When I was younger, hashtags were called pound signs and you only used them in relation to numbers or when selecting something off of a menu on a telephone call. All of a sudden, the pound sign was renamed and rebranded taking social media by storm. I must admit, I thought hashtags were lame when they first came on scene. But, like colored jeans, I eventually embraced hashtags in all their glory.
We are good at hashtags aren't we? We can think of some pretty funny stuff when we are hashtagging (Is that even a word?). We have one for our obnoxious dog. Our friend nicknamed our dog Charnoxious. Her name is Charlotte and she's a giant obnoxious lab. So, her hashtag is "charnoxious."
I noticed that we are good at the Christian hashtag. You can Google "Christian hashtags" and get pages of blogs, Pinterest boards, and lists of commonly used hashtags. Here are a few:
#butfirstjesus #womanintheword #rootedintheword #faith #grace #choosejoy #beautyfromashes #goodnews #choosejesus #coffeeandjesus #chooselovely #givemejesus #godlovesyou #saved
I mean, I could go on and on with the Christian hashtags. There are a TON! We are good at posting a pretty picture of our coffee cup and Bible labeled with a creative hashtag. I'm guilty of it. We like a good saying, quote, or cliche. They encourage us and make us feel good. They are like a warm hug from a good friend you haven't seen in awhile. Christian hashtags, quotes, and sayings are feel good security for our souls. But, are we actually living them out loud?
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.…" Hebrews 12:1-2
"I do all this for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to take the prize. Everyone who competes in the games trains with strict discipline. They do it for a crown that is perishable, but we do it for a crown that is imperishable.…" 1 Corinthians 9:23-25
I want to get to Heaven out of breath. I want to stand before God exhausted from living out the ministry and life He had for me. I don't want a life that looks good on the outside while my soul is empty and aching on the inside. So many of us, too many of us, go to church in our pretty clothes, attend Bible study on Wednesday, and hashtag our devotion time but aren't fulfilled. We are running a race completely depleted because we are living a hashtag life. Instead of living out the hashtag, we are saving face through inaccurate testimonies. We are fearful of going there, getting deep and messy, in our faith because that's where it hurts. It's easier to slap a good quote on our Instagram page instead of allowing those words to penetrate our souls drawing us near our Savior.
Paul talks about running the race. He talks of endurance and how the race isn't easy but totally worth it. I don't want my Christian walk to be filled with Pin-worthy quotes and trending hashtags. I want my faith to be real and sweaty and meaty and full. I want to run the race getting muddy attacking fear in the face. I want to get to my Savior and the only way to get there is through real vulnerable life living. That's where life is found: in those gritty places.
Hashtags and Pinterest quotes are good for the soul. They lift us up, encourage us, and validate our feelings. But they end there. A life lived for Jesus is a life of hashtags lived-out. Jesus is calling us to more. I can feel it. The church as a whole feels it. He wants to give us more. He wants to give us fuller lives. But He can't do that through hashtags.
"...and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death, so that I may somehow attain to the resurrection from the dead.…" Philippians 3:9-11
Love & Blessings,
Meg
We are good at hashtags aren't we? We can think of some pretty funny stuff when we are hashtagging (Is that even a word?). We have one for our obnoxious dog. Our friend nicknamed our dog Charnoxious. Her name is Charlotte and she's a giant obnoxious lab. So, her hashtag is "charnoxious."
I noticed that we are good at the Christian hashtag. You can Google "Christian hashtags" and get pages of blogs, Pinterest boards, and lists of commonly used hashtags. Here are a few:
#butfirstjesus #womanintheword #rootedintheword #faith #grace #choosejoy #beautyfromashes #goodnews #choosejesus #coffeeandjesus #chooselovely #givemejesus #godlovesyou #saved
I mean, I could go on and on with the Christian hashtags. There are a TON! We are good at posting a pretty picture of our coffee cup and Bible labeled with a creative hashtag. I'm guilty of it. We like a good saying, quote, or cliche. They encourage us and make us feel good. They are like a warm hug from a good friend you haven't seen in awhile. Christian hashtags, quotes, and sayings are feel good security for our souls. But, are we actually living them out loud?
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.…" Hebrews 12:1-2
"I do all this for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to take the prize. Everyone who competes in the games trains with strict discipline. They do it for a crown that is perishable, but we do it for a crown that is imperishable.…" 1 Corinthians 9:23-25
I want to get to Heaven out of breath. I want to stand before God exhausted from living out the ministry and life He had for me. I don't want a life that looks good on the outside while my soul is empty and aching on the inside. So many of us, too many of us, go to church in our pretty clothes, attend Bible study on Wednesday, and hashtag our devotion time but aren't fulfilled. We are running a race completely depleted because we are living a hashtag life. Instead of living out the hashtag, we are saving face through inaccurate testimonies. We are fearful of going there, getting deep and messy, in our faith because that's where it hurts. It's easier to slap a good quote on our Instagram page instead of allowing those words to penetrate our souls drawing us near our Savior.
Paul talks about running the race. He talks of endurance and how the race isn't easy but totally worth it. I don't want my Christian walk to be filled with Pin-worthy quotes and trending hashtags. I want my faith to be real and sweaty and meaty and full. I want to run the race getting muddy attacking fear in the face. I want to get to my Savior and the only way to get there is through real vulnerable life living. That's where life is found: in those gritty places.
Hashtags and Pinterest quotes are good for the soul. They lift us up, encourage us, and validate our feelings. But they end there. A life lived for Jesus is a life of hashtags lived-out. Jesus is calling us to more. I can feel it. The church as a whole feels it. He wants to give us more. He wants to give us fuller lives. But He can't do that through hashtags.
"...and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death, so that I may somehow attain to the resurrection from the dead.…" Philippians 3:9-11
Love & Blessings,
Meg
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