Being Born Again: What I've Learned from Here to the Cross

Being a teenager in this world isn’t easy, and being a girl doesn’t seem to help much. But to be a teenage Christian girl, in a world full of sin and temptation is nearly impossible. I try to remain pure, but still I fail and I fall. I am human after all. And even after all those falls, Jesus still forgives and He still loves. But, it doesn’t make the journey easy. You see, I don’t want to fail Him, I just want to make Him proud of my good deeds. But even at my best, if you compile a list of all the best good things that I have done, things done with the right intention, It would still be as a filthy rag to Him. Even if it stretched the sun and back 99 billion times.

You see, when you compare the best of me to God’s standards, I wouldn’t even be worthy enough to see the gates. And that’s not even considering the worst of me. I do bad things all the time. I fail Jesus at least a thousand times a day, and that is when I am checking and rechecking myself asking myself, was that what God would’ve done, was that Godly, was that done in the right intention? What would God think of that thought? Is He smiling at your actions? As a cursed human, I have to check everything I do, and still, I’m not good enough, and sometimes, it’s all I can do to not give in to some of my temptations.

And after hearing this, you might ask, well what is the point? Why not just throw in the towel now? Let me tell you why I continue on. Because of His forgiveness. Because of His mercy. I continue on because about 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ continued on for me. Even though His cross was heavy. Even though it was a burden. Even though He was broken. And because even though He could have stopped there, because His shed blood was all that was required, He didn’t. He continued on and gave me the following things.

He is my Ultimate Comforter. When I am lonely and broken, He is near, offering kind words and love. He is my Lighthouse when I am lost at sea. He is the still whisper when I fret. He is small enough to calm my fears, yet big enough to fight the thief at the door. He is sympathetic enough to listen to my problems, yet just stern enough to spank my rear end if needed.

He is my strength, my joy, my hope, my strong tower, and He is my Freefall. Every day He fights to rewin my heart, so I have to say that He is my hero. He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. And instead of just paying the price to let me into His Father’s kingdom, instead of just preparing me a place, instead of just penning my name in the Book of Life, Jesus also gave me His own clothes to wear into His Father’s house so that I would be appropriately dressed for the occasion.

When I have to sum all this up, the good outweighs the bad each time. Each time I realize how much harder I want to try for Him. And I hope you will too. Dwell in the love of your Freefall.

Emily.