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   To be human is to be always changing. We grow, we learn, we succeed, and we
struggle. The way you respond to life now is not the same way you did five years ago, and it
will not be the same five years from now. Some people grow more compassionate, while
others grow more bitter. Everybody is becoming something. Your formation is not optional; it
has happened, it is happening and will continue to happen. So, who are you becoming?
   Sometimes we pick up habits or activities like working out or pursuing an education to
become someone. We know these steps will shape us and mold us into a person we hope
to become. Other times we are shaped and molded by forces out of our control. No one
asks to be abused or bullied, and yet living through those experiences form us
anyway. When I was in 8th Grade I saw the Twin Towers collapse, which was a profoundly
formational experience. Airports and flying suddenly became scary to me. Whether we
realize it or not, formation is happening to all of us. So, who do you want to become?
   As a Christian, I intentionally try to shape my life to become more like Jesus. For
centuries, followers have pursued this through Imitatio Christi, the imitation of Christ. WWJD
bracelets evoke the same intention. There are lots of ways to imitate Christ, such as
forgiveness and caring for the poor. However, Jesus said that love was the most important
character of imitating Christ. Think about this, Jesus loved his 12 disciples so well, that
none of them knew who would betray him. Could you imitate the same love in a group of
your friends, knowing one was your enemy? Are you growing in your love for friends,
family, and enemies? Who are you becoming?
   Little known fact, church attendance does not solve all a person’s problems. But it does
help put them back in the driver’s seat of who they are becoming.  One thing I love about
worship is that it is intentional. I am deciding to celebrate Good News rather than be beaten
down by the harshness of the world. Going to church on Sunday is a declaration, “I won’t let
the bad news, sadness, and brokenness of the world completely shape and form me.”  In
church, I meet people who have walked through deep loss, suffering, and pain; and yet they
did not let it turn them bitter. As they have been formed by Jesus, they are like holy people
to me.  They carry grief, but they also live with beauty, grace, and love.  If your heart is
feeling stirred, I would love for you to worship with us Sundays at 11 AM at First Baptist
Cornelia.  And if another church is closer and safer for you, please go there. What matters is
that we take our formation seriously.