Set-apart (phrasal verb): to make someone or something different and special
Last spring, I got a necklace that had “set apart” stamped on it. At the time, it was just something that I had come up with that I thought would be cool on a necklace but over the last few months, while in college and around people that challenged my view of the Bible, what that phrase meant to me really began to take its shape.
In one of my classes this past semester I had an assignment in which I had to include my life verse. I’ve never had a life verse so it was somewhat of a struggle to find one. Just a verse to define your life? I thought there was no way anyone could only use a couple of verses to represent their life and goals. I couldn’t think of one but kept coming back to the “set apart” phrase and decided to search it on my bible app. Out of the numerous verses I found, Deuteronomy 14:2 has been my favorite.
“You have been set apart as holy to the Lord your God and He has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure." Deuteronomy 14:2 NLT
I really love the NLT translation of this verse because it uses the word treasure. I think about being a child of God but I've never thought of myself as his treasure. Pretty neat.
As I read over that assignment and really thought about what the verse meant to me. I was reminded that as a Christian, I’m called to live a life that sets me apart from others and one that, by being different, brings others to Christ. Living a life different from those around me was something I hadn't done for a long time. I'd always played it safe and did what everyone else did so I wouldn't stand out and look weird because let's be honest, as a homeschooler, I needed all the friends I could get.
For the past few years, I always tossed around the idea of getting a tattoo. My sister got hers before she turned 18 without my parents' knowledge which has led to her having numerous colorful and unique tattoos to this day. Because of her, my parents haven't been shy about voicing their opinions whenever I brought up my interest in getting a tattoo. "Do you really want to put that on your body forever?" or my personal favorite from my dad, "You're getting a tattoo of a flea on the bottom of your foot, right?" I knew I wanted a tattoo with meaning because of its permanence and something that's importance and meaning wouldn't fade over time. With a little persuasion and sweet-talking, I finally got my parents on board with my plan (for the most part).
I decided a couple of months ago to take this tattoo that I designed, that now meant so much to me, and put it on my body as a forever reminder. I’ve found many verses like the one above that talk about being different and being set apart to live for the Lord and that’s what I strive to do every day. I fall short many, many times but this is a permanent reminder that with Christ, I can live a life that sets me apart and brings people to Him.
"So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 20:7
Living a life marked (literally) by being set apart is what dictates my thoughts and more importantly, my actions. I can have a "set apart" mindset but what does that mean if I'm not actively living it out in how I treat others? How am I living a life that is set apart if it's not noticeably different?
Just this past week in my sex, courtship and marriage class (sexy class as some people call it haha), we were discussing humanity's moral law and the idea of a "higher power" in the world that influences our morals and sets an expectation for how we operate our lives. For Christians, that higher power or "something" is God. We believe in God and we believe he has certain expectations for how we should live our lives. An illustration my professor took from C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity was about a car. We get in a car usually to get to a certain place. We can get there with or without God but we have to decide if our god desires a personal relationship with us. Again, as Christians we do have a God that desires a relationship with us. The question humanity has to ask is: does God or any god have an expectation of where I drive my car and if he does, how does that personal relationship and expectation change how and where I drive my car? This relates to the entire "set apart"mantra I've been talking about because God does have an expectations for my life, one being to know Him and make Him known. I know he expects that from me and other believers. Driving my car with His expectations in mind goes hand-in-hand with living set apart. I'm driving my car under different circumstances than you and most of the people around me.
My goal this year is to live my life for Christ in a way I never have before. I want to be head-over-heels in love with my Savior and put every aspect of my relationship with him above all else. It'll be a struggle and it most definitely won't be easy but that's what I'm counting on. I want a challenge because if you're not challenged, you're not growing. I want to put myself in situations where the Holy Spirit convicts me and I’m able to share my faith with others and show them just how God’s showed up in my life.
It has been and will be difficult to adapt to new environments that contrast everything I'm used to. What I mean by that is that all my life I've been in relatively "comfortable" situations. I've never exactly been in a place that made me feel extremely unsafe or uncomfortable. Transitioning from being homeschooled all my life to a Christian university really wasn't hard for me. Most people there have a relationship with Jesus and are in good community. There's never been a need for me to have a conversation with someone about Christ because almost everyone I've ever been surrounded by already has a relationship with Jesus. I've never been exposed to a situation where me being a Christian wasn't a normal thing. I'd like that to change.
In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving this past year, my church did a series called Testify. We were taught how to share the gospel with others. What one of our teaching pastors defined evangelism as us joining in on a conversation God is already having with a person. I think that's a great way to define evangelism. We think of evangelism as something only people really close to God can do. Evangelism isn't as hard as you might think. It's literally just telling others what the Bible says and what Jesus has done in your life. Simple.
I always thought that my story before and after getting saved wasn’t one very unique or worth sharing but over the past few months, the Lord has really worked in my heart and shown me that every story no matter how significant or insignificant is worth sharing because you never know what someone’s going through and how a small aspect of your story might really change someone. Another thing I've realized is that I don't have to just share the Gospel with people, I can share what's happening in my life and that might enough. It might be what someone needs to hear that'll help them build on their relationship with Christ.
And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone." Mark 16:15
For those of you who don’t know me, I used to be extremely introverted. I would almost always choose to stay in over going out if I was going to be around new people. I mean, I’m still an introvert but not like I used to be haha. I've surprised myself to see just how I often portray myself as an extrovert. All my friends at school were somewhat shocked when I said I was an introvert because of how outgoing I am. When most people think of an introvert, they think of someone who doesn’t get out much and likes to keep to themselves and have little social interaction. Being an introvert is actually all about how you recharge yourself. As an introvert, I recharge myself by being by myself. I’ve definitely stretched my limits of how much time I can spend around people since entering college and as much as I adore being with friends and doing fun stuff, I also LOVE getting time to myself whether it’s by studying, cleaning, and self-care.
Because of my dad, I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone SO much in the past couple of years. He’s made me do stuff that I would’ve never done otherwise and he’s changed how I approach so many different situations that I've been in. He's pushed me to confront people in love and how to handle situations when things don't go as planned. To me, if I can say and do everything in love, Christ's love, I'll be able to do immeasurably more than I could ever imagine. That'll be the best way to show Jesus to everyone I come in contact with.
With that being said, what I've realized is this tattoo has actually been years in the making. It’s taken time for me to blossom into who I am today with the morals that I carry and the beliefs I hold. Expanding my horizons by talking to people around me has really given me the confidence I need not only to get a tattoo (which isn’t much haha) but also to share my beliefs and story with others.
"May the LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the LORD lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace."
Numbers 6:24-26
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