"Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it." - Matthew 10:39

The verse above is a powerful one. It is deep. It is straightforward in explaining the fate of your life. It is the truth. Trying to find (or save) your flesh will cause you to lose your chances of having eternal life. On the other hand, you will gain eternal life if you choose to lose your flesh.

I love learning about history, especially the ancient times. The Ancient Egyptians are notorious for building pyramids and tombs. They believed in burying the dead with items (e.g. amulets, food containers, weapons, clothes, tools, etc.) because it may be useful to the dead in the afterlife. The more expensive items you have with you, the better you are off in the afterlife. Even the dead have to survive, right?

What's the point of mentioning the burial practices of the Ancient Egyptians?

Well, it is similar to how we treat our lives. We want to take our earthly, materialistic items, habits, and views into our Spiritual lives. But we cannot do that. If you want your life to become better, you have to leave something behind. No, you cannot take your feelings for your ex-boyfriend with your into your new relationship. No, you cannot put all your money, clothes, and shoes into your coffin when you die. No, you cannot still live in the flesh and save your earthly mindset when you become a born-again Christian. You have to lose yourself in order to find yourself.

Losing Your Identity

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here." - 2nd Corinthians 5:17

I started growing my hair out when I was 12 years old. I used to have a big afro. Eventually, I was well-known for having braids. My hairstyles made me somewhat popular and stylish. I rededicated my life to Christ during my freshmen year of college. Immediately, God began calling me to cut off my hair. But why? Having hair and putting it in braids is who I am.

I told God, "No, let me be me." However, I would make the wonderful decision to cut my hair several months later.

What does cutting my hair have to do with all of this? Refusing to cut my hair was my way of choosing my flesh. Refusing to cut my hair allowed me to hold on to the past. It hindered my chances of becoming a new person in Christ. Cutting my hair freed me from being a slave held in bondage to a false identity that I wanted to keep. You have to lose yourself in order to find yourself.

Losing Your Friends

"Do not be deceived; for bad company corrupts good morals." - 1st Corinthians 15:33

Who wants to lose friends? Who wants to leave their friends behind? There are not many people who want to turn their backs on their friends. I was one of those people. I did all I could be loyal to my friends and try my best to keep them in my circle. I would get upset if they changed on me. I held onto toxic friendships and relationships because I was afraid of letting go.

"If you love someone, let them go. If they come back, they are yours. If they don't, they were never yours"

Being a Christian has taught me how to let go. I learned the difference between seasonal friends and permanent friends. God places certain people into our lives for a specific reason. The person can be seasonal and is only there to fulfill their purpose of teaching your something while you are in that particular stage of your life. In high school, I had plenty of seasonal friends. I made the mistake of falling in love with the idea of their presence. In college, I had to learn how to live without them. While pursuing a better life for myself, I had to learn how to leave some people behind. It is hard to move forward when there is dead weight holding you back. You have to lose yourself in order to find yourself.

Losing Your Family

“(37) Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. (38) Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me." - Matthew 10:38-39

Your family is a similar situation as your friends. There are some family members who are dead weight, too. It is sad to say, but there are some family members acting as road blocks in your path of being a better version of yourself. Just like friends, not all of your family is bad and deserve to be left behind. The idea of losing your family is about you leaving momma's nest to follow Christ on your own. You cannot stay under your parents' wings forever.

I am from Plaquemine, which is 30 minutes from Baton Rouge. I grew up knowing and loving LSU and Southern University. The majority of my classmates went to either LSU or Southern. I could have been one of them, too. But, for some odd reason, I believed that moving three hours away from home to attend ULM, a college that I never heard of until my senior year, would be more beneficial for me. I knew that going to ULM would challenge me and equip me to become better. Sometimes, I like to think about what my life would like right now if I would have decided to stay home and attend either LSU or Southern. You have to lose yourself in order to find yourself.

Losing Your Bad Habits

"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the childish ways behind me." - 1st Corinthians 13:11

Two words: grow up.

I got baptized on my 16th birthday. After the baptism, I entered this phase of wanting to be a Christian but did not want to be a seen as a Christian. Basically, I was a closet Christian. I wanted to be me. I wanted to go to church but not be the church. I felt it was a crime to allow my church life to interfere and mingle with my personal life. My pride would not allow me to change my bad habits.

I had a lot of growing up to do. As I was growing, I became aware that it is hard to live a double life. I cannot serve two masters. I cannot be a Christian only on Sundays. Living my life out as a Christian broke me from several struggles. I used to hold grudges. Lust was a huge problem. I had a hard time with trusting and forgiving people. And, the list goes on.

Christ has the capability to heal you from your struggles. Christ has the effect of making you not want to sin anymore. However, it starts with you making the decision to leave your childish ways behind. Don't just highlight the Bible verses. Let the Bible verses highlight you.

You have to lose yourself in order to find yourself.