New Focus

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I’ve taken some time away from blogging to reassess my purpose for writing.  When I started this blog I wrote for myself.  I wrote about whatever struck my fancy as I studied the Bible and apologetics.  I will be writing about some of the same thing, but with a different motive.  The motive for which I used to write was to cover my journey as I follow in the footsteps of Christ.  I decided to change my motive as I contemplated this verse:  “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord”. (Jeremiah 9:24, NIV)  Covering my journey in Christ isn’t enough, I have to cover God’s influence on my life, the latter will focus less on me and more on God, which is what I should have done all along.  

This is a change that is best for the audience.  I have come to a conclusion that my audience came to long ago, I am not an interesting person.  Sure, I’m “unique” and “special in my own little way” but not newsworthy by any means.  God, on the other hand, is very newsworthy.  He can make or break nations and he has certainly had to break me more than a couple times to build me back up again.  I apologize that I have taken so painfully long to come to this realization.  I honestly thought about ditching Teenage Disciple because of it.  Why ditch the blog though, when this is the perfect opportunity to exercise the new motto:  Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.

I love this new motto for many reasons.  Coming culturally from an American standpoint, I have boasted about many things.  Hardly boasting about God, I have boasted about the things I own, my education, my girlfriend, all things that make me look better on the outside.  What I really need to be boasting about is what makes me look good on the inside: Jesus Christ.  This is a very radical change that God has made in me, one that I see fit to keep as a guideline for not only my blog, but for my life.  Christianity is what is called “a conversion religion”.  How can anyone come to Christ unless someone has boasted about how awesome He is?  Boasting in the Lord is the middleman between the joy of having a relationship with God and the birth of new relationships with God that fruits from that.  

This motto allows me to broaden my writing scope.  I don’t have to focus on “my journey” anymore.  I can now focus on what my motto entails, which is the boasting of my God, what He is doing in my life and in the lives of others.  I have always focused on what God has pointed out to me but now I am able to point out what God is doing in the lives of the ones around me.  It was a mistake to limit my scope of God’s power to myself.  Now I am able to explore God’s power and majesty in a new way, and I’m eagerly anticipating it.