To the new Christian,

You will face many struggles as you begin to grow and take these first steps.  Believe me, I know.  The emphasis was on growing not, “Congratulations.  You’ve arrived.”  (You’ve got a ways to go.  So do I.)  But you’ve taken the first steps, and I am beyond proud of you.

If I could leave you with anything, I would leave you with these two things.

1. Never compromise for anyone or anything.
2. Walking with Christ means you go to battle with Him.

Never Compromise
There will be people who will think you are too much. You’re too loud, too uptight, too opinionated, and above all too “Christian.”  The world will expect you to fit into this pretty little box, but you are so much more.  Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

While God was sitting up there in heaven just carving away at what eventually would be this baby who came out of the womb screaming, “Look out world.  Here I come!” He knew exactly who and what you were going to be and that didn’t include any boxes to fit inside of. God made you to be different and set apart.  This can be daunting, especially when none of us want to feel like outcasts. But here’s the thing, people will cast you out and say, “Why can’t you just be like everyone else??” Those aren’t your people.

Look at Jesus.  The Jews hated Him.  The Pharisees hated Him.  Heck, Jesus probably couldn’t even keep track of who all hated Him. But He said, “Okay, big whoop!” He spent His time with His disciples, the people who loved Him; and the only opinion He cared about was the opinion of His Father.  So, when the world tries to force you into that box and tells you all the things that are “wrong” with you, ask yourself what God says about you.

My Uncle Bear has a great way of expressing all of this, he says, “Lions don’t concern themselves with the opinions of sheep.”

I’d now like to give you the expanded Mac edition and it goes a little like this.  If a donkey looks at a giraffe and goes, “Haha, you look so stupid with your long neck!”

A giraffe does not say, “Oh no.  How am I going to make it shorter so I can fit in with the donkeys??”

The giraffe looks at the donkey and says, “Why on earth should I care what you think.  You’re just an ass.”

Walking with Christ Means that You go to Battle with Him
Growing up and being a disciple is nothing short of a battle. Jot that down and put it in your head, because I spent years wrestling with why on earth there is so much struggle when you become a disciple. Being a disciple was never designed to be easy.  You’ll struggle with people, hard times, anxiety, depression, envy, and your flesh; and that is 100% okay as long as you are fighting against it.

You can’t lie there and say,
“That’s it, this is how I am.”
“It’s too big.”
“I’m not that bad, so there’s really no point in changing it.”

Galatians 5:9 says, “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.” Whatever the leaven is in your life, shoot that stuff down. Don’t ever fall into the trap that good enough, is good enough. I know it’s hard, but trust me, if you hash it out right at the beginning, it’s so much easier than if you ignore it and let it get out of hand.

Don’t get discouraged in the battle either.  Look at David, Deborah, and Barak, even Paul. Each of them battled something: David battled Goliath, Deborah and Barak went to war, and Paul battled his flesh.  Ephesians 6:12, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Fighting against these things means that you’re willing to grow, and in the process of growing each day, you get a little bit closer to where you want to be.

I’m excited to see the person you grow into; you are building the framework that you need to begin this journey.  Now go and keep on building. Always remember that your family in Christ is here for you, and we love you more than you know.

– Written by Michaela

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