Keep Christ at the Center

Soon after I graduated high school, I came to the realization that spending time with God is not something we can put on a to-do list and check off when completed. Although quite commonsensical, it is a good reminder for all of us that Christ should be at the center of our lives and the very reason we do anything.

We cannot simply "be done" with spending time in the Word after reading a short devotional or a few Scripture passages for 5 minutes. God should be what guides our decisions, choices, relationships, mundane activities, and overall lives.

Rather than some task on our long list of things to accomplish each day, Christ should be a lifestyle, not a chore. So often we save Him for last and give Him our lazy leftovers when in reality we should be prioritizing Him – not just putting Him first but actually living our life like it revolves around Him because it should.

A God-centered life is the only path you can take to achieve true joy. Although there will be obstacles, it is through these that make us stronger as we grow in our faith, trust Him more, and come out in the end reaping the fullest of joy.

Since I am a self-appointed nerd and love chemistry (weird, I know :)), I came up with this comparison that really helped me visualize what a life with Christ at the center is like.

About half a year ago, I took a piece of paper and titled it, "Where do you see God?" I wrote that I see Him in Chemistry, and I continued jotting down facts about what I meant by that.

Take an atom, for example. The structure of an atom has its nucleus at the center (God), its protons and neutrons in the nucleus (Jesus and the Holy Spirit, respectively), and then finally its electrons orbiting the nucleus (God's children).

The electrons are the same number as the protons – God's children must mirror Christ and reflect Him to the world. Christ is the living example of this.

Neutrons are neutral and balance everything out within the atom – the Holy Spirit balances us, keeps order, and lives within us, acting as our conscience and driving our moral decision making.

This is what I found remarkable: Sometimes, ions are formed (+ and -) and are unbalanced because of a different number of protons and electrons – we humans stray away from Christ. The proton count stays the same – God stays the same. The electrons are the ones who leave – the humans leave God. The proton is the force that attracts electrons back – God draws His children near to Him.

My prayer is that you don't just ponder this, but actually aim to live it out. Don't just put God on your checklist and await to cross Him off after a long and productive day of work.

He should be the one guiding your decisions and be the driving force behind everything you do. If you find your identity in something, you don't just put it on a list and forget about it after you check it off. It is a part of you and shapes who you are.

When your identity is in Christ, you will be molded and shaped by Him, striving every day to live more like Him, the perfecter of your faith.

It is my prayer that you feel blessed by Christ as much as I do and pursue Him at the center each and every day of your life. :)