Acting in Faith
As a Christian artist, you find that your craft and your faith can conflict if you don't manage them both correctly. These are some adjustments I'm making to grow as both an artist and as a follower of Christ!
I'm not a blogger
I've never been the kind of person to take time and write out my thoughts like this. Don't get me wrong, I love to talk in person. However, I didn't really start typing things out until recently. I've always loved writing. I didn't really mind essays when I was in high school. If they were on topics I found interesting, I loved to write them. However, I don't consider myself the kind of person that likes to get deeply personal about my life.
Let me backtrack.
Hi! My name is Chris and I am a Christian actor. Being a Christian in the world of entertainment is a very interesting combination. Its added an interesting perspective to my life. I've learned a lot about people from different cultures and lifestyles. I thought it'd be cool to share some of that perspective. There's so much art in the Bible. The Bible contains the greatest story of all time. Its a masterpiece that shows how humanity has been saved from the powers of evil. Its everything the Avengers movies want to be and nothing that the new Star Wars movies ended up being. I want to explore that art. This blog is mostly going to be about the artistry of the Bible and how it has impacts me. However, some life changes have to be made in order to do that.
I have a problem. It's a simple problem, but a deadly one. In the Bible, Jesus says that whoever wants to follow Him must deny themselves and take up their cross. This presents a problem for me. On one hand, I've decided to follow Jesus (song reference FULLY intended.) On the other hand, I have difficulty denying myself things. This is a problem that many people have. It's one of the things that gets in the way of many people's walk with Christ. It's the reason why we choose not to do homework when we should or why we can't stick to a diet. It's so easy to say no to saying no to yourself. Not to be one of those "we live in a society" type of people, but we really do live in a society that says to just do whatever you want. Consume what you want. Do what you want. Say what you want. Live how you want. However, the Bible give us commands to follow. There is an overwhelming amount of Grace when we make mistakes, however we still need to live how God wants us to.
Side note: I use capital letters when I talk about attributes of God. It's not some rule you have to follow. It's just something that reminds me of who God is compared to who we are. We are called to show grace, but it is nothing in comparison to the Grace of God. We are called to love everyone, but it is nothing compared to how much God's Love for us.
So, how is this problem solved? I think Lent has the right vibe to it. That's a sentence that I never thought I'd type. In simpler terms, Lent is that time of year where your Catholic friends around you will tell you some things that they are giving up for a little while. That's a massive oversimplification, but you get the gist of it. I think in learning about denying yourself, you have to figure out what you're giving yourself too much of. What do you have to say goodbye to? What's getting in the way of your relationship with God? For me, it's social media. Between sending water check to my friends who refuse to stay hydrated and tweeting absolute bangers from time to time, I've found that I spend a lot of time on social media. Now social media itself isn't bad. However, there's a verse that's been itching in the back of my mind for the past few months. In Malachi, God asks the people of Israel "why are you guys livin' lavish while my temple is still incomplete?" The people had spent so much time investing in themselves that they neglected their relationship with God. So God tells them to "bring all the tithes to the storehouse." I love this verse, first of all, because God even says to test Him. God puts out the holiest "see if I won't do it!" vibes possible. He says that He'll pour out a blessing that they can't even contain. This is a promise.
So I'm bringing all of my tithes to the storehouse. I'm deleting all of my social media (a scary experience indeed) and spending time enjoying the life God gave me. It takes away a huge distraction and it also takes away a source or pain in my life. On social media, you're constantly consuming different content and images that start to leave a mark after a while. People rarely post good news. It's typically a reminder of how awful life is. On the other hand, you're constantly wondering what people think of you. I found that I was incredibly phony on socials. I could see my friends faking happiness in their posts. I could see myself pretending I was doing better than I am. It felt like the last thing my insta feed wanted to see was the real me. I think the worst of all of it was that life events would lose value if they didn't get enough likes. I remember deleting posts of shows that felt important to me because they didn't get enough likes. What a way to devalue your own life, right? So I'm getting rid of it all.
I'm hoping, with all of this free time, I can grow as a person and learn to enjoy the moments in life that wouldn't be cool enough for a feed or a timeline. I'm not sure how this will impact me, but I know that it will.
Do you have any prayer requests? Let me know! I'd love to pray for you.
Walking across a log in the forest, Olympic National Fores… | Flickr
