Day 35 - Jane Song

Is there a specific Bible passage or verse that comes to mind in the context of “Less of Me and More of Him”?

1 John 4:9-10 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

This is real love. Not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son. Sacrificing His Son wasn’t just a grand gesture of love. It was the only way to pay and cover our shame and guilt so we could be near Him. I’ve learned that shame is another form of pride where I refuse to believe what God says of me. I choose to cling to my own understanding and feelings. Oftentimes, self-condemnation and anxiety lead me to avoid God and hide from His presence. Yet, He calls me to fix my eyes on Him more than look at myself. I believe that as I continually seek to see more of Christ and less of me, I’ll be filled with the Holy Spirit to live out the person God created me to be for His kingdom. 

Briefly explain which areas of your life you find most difficult to surrender to Christ.

The area in my life I struggle to surrender to Christ involves work. Whether at my workplace, church, or home, it’s easy to stay busy, but it’s hard to share myself, come alive, lead from trust and inspiration, and serve my spiritual and physical family with selflessness. Because I want to preserve myself from harm and discomfort, I like to avoid hardships rather than ask God for strength. But He’s been showing me that I’m not getting anything from my circumstances. So, I can either stay weak and be miserable or strengthen my feeble knees and turn to Him who is always with me. 

Share the areas of your life that have shifted from self-centeredness to Christ-centeredness.

The area of my life that has shifted from self-centeredness to Christ-centeredness is how I view suffering. Before, I dismissed my sufferings, saying they weren’t anything compared to what others were experiencing. Or I would coddle the pain too much and refuse to have hope. But over the past two years, I’ve been acknowledging that the suffering I go through is truly good for me, and even though it feels awful to be humbled, God is disciplining me to produce a harvest. If Jesus suffered for God’s glory, then we who are lesser than Christ will share in the sufferings for His kingdom. And that is a beautiful thing.

What are some practical ways you can display Christ to those around you?

I never thought this to myself before, but in the past two years of working, I’ve been wondering if certain people in my workplace are Christian. It’s the way they speak, the peace in their eyes, and how faithful they are in their work. Whether by surrendering my anxieties to the Lord each morning, thanking the bus driver, greeting people at work with a smile, or listening to my family members, coworkers, or friends, I also want to display Christ’s love. Sometimes, it means having hard conversations, asking for forgiveness, and acknowledging that I was mean or wrong. I pray for the courage to live out what I truly believe in Christ.