Even though my heart has changed and I am a different person than I was a few years ago...sometimes I find that old self just creeping back in. When I am in company of certain people or in a particular place, for some reason there are slight changes in my behavior. Some of them are conscious and some of them are not.
I teach courses at a local college and it happens to be the same school I attended when I was in college. It is something about being on that campus or possibly it is being around a bunch of impressionable college kids, that makes my behavior change a little. I find myself making jokes that I usually wouldn't make or using language that hasn't been part of my vocabulary in a while. This isn't a Christian school so maybe I feel a little more freedom since I spend most of my days working at a Christian school. But I am a Christian and that is not based around a geographical location.
Well, whatever this is and why it is happening has been on my mind lately. I don't like "putting on a show" for anyone, ever so I just want to be one of those people who is genuine and purely themselves all the time! Do these people even exist?
As a challenge to myself and to you...I will start trying to not change my behavior based on my situation. That may mean having some friends ask me, "Why are you acting different today?" or not being as "liked" by my college students or making people feel a little uncomfortable but these are all opportunities to show as example of what is looks like to life my life for Christ. Not just at this place and with these people...but across the board.
I would rather be someone that stands out in a positive way then someone who blends into the mundane crowd. I know that I have difficulty explaining why I have changed parts of my life to the people around me. When people ask, I am tempted to say "just because" or "it really isn't a big deal" but it is! Now, my response will be, "I have chosen to live my life differently because my life has been changed by Jesus Christ" Although it is difficult to say...once the words come out of my mouth...I can feel Jesus becoming more real to me each time. He also becomes more real to the people around me which is the real big picture of this all. Having my Jesus become more real in my everyday life and showing others the love and peace that He can bring to their lives as well.
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