypocritical of me to let people do that to me and claim that I was being "Christ-like". So with my freedom in Christ, I learned how to say "NO!"

It was hard, I felt guilty, but ultimately I was standing up for myself and learning the balance of how to manifest Christ's principles in a way that doesn't diminish who I am, and isn't always breaking me down. As a result I became incredibly closer to God. I set boundaries, took time out to really study the scripture and it was phenomenal. It was hard. I had to cut back on many friendships that weren't genuine and didn't encourage my walk. I saw people I was close to go through some crazy challenges. It hurt, realizing the amount of "fake" people in my life was crazy! I never suspected it. Ultimately God was using it as part of their story, and by not being a crutch to their growth, it happened! On top of all of that, God put some amazing strong people in my life. I have met some of my best friends here , who encouraged me and held me accountable to real truth and Christ's principles! I am so incredibly blessed to have them in my life and they know who they are! It was so weird to see that the moment I stopped preoccupying myself with the life-style of others, God used others to preoccupy themselves with my life and I'm so incredibly grateful!
I complained about feeling empty, never having time for my one-on-one relationship with Jesus and always getting hurt. But until I made an active change and took advantage of my Freedom in Christ, nothing changed. Please Please learn from my mistake. You can be a vessel for Christ, but not the blood. Don't get caught up in trying to provide for others. Sometimes people have to cry to know how to smile! You never know when sugarcoating Jesus can prevent someone's growth or salvation. This semester I learned how to say "No!", that was my personal lesson. Freedom in Christ might mean something completely different for you. I urge you however, take advantage of it! Pray and respond quickly and know that ultimately each individual is held accountable for their actions before Christ. Don't let someone miss their rainbow because you're too busy sheltering them from the storm!

"For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives."
- Hebrews 12:6