Good morning ladies,
The word of the day is “apotheosis.” Growing up as the oldest of two children made me feel a little bit of pressure. I was felt like everybody was looking at me to be the best at everything that I did. Looking back on it now, I guess I really put the pressure on myself. Nevertheless, the pressure was there, and was real for me. It wasn’t until I started hanging out at church early during my high school years that I realize that I could turn this pressure into a positive. My youth pastor helped me to understand what it meant to be a leader in a different way, for God. When I finally embraced it, I encountered a new set of problems. When I accepted Christ as my personal Lord and Savior in the middle of those high school years, I was then charged with the spiritual mission, to lead for God. However, being young often frustrated me because I wanted to do my best, and this new spiritual journey was hard. I needed constant reminders.
“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”
~1 Tim 4:12
My question is: what kind of influence you have on others? Just like the way that I struggled as a young Christian, not knowing how to exert my influence, you might be in a similar position. Wherever you are in your relationship with God, whether you are a super–Christian, or just beginning the journey, you have influence over others. The decision to be made is whether or not you will continue to grow from that point. I really enjoy what Paul says right here to young Timothy, knowing that he has a great burden on his shoulders, though he knows that Timothy can rise to the occasion. Will you rise to the occasion? My prayer is that you take an intentional look at what it means to be the apotheosis, or example, to those around you.
Praying for you,
MO
