lace up those running shoes
Teen Writings || Frank Cline, junior in high schoolFrank shares his God-journey with us today. His choice to follow God painted the picture to me of choosing to lace up our running shoes and get running with God. Aaaand he went to State for Cross Country this year. See how it all fits?! mhmm.
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It’s extremely challenging to summarize all the things that God has been doing here lately, but I think that as a general overview it would be best put in this: God has challenged me (and us as believers) to not be passive but active. In the sense that when the Holy Spirit reveals something to me I have a choice…to change to grow closer to God or to not change, do what I want, (be the god of my own life) and then drift away from God.
It definitely gets personal whenever an issue is revealed. The choice to do what’s right is never easy. My flesh is always on the attack and wants to say that it’s okay to do something and that I can get away with it. Sometimes that’s the case and sometimes it isn’t, but the point is that when the Holy Spirit reveals something to me and I deal with it, I can grow in Christ and love Him and be in His will. Or I can do what I want to do and not grow because I’m choosing not to do what God wants. 
When it’s put like that it becomes simple. What do I really want to do? Grow in Christ or be the god of my own life. It really reveals the heart and shows who you really are. So is it always easy? No, but God blesses and is full of grace and love and truth.When I was confronted and asked a while back, What do I really want by those who were discipling me and those interested in investing in my life it came to a point where I had to think about it and make the choice? Do I want God to be the focus of my life or myself? It was a simple choice when I looked at it that way even though life isn’t always going to be easy. 
So the thing that comes up every day and is constantly challenging me in my life is when God reveals to me how I need to change. It's also daily praying to God and asking him to reveal things to me, to pull back the veil, and make me willing to change. That I will be able to grow in my walk with Christ by growing more like Him through pursuing Him and "killing" myself (because I am my own worst enemy). I don’t want to paint a picture that I’m perfect because I’m not, but God views me as such because of his son Jesus Christ. He is what makes me righteous. I don’t always do what’s right and a lot of the time I can be extremely selfish, but I am righteous because of Christ and He died for my sin and He is always ready to FORGIVE!God wants me to LOVE him and glorify him and show His love to others. No matter what I do he loves me the same so why wouldn’t I love him?! God is INDESCRIBABLY INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!! [all photos from Frank's Facebook page, used with permission.]