Jesus > Chacos

I remember the day I bought them. My Chaco ZX/2 Yampa sandals.
I had been oogling them for at least a solid year. Almost every camp counselor or youth leader I knew owned a pair, and I quickly jumped on the Chaco bandwagon...but because they were so expensive, I actually bought a look-alike brand first! So when my grandmother offered to buy me a true pair of Chacos (the real deal y'all), I was pretty pumped. I giddily went with her to the local sports store and sat on a bench as the sales associate brought out different colors and sizes at my every command before finally settling on a rainbow version with a toe strap.

They were perfect. I could hardly take them off and probably wore those poor shoes for the remainder of that week! I loved Chacos for multiple reasons: they were comfortable, versatile, and I thought very cute. But I think there was another reason that I didn't fully realize that day for why I so desperately wanted Chacos, and I think it was actually rooted in something deeper, my identity.
I have to confess that perhaps one of the reasons I wanted Chacos was because I was placing my identity in them. I wanted to look like those camp counselors and youth leaders I knew. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I think it became that way for me. Camp counselors and youth leaders are great role models to look up to, but they are no match for Jesus. And as a disciple, isn't it really Jesus I am desiring to follow, not so much a worldly person? I'm afraid that when I got my Chacos, I was focusing more on my Christian friends and their cultural appearance than Jesus and His spiritual identity. I thought that if people saw me wearing them, they'd think, "She's a Chrisitian!" And while, sure, it's true that they might think that, is that really going to lead them to Jesus's love? Or does it just make me look cool and adventurous and like a Christian in my appearance...however the world views that?
Another tiny problem with my view of Chacos was that I thought they somehow made me look better, therefore making me better as a person. I suddenly felt the need to wear them everyday, like 24/7. It might sound super silly, but I would sometimes feel insecure without my Chacos, worried people would judge me as not the Christian good girl I wanted to be seen as. The thing is: that Christian good girl just doesn't cut it, and if I really believe in Jesus, I must not forget that my worth is found in so much more than my appearance. In fact, my worth isn't found in anything about myself...it's all about Him. My identity in faith is a daughter (wink wink @ blog title) of the most High King! When did I need some silly shoe to prove that?!
I am not saying Chacos are bad at all. I love Chacos and totally recommend them to every person who asks me about them! But I've learned to realize that they aren't my identity, and though they may make me look like a "Christian", they aren't really a tool for ministry, and what will really set me apart as a loving follower of Christ is not my footwear--it's my heart.
So I just want to encourage you, whether you own Chacos currently, want some, or even just don't get what all the craze is about, to remember where your identity is found and what being a Christian truly looks like. It doesn't really look like a certain brand of clothing or a special organization that you're in. It doesn't even really look like posting mission trip pictures and Bible verses on Instagram (although these aren't bad things). It is doing life with the greatest dad ever. It's not being afraid to step out of your comfort zone to love another person because you know He goes with you. It's having peace when you're faced with a scary situation because you trust He works all things together for your good. It's knowing you don't have to prove your worth as a person or your religious beliefs because faith is less about appearance and more about action, and identity is more about Jesus and less about your accomplishments.
Believe it today. Live it. And remember that Jesus is always better than Chacos. ;)

I'm About to Get a B...and Why I'm Okay With It

Hi. My name is Hope. I just got my very first B in school, and honestly, I'm OKAY with it.
Months ago, if you had told me I'd be getting my first B in my Algebra 2 class, I probably would have sobbed and thrown a little hissy fit. I've been a straight A student all my life, and that's something I've always prided myself on. It was also something I always planned on maintaining, and if I didn't, well...I wasn't sure what I would do. I guess I thought I would self implode?!
Well, clearly that didn't end up happening because I am standing here today to tell you about it...which brings up a good point. Getting a B was not the end of the world. It wasn't life threatening. In fact, it doesn't really mean much at all in my life when I really think about it. I doubt that I'm going to look back when I'm in my seventies and say, "Well, darn. That B in 10th grade really hurt everything." I also doubt that Jesus looks down and says this is a life changing moment for me. If any change it has made, it's positive! Because even when my GPA and rank change, His truth doesn't. I'm so thankful for that. I don't have to rely on perfect grades or even a perfect Christian life. Friends, we just have to rely on Him!! Oh what stress we could save ourselves if we knew that, if we truly believed it, if we lived it. Would you join me in believing His grace truly is enough to cover our imperfections, whether it be grades or mistakes or sins? He covers us in His love. He gives us a new name in Him. I am no longer straight A Hope, or Hope who just got a B. I am Hope, just His loved and cherished daughter. I am His, and you are too. Don't ever think a grade or accomplishment could ever change that, friends. You are so loved!
I don't know where you're at in your life right now. Maybe you just passed finals week and are doing everything you can to deny those one or two less-than-fantastic exam grades. Maybe you just feel stressed with life, like you can't measure up to the demands of this world. But wherever you're at, I know the Lord just wants to sweetly remind us: we are His. Even if just for a moment today, let's rest in that. Let's believe that He says who we are, and He calls us very good.
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:4-10‬ ‭NIV‬‬