A call to be genuine

I was thinking today a lot about what it means to be genuine. A good definition of it is to be sincere in who you say you are. Maybe not a great definition, but that's what comes to mind for me. I'd like to point out that the definition involves speaking. That's just half the battle of being genuine. The rest of it is seen only through actions. I guess going home for one weekend, the place I called home for 18 years, then coming back to school, my new home of 3 years, gets you thinking about being genuine wherever you are. I never thought it was possible to be two different people. You'd have to be pretty talented to pull that kind of trick off, don't you think? Well, I'm not saying that I've achieved this, but sometimes I do struggle with it. The problem is, I don't want to be two different people. I just want to be me, which should be a simple thing, right? But there are parts of me that fit at home, and parts that fit at school.
This isn't crazy talk because I'm sure a lot of people know where I'm coming from. There's the part of me that when I'm home, I can be so very selfish. Well wait, I'm selfish in both places, so let me try that over again. I am genuinely comfortable being myself at home but have a hard time acting my age. I easily fall back into being the baby of the family (which is the best) and when I come back to school, it's not just about me anymore and I'm not the baby! At home, my opinion does matter but I still want my parents opinion and at school, I feel like I'm old enough to have opinions to share. I'm not sure if this is still about being genuine but I gotta search deeper for a minute.
What does it mean to be genuine for God? He sees me all the time! He doesn't want two versions of Melissa, He just wants the real, sincere, genuine me! And I'm sure He is looking for genuine conversations with Him, as well as actions to back up my words about who I am. To be genuinely who Christ wants me to be isn't easy all the time, but it's what I'm striving for. This is after all titled "a call" to be genuine. It's yet another call Jesus has on my life right now and figuring it out is the fun part.

Get out of the boat!

So today, Pastor Jenkins spoke in convocation about getting out of the boat. He was referring to Matthew 14:22-33 when Jesus walks on water. He calls Peter to "come". This is another example of answering the call. I love how one word that seems so simple takes so much to answer. Come! It's so easy to answer when your best friend says "Come!" but when it's Jesus calling, why do we hesitate? Why do I hesitate is the better question? What am I so afraid of? How amazing would it be to walk on water, you know? Of course that isn't humanly possible, but didn't God say that with Him all things are possible? I think this message was a great reminder. Of course we are afraid when the storms come, no matter what they may be. Whether it's a class that seems impossible to pass, someone in your family has cancer, the courage to admit you really like someone, or walking by faith when it's really hard to see what's in front of you. All of those things may be storms that start to rock your boat! I think I've been in the "comfortable" boat for so long that I am afraid to leave what's familiar. Jesus says "come" and he's gonna keep calling. It's time to make a move and get out of the boat! Maybe you are reading this for a reason, whoever you are, and you may hear that still small voice saying "Come." What are you waiting for? Let's close our eyes, hold our breath, jump out of the boat and let Jesus take care of the rest!