I am a huge fan of Project Runway. It always amazes me how the designers can
create such unique designs. The process
is fascinating. They receive the
challenge, create a pattern, get their materials, and physically construct the
garment that shows their individuality while self-evaluating, and fitting it to
their models before it is shown on the runway.
It truly is a process, and
consistency is key while sticking to their goal no matter the curve balls that
might be thrown at them. The lifestyle that we project as Christians to the
world is relevant to this.
Receiving A Challenge
When we truly have Christ in our lives, it shows. There is a definite change in our behavior,
our demeanor and in the way we deal with challenges. When we have Jesus as our Savior, we are
changed from the inside out and our new lives reflect that change. It is evident in everything we do. You can’t hide a light, no matter how
dim. It always shines in darkness. I’ve been around families that know Christ and
some who don’t that are facing tragedy.
The difference in their attitude and outlook is night and day: literally
darkness and light.
Creating a Pattern
A pattern is a reliable sample of observable characteristics
of a person. Designers use patterns to
form a foundation of their ideas. The
patterns that are observable in our lives form the foundation by which people see
us. A fake or phony can be spotted a
mile away. It’s important to back up
what we say with our actions. As
Christians we know that we can’t be bad enough to make God love us less, and we
can’t be good enough to make Him love us more.
To show a reliable sample of Christ like characteristics to the world,
we just need to obey. It isn’t about
being perfect, it’s about trying to be consistent and being humble enough to
apologize and ask for forgiveness when we mess up.
Getting the Materials
Where do I get the stuff to make my lifestyle reflect
Christ? God’s word gives us what we need.
It is important to know what the Bible says about this. Ephesians and James are great books to start
with. Reaching out to other people who
are also on the journey is a good resource too.
Many times we think that we are the only people in the world that have
our specific problems, but that isn’t true.
Having a support system that will listen and help you find the materials
you need is a gift.
Constructing our Individuality
God created all of us as individuals. He loves each of us individually. There isn’t a cookie cutter that we all have
to fit into. It’s important to be
yourself- completely genuine, so that when you do talk about your faith, people
believe you because they know you are authentic. It’s also important not to judge others for
being individuals. God created them the
way they are, and they might think you’re as wrong as you think they are. Loving each other will always trump judging
each other-ALWAYS.
Self-Evaluating
It’s important to evaluate ourselves and how we are
representing Christ. Are you going to
struggle with messing up and not showing self control all the time? Yes. Don’t give up, though. Take responsibility for your struggles, own
up to your mistakes and stop beating yourself up for not being perfect. Personally, I want to hear about Christ from someone
who will share their struggles with me, rather than someone who never admits to
facing difficulty. Don’t be afraid to
share your process of self-evaluating.
Someone might really need to hear it.
Fitting and Adjusting
If after some self-evaluation, you feel that your lifestyle
needs some adjusting, don’t be afraid to do it.
We might need to add some love and humility into our lives, while
cutting off some areas of gossip and greed.
While this will help us fit better into God’s plan, it will almost
always make us not fit in as well with those who don’t follow Him. Faith that does nothing, is worth
nothing. Have faith that adjusting your
lifestyle to fit into God’s plan will work out for the best, and allow Him to
make the needed adjustments in your life.
Being on the Runway
All eyes are on the model on the runway. All eyes are on us too. What kind of model are you? Are you a work in progress that is willing to
create a consistent pattern and readjust your lifestyle to reflect Christ in
the best way? If so, people will notice and they will want to know what is
different about you.
God loves all of us.
He knows we are imperfect, and He loves those things about us too. Be yourself, and consistent in your faith
when life throws curve balls. Be who God
created you to be and represent Him in the best way you can.
Passages to Ponder:
Matthew 3:8- Prove by the way you live that you have repented
of your sins and turned to God.
Ephesians 5:8- For once you were full of darkness, but now
you have light from the Lord. So live as
people of light!
James 2:24- So you see, we are shown to be right with God by
what we do, not by faith alone.
Contributors: Karen
Bromby, Kathy Derda, Tammy Holtzapfel, Maria Kucharczuk, Kim McClure and Kristy
Tolley
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