SR
Willy Villalpando
Maranatha Community Church; Colton, CA
Young Adult
Spring Forward, But Don’t Fall Back!
SR September 2015
27
After a very exciting and action-packed week at General
Conference in Lancaster, PA, and a very awesome, yet
long summer for those who participated in SCSC and
Stained Glass this year, I bet we are all excited to be
home and get the chance to rest before we start school
again. This last summer has been a huge one for me: full
of change for the better; full of repentance, acceptance,
and remembering that my identity is rooted in God and
not my own worldly beliefs. Changes that have come as
a result of remembering my identity in Him are incredible
and I cannot wait to see what He has planned for me
next. Thus, I feel as we return to our classes and our
everyday lives, it is important to remember that we not
let ourselves fall back into the old routines that we had
before this summer.
So, how exactly do we stop ourselves from falling
back into the old habits that we had formed before this
summer? Remember who you are and remember Whose
you are. I love the way that Nick Kersten put it when he
talked to us about identity at SCSC training this year. I
want you to picture walking into a mall. Why do some
shirts cost more than another, especially when they are
made of the same material? Because of the label on
the back of the shirt. I personally have given into this
phenomenon...I own a shirt that (if it were not on sale)
would have cost me $60. Of course I bought the shirt for
$30. But why did it originally cost so much? Because the
label says Calvin Klein. Now I want you to think of your-
self. Each of us has a label that we received before we
were born. That label is stamped and signed by God.
What could be better?? However, sometimes we attempt
to cover up that label with our own makeshift labels. God
made our labels, and He made our fabric. Psalm 139:13
(ESV) says,
“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted
me together in my mother’s womb”
and Jeremiah 1:5a
(ESV) says,
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew
you, and before you were born I consecrated you.”
God
created us and has a special plan for each and every one
of us. It is important that we remember this so that we
continue to seek Him and His plan as opposed to falling
back into our worldly desires! However, this does not
mean that we are meant to do it alone! If that were true,
then we wouldn’t have an amazing God who loves us
beyond anything that we can comprehend. Despite all of
the mistakes that we make, God still desires us and wants
us to live with Him in Heaven eternally! Pray to God
every day that He will help you to power through that
day without falling to the temptations you are trying to
escape. One of the songs sung this year by Stained
Glass, written by Brandon Gumness, really stuck with
me...here is the chorus:
Lord, lead me today,
To trust and obey,
Every hour I need You.
Lord, lead me today
Be a light to my way
Sin loses power when we call Your name
This is an awesome example of the prayer that we
should be praying every day so that we don’t fall into
the old habits that we had before we began our summer
adventures! God has so much planned for every one of
us. I pray that you continue to seek Him and to resist the
temptations that you might come across this next school
year. God bless you all and just remember...with His help,
you can do it!
