#RealTalk : Private Spirituality

Posted on by beautybeyondbones

We’re in the home stretch of Lent.

Easter is less than two weeks away. And if you’re anything like me, then maybe you’ve slipped up a time or two – or twenty – on what you’ve “given up” for Lent.

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So these last two weeks are the final push – the home stretch where you give it all you’ve got.

Every year during Lent, I try to watch The Passion of the Christ. And if you haven’t seen it, I highly suggest watching. Yes, it is difficult to watch at times. Yes, it is emotionally exhausting. Yes, it is long, and you will need to wear waterproof mascara, but trust me when I say, it will make you see your personal relationship with Jesus in an entirely new light. And make your faith come alive in such a personal, moving way.

And sidenote: Jim Caviezel did an amazing job portraying Jesus. And if you’ve never heard his personal testimony about his faith and what he went through to execute that role, I would highly suggest listening to his testimony on YouTube.

But one of the things that I take away from the movie, after witnessing the excruciating suffering He endured – the torture, the mockery and humiliation, the physical abuse – was how extreme His love is for me.

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Jesus took all of that, and atop Calvary, publicly stood up for me.

It was a public declaration of love. Defending my salvation – taking the nails literally, so I could be free and get to Heaven.

It is almost too much to comprehend.

One of the things about this time we’re living in, is how private people are about their faith.

We’ve become a society where people are no longer are “faithful,” but spiritual. God is now “The Universe.” Brunch has replaced church. And as a natural progression, any faith we do have left, has been hidden away into the privacy of our minds and homes, for fear of being seen as “weird,” “antiquated,” “close minded” or worse…”religious.”

I hate to admit it, but sometimes, when celebrities or people throw out the vanilla “My thoughts and prayers are with [insert tragedy victim]…” I know it’s horrible, but I sometimes will literally think with pleasant surprise…”Oh, you pray??” 

We have put any inkling of faith left into a little bubble that no one sees, no one talks about, and no one demonstrates, other than a banal tweet that lost its sincerity years ago.

We are a people of privacy.

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And I’m guilty of this too. I saw a friend at the grocery story the other day, and I told him I had just come from church, and I felt as though I had just admitted to still listening to Nickelback or something.

We’re afraid to share what should be the most important part of our lives.

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One of the comments I get a lot is how people are so surprised that I can share my faith so openly on my blog.

And honestly, I feel pretty convicted or even – phony – hearing that. Because there’s so much more I could be doing. And frankly, it’s a lot easier for me to write about on the Internet than in real life, but I am really trying to work on that.

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But why do I write about my faith?

It all goes back to The Passion.

Jesus defended me.Now, it is my turn to defend Jesus. 

If Jesus would have practiced our pathetic “2018 Christianity” and kept His faith private for fear of coming off as “religious“…then the crucifixion would have never happened. He would have never ruffled any feathers or caused a stir…Salvation as we know it would not be a thing. Because what He did was a public declaration of FAITH. Of TRUTH. Of love.

Jesus was not ashamed or embarrassed to show His love and defend me and my shortcoming and sins through a public display of action that literally landed Him on top of a hill for the entire world to see. The least I can do is to share that with others.

The least I can do is live a life in gratitude for that gift, and try to live a life that points to Him.

Watching The Passion this year with that new perspective, I felt completely convicted. Because it all boils down to one question: Do I believe this? And if that answer is yes, then what am I going to do about it.

I could be doing so much more. There’s such a need for His love out there in the world. And not just the world – but in our own backyards. In our communities, friend groups, families – in our own hearts!

Lent is our time to reflect on His public declaration. And question how we are living in response to that sacrifice.

So in these last two weeks, I’m really going to try to remember as I go through my day, the fact that Jesus stood up for me. He stood up for me all the way to the Cross. The least I can do is stand up for Him.

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284 thoughts on “#RealTalk : Private Spirituality”

  2. I always think of fishing (literally) when thinking about fishing (spiritually). A big shiny lure can scare away some fish. So imo there is a place for subtlety too. Each has their own role, their own gifts. So I think we should focus on where or how we’re most effective and act accordingly. ☺💒

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  3. Wow, Caralyn! You’ve written yet another post that had me nodding my head. It can be so hard to share our faith, but why? Why do we push away Christianity and the afterlife? Although I write strongly about the Gospel and believe God is using my writing, I also need the confidence to back it up with my words and actions. Blessings to you girl! Xoxo

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    1. Thank you so much Emily, I really appreciate your kind words! So true. I can definitely relate. Hugs and love xox

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  5. Jesus speaking of the parable of the unjust judge said, “And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:7-8)

    This question is of great importance coming from Jesus, because without faith we can not make heaven our home nor if we are ashamed of Him. “For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26) “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

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  6. “The least I can do is live a life in gratitude for that gift, and try to live a life that points to Him.”
    So true…and sometimes I feel like you, too…
    “there’s so much more I could be doing. And frankly, it’s a lot easier for me to write about on the Internet than in real life, but I am really trying to work on that.”
    I think recognizing that there is more we could do will help us to actually DO things, not just write about it. Remember, though, that writing about our faith and reaching so many people (like you do) is a ministry in and of itself. Keep writing and posting. Thanks for your perspective.

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    1. Hi Emily, thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing your heart on this. That’s a really great point. Hugs and love xox

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  7. You’re so right about that! I’m never private about my faith! God has given me the boldness through the power of his Holy Spirit to go forth and tell others about him and that I’m a follower of Christ. Some laughed at me, others listened, my own cousin even laughed at me and said some not so nice stuff, but say what we must endured those things just as he did when he came on earth to die for us! We must never be ashamed of Christ. If we deny him now, he will also deny us before his Father. Be on FIRE for Jesus Church! God bless you! Xxoo 💕

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  8. I hope you have been able to start doing this and are seeing the beautiful graces that come from sharing your faith rather than hiding it. I realized a while ago that I was living the verse that said to “pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.” The problem was that my own children were not learning how to live a life of faith because mine was so private. My friends had no idea that I was someone who would pray for them any time they needed it.

    I didn’t need to be the preacher on the corner, I just needed to share my gratitude for God’s work in my life. I just needed to share my blessings, and offer prayers when necessary. I just needed to share my life, not just the life I thought people wanted to see.

    Then, I got more and more, “I need to tell you this, because you’ll understand….” God stories. Lots of them. I was blessed 100-fold.

    Go for it! You’ll be so glad you did.

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    1. Thank you so much Karen for your kind words and support. I appreciate you sharing your story. You’re an awesome friend. Amen. Hugs and love xox

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  9. Im the same when certain celebrities say their thoughts and prayers for something, sharing your faith here is only different that it isnt f2f, we are all at different stages in our faith, sharing stuff outside of church things is only just starting to creep into my life, I know I will get there, its not like from day 1, we are going to be able to command the dead to rise, apologise in advance, i’ll probably be commenting on all the posts I missed out on

    lots of love
    Benjamin xx

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    1. Thanks Benny. Yeah f2f is definitely the hardest for sure. And you’re right – it’s a journey 🙂 Hugs and love xox

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  10. “The least I can do is live a life in gratitude for that gift, and try to live a life that points to Him.” Perfectly stated. Thanks for sharing!

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  11. Love this post. We are advocates for Christ and need to speak of our faith. Especially to the youth and hope they grow deeper in their spiritual journey. Someone has to bring faith back into our homes and daily lives! Thank you and happy and blessed Easter!

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  13. “We’ve become a society where people are no longer are “faithful,” but spiritual. God is now “The Universe.” Brunch has replaced church. And as a natural progression, any faith we do have left, has been hidden away into the privacy of our minds and homes, for fear of being seen as “weird,” “antiquated,” “close minded” or worse…”religious.” ” Thank you for saying this. This is a statement that I have brought up in my own family so many times over the years. I have urged them to mend their relationship with God and to fully understand that there is more for them if they would simply allow him to be their guide. They always tell me that established religions are too much of a commitment and only profit the preacher, but if they would just stop making excuses like the sadly growing population of what I call “Cultural Christians”, they would become so much more happy. Christianity is not a culture, it is a living religion that requires action to maintain faith.

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    1. Thank you so much for this thoughtful response. So many powerful points here. You’re so right – it require action!!! love that so much. hugs xo

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  14. Wow thank you so much for being honest! I’m a Catholic young woman blogger and you are definitely an inspiration! Sometimes I’m not sure that my audience exists (yet) or that they will care about my perspective…but seeing your success and HONESTY is a breath of fresh air!! I’ll add you to my prayers 🙂 Thanks so much for being brave and showing your faith for the world to see! The world is a better place with steps like yours right here!

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  15. We have moved from Northeast to Southeast US, an area with more practicing Christians. Here we not only go to church, but to Sunday School afterwards. Thank you for your beautiful blog.

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  16. I just want to let you know how amazing your testimony is, and your love for Christ and people is very evident in all that you write. God bless you as you continue being that light through your blog and in your every day life. 🙂 ❤

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    1. Oh my gosh, Angie, this means so much. Thank you friend. I am so incredibly touched by your kind words. big hugs to you xox

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  17. Truth!!! I plan to write on this too and I’m glad you talked about this especially around Easter. It’s something we really have to think about.

    I suggest for others who may not be able to fully watch the Passion, to check out Son of God, it’s just as good (in my personal opinion). It’s not rated R so it’s not as in depth with violence or death of Judas. But it definitely helps tell the story of Jesus, sharing some of the teachings He gave and then leading up to His death on the cross, including flogging.

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    1. You seriously rock with all your reading friend!! Oh really! I haven’t seen Son of God but I will this week! Thanks for the recco. Hugs and love xox

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      1. Oh, I think you will love it! It may still be on netflix 🙂 ❤ It's by the creators of the Bible series. The wife actually plays Mary, and she did an interview about really trying to feel what Mary would have felt watching her Son.

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  18. Thanks for liking my post about my salvation story! I was so nervous about sharing it because it feels like someone else’s story! Since finding Jesus my new life is so different to my old life! Anyway, I love your point about Jesus publicly making a stand for us! I’ve never thought of it that way before, and I feel convicted about the way that I try to turn the volume down on my faith in public! Lord help me to be more bold!

    God bless yah hun!

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  19. Great article! I like what you said about if Jesus had kept His faith private, then His salvation would not have been a thing, and that the least we can do is stand up for Him.
    I’ll have to check out that video you mentioned.
    Btw, thanks for visiting my blog, too! 🙂

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