Coming Alive in Christ!
If you’ve ever watched me speak in front of a crowd, you know I’m an emotional sap, so it is not surprising that I like “chick flick” Hallmark movies. The other day, I was watching one, about a lady who was in Paris for the first time. A local, whom she had befriended, said to her, “you’ve become a Parisian,” to which she laughed and said, “I’ve been here six days, I’m hardly a Parisian.” His reply to her was this, “Being a Parisian is not about living in Paris, it’s about coming alive in Paris.”
That last line really stuck out to me because it reminded me of how we sometimes interpret our faith and walk with Jesus. We can look at the conversation in two different ways. If you are a new believer, maybe you don’t think you’re “qualified” to call yourself a Christian. But the moment you accept Jesus, you are on the same playing field as all other believers. We are ALL God’s children, and whether you’ve known him for 6 days, 6 weeks, or 6 years, He loves you and He’s glad to write your name in His book of favorites…and you ARE already a favorite!
On the other hand, and the way I first thought of that last line, being a Christian (Believer) is not about living in Christ, it’s about coming alive in Christ. We can read our bibles, go to church, pray and say we believe, but I think there’s so much more to it than that. When that male lead character said “it’s about coming ALIVE in Paris,” he put emphasis on the word ‘alive,’ in his perfect French accent. Why? Maybe because Paris is the City of Love and he wanted his American friend to find what she was searching for – to not be burdened with work, but to experience life to its fullest and to lavish in the splendor of Paris’ beauty.
We get so bogged down with our day to day, we sometimes find it hard to “make time” for God. We do our due diligence by attending church and bible studies, but are we ALIVE in God? Are we on fire for Him, enough so to share with everyone we meet all that He’s done for us and all that He’d do for them? Are we living the life God gave us to the fullest – lavishing in all His splendor? Are we using all the gifts He’s bestowed upon us for His perfect glory?
We all need to examine our walk and make adjustments where necessary so that we aren’t trudging through our relationship with God, but that we are excitedly and willingly coming ALIVE in Christ!