If you'll remember, at the beginning of the book, I confessed about the moment I looked into my own eyes in the mirror and finally admitted the painful truth. I didn't like the guy starting back at me. That guy was dishonest. He was selfish. And he was ungodly in every way. Somehow, the man int he mirror was simultaneously conceited and insecure. Popular and hated. Fun on the outside and miserable on the inside. Though I'd achieved and accomplished most of what I'd thought I wanted, I still missed what I truly needed.
Thankfully, in my pit of sin, God reached down and lifted me out through Christ. By the power of God's Word and the love of his Spirit, he made me into a new creation. He washed my sins away. I became new
Sometimes God reminds me of who I used to be, like when an old friend from college comes up to me and says, "You can't be..." And sometimes he gives me a dramatic glimpse of what I look like now. While I'm not perfect and won't be arriving there this side of heaven, I was recently stopped my tracks by someone else's reflection of me.
At a recent meeting with the leaders from our church, my wife, Amy, had asked to join us, which she does from time to time. I expected her to share her heart and do what she does so well: encourage, lift, and bless the people around her. After our meeting was underway, she asked if she could speak.
"Craig doesn't know I"m going to share this," Amy began and smiled, "but I want to tell you a little bit about the Craig you don't get to see."
Everyone laughed, including me, expecting her to tell some funny or embarrassing story about something I had done at home recently.
She waited for our laughter to subside and then said, "What you see from him when he preaches is only a glimpse of the man of God that he truly is." She paused to make the shift in mood very clear. "As the woman who's been married to him for more than twenty-one years, I want you to know that Craig is the most godly person that I know. He's humble. He's loyal. He's faithful. He's devoted. Craig is without a doubt a better husband to me and a daddy to our children than I could have even dreamed up in my wildest childhood hopes."
Tears welled up in my eyes, I tried to fight them back, act cool, and shake the powerful emotions, but nothing could stop my feelings from flowing out of my heart.
Amy continued and became choked with emotions herself. "I want you to know that Craig is fully devoted to Christ. Everything he does is for the glory of God. I can't believe that God allowed me to stand by the most faithful follower of Jesus that I've ever met."
And she was just getting started. Amy continued describing my character for almost ten minutes. I squirmed with embarrassment, overwhelmed, humbled, overjoyed, and amazing at her enormous gift. I can't even describe it to you now without tearing up at the memory of all the things she said. Hearing that kind of spiritual affirmation from the one person in the world who knows me better than anyone else is hands down the most meaningful gift I could ever receive on this side of heaven.
Commencement Exercise
I'll be as transparent as I know how to be. There's a big part of me that just loves, loves, loves that my wife feels that way about me. But there is an infinitely bigger part of my that has to stop and worship the God who changed me, knowing it is only because of him that any of what she said is true.
Let me encourage you to slow down your reading and get honest for a minute. If you've grown up around the church of been a Christian for a while, you know the lingo all too well: "I was saved." "Jesus changed my life." "I was lost, but now I'm found." "What I met Jesus, everything changed."
But I want to ask you to pause for a moment. Focus and read prayerfully, Let's reflect on some of the important ground we've covered together in this book.
If there's any part of your life that is not pleasing to God, God can change you. Is there any part of your life that's not pleasing to you? If you battle with insecurities, self-doubt, or spiritual inconsistencies, Christ can make you new.
Remember, because of Christ, you are not who others say you are. You are who God says you are. Who are you? Well, you're not your past. You're not what you did. You're not what others have done to you. You are an ambassador for Christ, God's representative sent from heaven to earth. You are God's masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do the good works God prepared in advance for you to do. You are an overcomer, by the blood of the Lamb and by the words of your testimony. You are a child of the living God and filled with the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead.
You don't have to get caught up in your self-worth or lack thereof. Your worth is not based on your self. You are valuable because God says you are his.
I'm praying that God will use the words from this book to help you sacrifice any old, unhealthy, untrue, and unbiblical thoughts about yourself. And that God will introduced you to your altar ego--who you are in Christ.
Because when you know who you are, you'll know what to do. Empowered by Christ in you, you can now live a life full of integrity. While others are constantly ungrateful, you'll be full of gratitude to your good God for all he's doing and for all he's done. Instead of seeking immediate gratification, you'll never trade the ultimate for the immediate. You'll wait for God's perfect will in his perfect time. And because of who he is, you'll give honor where honor is due. Not only will you show honor freely; you'll live honorably.
And as your confidence in your new Christ-esteem grows, so will your boldness. Because you know Christ, you'll pray old prayers, speak bold words, and obey God boldly. You'll never be timid again. Because bold actions are born of bold beliefs.
So I'd like to introduce you to someone new. Just like God made me different, he'll do the same for you. By the power of the risen Christ in you, say goodbye to who you were and hello to who you can become. Let me introduce you to who you were meant to be.
Meet the new you!
You might have noticed that I called this last chapter a "Final Introduction." You have no been introduced to who you really are. You'll recall that in school, every time you finished one level, you had a commencement to the next. Which always seemed kind of strange to me as a kid because I was focused on middle school ending or on graduating from high school. But the word commencement means "beginning," and in life as in school, every time you graduate from one thing, you're moving on to something else. Once you conclude one thing, you're introduced to another.
Now that you know who you are, you'll know what to do. And whatever you do, do it all for the glory of the one who made you new.I praise you, Father, for you have been so good to me. I will try my hardest every day to live by this "altar ego." Thank you for loving me. Thank you for revealing to me and reminding me every day of the man I can become.
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