No More Shame.

You might not even realize it is something you're putting up with. You might not even know it's taking up a room in your heart.

When you don't live up to your own expectations or definition you've created for yourself, you are probably dealing with shame.

Have you ever caught yourself saying negative things like, "I'm not smart enough to..." Or, "Wow, how stupid of me to..." And even the occasional, "I don't understand why I'm so ..." You fill in the blank however you please, but the bottom line is that you are creating a definition of yourself that was never meant to be your identity, and it's creating a mindset that is unhealthy to your health, wellness and overall life.

You could have even done something that you think is so shameful, upright dishonest, or downright wrong that guilt trips up in your mind, and again, leaving the door open for shame to not just stop in your heart, say hello and then step out; but spend the night over and over and over again.

Over time, this shame becomes a part of you. Hinders you. Keeps you captive and, to a point, you may not even think about it anymore. It just becomes who you are, and who you think you were meant to be.

The truth? That is never how we were meant to live.

Jesus Christ offers us a simple way to rid of this residue, create the TRUE identity of yourself, and will turn your shame into honor. The requirements? Surrender.

"Jesus, I have believed one too many lies about myself. I'm done with thinking thoughts of neglect, unimportance, stupidity and no worth: I'm sorry for believing lies of shame for too long. I give you my mind, my thoughts, my heart. Clean house, God. Show me who I am in Christ."

From Hebrews 12:2, the Holy Spirit gave me this revelation:

SHAME is only removed when one realized their true identity in the One who despised it, conquered it, and replaced its power through the bearing of a cross. He replaced our shame with His HONOR.

That simple.

This isn't a religious act. It's a relationship act.

Only through a relationship with Jesus Christ can this kind of freedom happen. No one else has ever or will ever love you enough to die for you the way He did. Put your total trust in Him. Dive into the Word and find out what God thinks of you. If you are 'in Christ,' it means that you have the character of God living on the inside of you through the Holy Spirit.

Now it's time to know your authority in Christ, and bring your dead bones of true honor back to life. Talk with Him, walk with Him, and discover His thoughts over your life. Once your definition is defined by who God says you are through His Word, the lies you once believed about yourself will have no more authority. 

Take Action

Here is an example from the Word to replace your old way of thinking:

Replace the lie of: "I am worthless."

With the truth of: "I am God's Masterpiece."

Proof: Ephesians 2:10 - "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Remember, this new way of thinking is not something that'll take care of itself. Only through the finished work of Jesus Christ will this transformation take place, and you must renew your mind daily with the Word of God and His thoughts towards you. Allow the Holy Spirit to help you. He loves YOU and He is faithful!

-Christie

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Here is some further reading that you may enjoy from writer Joyce Meyer's book, "Beauty for Ashes":

"One day as I was reading the Bible, I noticed this statement in 2 Corinthians 5:7: “For we walk by faith [we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor; thus we walk] not by sight or appearance” (AMP). The Holy Spirit stopped me and asked, “What do you believe, Joyce, about your relationship with God? Do you believe He loves you?” As I honestly began to search my heart and to study His Word on the subject, I concluded He did love me—but conditionally.

But the Bible teaches that God loves us perfectly or unconditionally. His perfect love is not based on our perfection or anything except Himself (see 1 John 4:8). He always loves us, but often we don’t receive His love because of guilt about our wrong behavior. We are supposed to be conscious and aware of God’s love and put faith in it. But I was unconscious and unaware of God’s love; therefore, I was not putting faith in His love for me. What a breakthrough! That was the beginning of my emotional healing. It has been a process, but today I can honestly say I am healed and content. I know in my heart that God loves me—and I also love myself.

Saturate your mind with the truth of God’s Word. It’s filled with reminders of His unconditional love for you. He says you are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). He says that nothing can separate you from His love (Romans 8:35). Don’t let the enemy steal your identity. You are God’s masterpiece. Believe it!"

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The Maid of Honor (MoH) Rap

After an incredible and unforgettable proposal from my fiancé, it seemed fitting to ask one of my very best friends to be my Maid of Honor in a creative, 'Christie-like' way. After coming home from working a Spring Training game, I thought maybe I should write a song for her. Well, that soon turned into a rap, which then turned into a parody song to "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" (one of my all-time favorite sitcoms).

I wrote up some lyrics, trapped myself in my closet for as close to a sound-proof room as possible, and recorded the lyrics.

A screenshot of the video while recording the lyrics. Ihad to wear the hat to get in the rapping mood.

Then, the next three days before leaving for back East, I recorded a fun video on my GH4. I edited on the airplane to and from Phoenix, as the first day back would be the baseball game I invited her out to to present the video for her. Time was limited, but I had a blast putting it all together!

So, without further ado, I present to you: "The Fresh Maid of Honor of Phoenix" (AKA: The MoH Rap).

Enjoy! :-)

This is a video I created to ask my friend, Aimee, to be my Maid of Honor. In the style of Will Smith's, "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" TV theme song. Lyrics by Christie Roshau

Work hard. Rest harder.

In our culture today, I've noticed that we tend to see over and over again the importance of being busy, and resting should only be done if you get all other obligations done.

"It keeps you going," one might say. Or, "If I'm not busy, I'd be bored." And even, "God wants me busy...it means that I'm serving Him and love Him.”

I can say this, because it's phrases I have thought before.

Work vs. Busy

I’ve recently discovered a revelation, and even though I am still learning about this, I thought I’d share what I’ve experienced thus far: Busy vs. Working.

Some of Webster’s Definition of Busy:

1: Full of activity
2: Foolishly or intrusively active
3: Full of distracting detail

Some of Webster’s Definition of Work:

1: Activity in which one exerts strength or faculties to do or perform something
2: Sustained physical or mental effort to overcome obstacles and achieve an objective or result
3: The labor, task, or duty that is one's accustomed means of livelihood

I highlight these specific words to show a contrast:

Busyness leads to distractions, intrusiveness, and foolishness

Working leads to strengthening, overcoming, and achievement.

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I searched the Word of God for the difference between work and busyness...and found this story of Martha, the woman who spent all of her time cleaning and doing chores while her sister sat and listened tot he teachings of Jesus. We tend to look at Martha and judge her for being pre-occupied with other tasks instead of spending time with Jesus. I mean, she was WITH HIM...wouldn’t you stop everything if you knew Jesus was in your home?

“But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." - Luke 10:40

Let me rephrase it this way that's a little more relatable:

“Christie was busy with much serving: music, teaching, work, competitions, cleaning the house, doing errands...and she approached Jesus during her 15-minute breaks (aka, driving from one event to the other) and said, “Lord, I am exhausted...don’t You care that everyone else is laughing and enjoying life while I’m serving You all alone? Tell everyone else that they are wrong in all their ‘non-doing,’ and have them come help me!”

To Be Continued...