God desires from us sincerity..He wants us to have a sincere heart (Ephesians 6:5); a sincere mind (2 Peter 3:1), a sincere faith (1 Timothy 1:5), a sincere wisdom (James 3:17); a sincere devotion to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3), and a sincere brotherly love for other Christians (1 Peter 1:22).
That means He wants our whole heart in every area of our life. He wants us to be authentic. He wants us to be real.
Most of you know that I am a teacher by trade. For the past two years, I have had the privilege of “teaching” the same group of kids–in both 8th Grade English and 9th Grade English. They have been “stuck” with me–and for that, I am forever grateful. Each and every single one of them has challenged me and made me stronger in my faith. English is one of those subject areas that lends itself “to” real and authentic and sincere conversations and communication. Since I am at a Christian school, we can discuss our faith openly. Our struggles–our fears–and one thing that they can spot from a million miles away is hypocrisy—and that doesn’t lend themselves to “only” their peer group. They need us, as adults, to invest in them and let them know they are not alone and we don’t always have it together either.
In order to do that, we must know who we are. We must know our identity. Teens are establishing their identity–but as adults, have we established ours? We are not perfect….we struggle…but we are able to endure because of Him…completely surrendering and letting His light shine through us. Letting His love soften our hearts and mold us—weeding out the imperfections and desiring Him to take control in all areas and relationships in our lives.
After moving to remote or “distance” learning the last nine weeks of school, I wanted something that we could work on that would challenge them to be rooted in who they were–really think through and focus on their destination and what road they were taking. There has been “time” for that, hasn’t there??? We took advantage of it. For their last assignment EVER from me, I asked them for a sincere heart. I asked them to write a “personal creed”. One that exposed…one that brought to light what needed to be brought to light…and one that they could anchor back to when times get tough and they may be lost or unsure.
6 Questions: who are you, what is your purpose, relationship at home, relationship with the world, things you can’t change, and things you can change.
And since I was asking them to do it, I knew that I needed to dig deep and ask these questions myself.
So here you go, in “poetry form”….(They could choose a traditional essay, poem, or iMovie essay 🙂 )
My “Ode” to the Journey
Born almost 40 years ago to Joe and Cindy Ogden,
My life’s journey has made me a friend, a wife, and a daughter.
At the cornerstone though, is God. (Is 28:16)
I am redeemed through the blood.
Because of that gift, my purpose is to be His.
It is to serve and honor Him despite the circumstances.
This life will bring tribulations,
But these tribulations can strengthen me if I allow it. (1 Peter 5:10)
My journey will not be a checklist.
It will be out of pure love to live for Him.
And share. Go out with the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20)
I have been knit together in my mother’s womb.
He knows the numbers of hairs on my head.
I am made uniquely for His purpose.
Now it is up to me.
It starts in my home.
Being a wife and a mother.
Love God, love your neighbor love yourself.
Teach it on the back of your hands, on the doorpost, and the gates. (Deuteronomy 6:9 )
The world will try and influence, but I will remain strong.
I must be transformed.
Instead of “Fearing others over God”,
I will Fear God over others.
My light will shine bright for Him.
I won’t harp on things I can’t change.
I will control myself.
I will protect the most important body part I have–my mind.
I am a child of God and I will live for Him.
So now, a challenge for you: why not think deep and answer these questions?
- Who are you?
- What is your purpose?
- Relationships in the Home
- Relationships with the World
- Things you cannot change
- Things you can change
He wants from us a sincere heart. He doesn’t expect perfection–and we can’t expect that of ourselves. Instead, be moldable. Dig deep and ask these hard questions.
Let Him shape you from inside out–
Anchored to Him,
Leigh Ann
