Oscar Wilde said, "Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation."

I, on the other hand, didn't care too much what others thought when I was struggling through adolescence. Since I was a preacher's kid, my peers and the adults at my father's church had a set of expectations for me. Among them were what should be the length of my hair, the style of my dress, the words proceeding from my mouth, and the peers I hung around with.

Like other adolescents, I was grappling to discover my identity. Was I supposed to follow in my father's footsteps? Should I run with the crowd? Or did God have something else in mind?

Ephesians 2:4-5 – But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!) (NLT)

What I discovered is that what I do isn't nearly as important as who I am. Sin isn't a popular subject or perhaps even a politically correct term, but God says I'm dead in it. I'm a walking dead man and powerless to do anything about it.

Fortunately, the news isn't altogether bad. I can be a walking alive man when I acknowledge my sins and plead for Christ's forgiveness, which was made possible through His sacrifice on Calvary's cross. While I'm alive now, entering that relationship makes me more alive than I've ever been. My past is immaterial. Mine's not as sordid as some, but I do have a host of things I've done, said, or thought that I'm not proud of. Christ's forgiveness removes the penalty … once and for all.

I no longer have to struggle with who I am. I'm God's child. Are you?

Prayer: Thank You, Lord Jesus, for making us new creations and for taking away all our sins. Amen.

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About the author:

Martin Wiles <mandmwiles@gmail.com>
Greenwood, South Carolina, USA
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