Choosing Your Lenses

I hate scary movies. I mean HATE. You know, like the Plain White Ts say, "Hate is a strong word, but I really really really don't like you." 

Ok, so that may be a bit strong. But really, scary movies are not my thing. I’ll be the first to admit that I am a “scaredy-cat.”

I remember when I was just a kid I begged my mom to let me watch “It” with my older brother and his friends. I wanted so badly to be considered grown up and I somehow thought scaring myself silly would prove it. What poor logic! (Kind of like the time I watched Arachnophobia when I myself have arachnophobia). “It” was a bad, bad decision. I don’t remember how long my nightmares lasted afterwards, but I do remember them plaguing a significant portion of my childhood.

That’s what happens when I watch a scary movie: it haunts me for awhile. In reality, it’s probably quite pathetic the way I respond to spooky stuff. I’d run up the energy bill because I would need constant lighting, and I would most likely jump (literally) into my bed for fear of something grabbing me from underneath.

It’s real sad.

Pretty easy to see why I don’t watch scary movies, isn't it? Call me crazy, but I’d prefer not to intentionally freak myself out.

This sort of mental phenomenon happens in other instances though, does it not? You know, like the time your significant other does something extremely romantic, and you can’t stop thinking about it/him/her for days. Or when you finally get that job that you've been working for and you’re on cloud nine. Whatever it may be, good or bad, when something with any degree of intensity finds its way into our brain, it stays there for a little while.

Eventually it will fade, but for a moment you see the world through a different lens. (After a scary movie, I see the world through the, “Everyone is out to get me, there’s something in my room, someone will probably attack me in the shower, I’m never going in the basement,” lens).  

How important does this then, the idea of intentionally choosing your lenses, make it for us to continually and constantly delve into the bible?

If you were regularly diving into the truth of the word, you would routinely be seeing the world through that same truth.

I can only imagine what my life would be like if I lived it in the confidence of God’s truth; there are so many scars that could be healed and entrapments escaped. It’d be unbelievable! The power of the countless lies I believe would no longer exist, and I would be free from their suffocating oppression.

I think Job is a great example: a “blameless and upright” man whose children were killed, possessions and wealth were destroyed, and body had become diseased. Despite the numerous trials with which he was plagued, he held his faith in the goodness and truth of God.

“I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.” Job 23:12

Job held to his faith through the truth found in the word; the truth that unveiled God’s character and promises while destroying the lies of the world. Such confidence didn't come from reading the bible once, twice, or ten times. Instead it came from a high esteem of God’s truth that encouraged him to read it daily. Job understood the power of the word.

I could easily list a handful of truths that would be beneficial for my heart to know, and yet I sometimes find it so difficult to dive into these regularly. Why is it so hard? I think I have convinced myself that, because I have read these truths before, they've already been written on my heart.

“I've heard that already, no need to read it again,” I think.

This is so far from the truth! In fact, such an idea completely undermines the power of the gospel and, more simply, the power of repetition.

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joint and marrow.”Hebrews 4:12

I oftentimes forget that the truth of the gospel is so much stronger than myself, and I can only take on its strength when I continually fill myself with its words.

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes … put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.” Ephesians 6:11, 13-14

If simply watching a scary movie adjusts the lenses through which I see the world, imagine what reading a book as powerful as the bible could do. Even more so by reading it daily! Those lenses have got to be glorious.

“If you hold to my teaching, then you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”-John 8:32

When I Grow Up

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Ah yes, the age-old question. For some, this question can bring a lot of excitement. “I’m glad you asked! Let me tell you about my dreams.” For others, this question can be stressful, or discouraging. “Actually, I don’t quite know exactly what I’d like to be. I’m still trying to figure that out.”

I relate much more with the latter. I dread this question from others (which people continue to ask me frequently, as if 21 isn't already grown up) because I simply just don’t know how to answer it. As a senior in college, I find myself still wondering what I want to be “when I grow up.” A single semester away from graduation, I have contemplated and dreamt about changing my major of studies completely. “Maybe I’ll just go back to school all over again,” I've thought.

Talk about lost.

Don’t people figure these things out before they even apply to colleges? Even kids know what they want to be already, and I haven’t a clue! I’m about to graduate and I feel no closer to knowing what I want to do with the rest of my life.

First come the feelings of waywardness, and a never-ending sense of blindly wandering. Next come the doubts and incessant “what ifs” about every step. Then come the inquisitions. You ask, “Is there something wrong with me? Why does everyone else have it all figured out?” Lastly, fear consumes your thoughts. You wonder if you’ll ever make it to the other side of the daily confusion, questioning, and desperate searching. What will happen if you don’t?

Will I ever amount to anything, or am I doomed to be an indecisive nomad forever?

It is such a loaded question, asking what you want to be. It puts intense amount of pressure in knowing, deciding, and then being something for the rest of your life. I don’t know if you know, but the rest of your life is a LONG TIME. Do you know how crucial that makes your answer? Let me tell you: extremely.

There is so much weighing on a single decision; one that seemingly everyone else has already made while I indefinitely can’t. I’d be lying if I said that thought, that seemingly everything is dependent upon a single question which I find impossible to answer, never stressed me out. I’d be kidding myself if I claimed it to be an easy choice- one that has never plagued my thoughts or kept me awake at night. No, it has been all of these, increasingly so as I creep closer and closer to graduation: the “real” world.

Through all of my wondering and wandering, I have missed one key factor: I've already answered the question, and I can honestly say that I have never looked back.

On November 27, 2005, I confidently answered the age-old question, pronouncing that I, for the rest of my life, wanted to be a child of God. A believer. A follower. A servant.

And that is what I am: a child of the high and mighty God, and there is nothing else I can ever be that is as significant, beautiful, or worthwhile.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matthew 6:19-20

You see, I have spent so much time searching for what I will someday be, but I have been looking in all the wrong places. My answer has never been in my schooling, my degree, or my career, but rather in God’s truth- the words that remind me who he has made me to be. In all of my searching I had forgotten that all I need to be is all that I already am: myself.

So, who am I?

I am a beautiful and beloved daughter of a mighty king.

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. Romans 8:14-15

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. Galatians 3:26

I am a glorious citizen of heaven.

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Philippians 3:20-21

I am an heir with Christ, promised an eternal inheritance.

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession. Ephesians 1:13-14

What can I be?

I can be a disciple of Christ.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Matthew 28:19-20a.

I can be a light unto the world for the truth of the gospel.

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden … In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven. Matthew 5:14,16

I can be an essential member of the body of Christ

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body … the body is not made up of one part but of many. 1 Corinthians 12: 12-14

I can be an obedient, glorifying servant of God.

What does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul? Deuteronomy 10:12

I have the freedom in Christ to pursue any career I desire, but as his child I am called to be something much higher. God isn't interested in my profession, though he can undoubtedly use me in whichever circumstance I choose. Ultimately, he is interested in my heart. I can spend my life working for societal success and monetary gain, or more importantly for “food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give,” (John 6:27).

Though I do not know which career I will find myself in 10 years from now, I do know my answer to the ancient question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

I want to be a child of God; a beautiful, forgiven, adored, adopted daughter of a high and mighty king.   

My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. Ecclesiastes 2:10b-11

What One Word Can Say

“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter- it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”

Those who write attempt to say what many others cannot. They strive to portray thoughts and feelings for which many others have no words, oftentimes spending days searching for the right ones themselves. I delight in this complexity of writing. Languages fascinate me, and I am enthralled by the intricacies of words; how the absence, addition, or alteration of a single word can bring an entirely different meaning to a sentence.

There is a vast difference between a statement that reads, “I like painted art,” and another that states, “Painted art transfixes me.” Is there not?

Sentences with power and unique meaning are compiled of elaborately placed and chosen words, and the results can be astonishing.

This all came about as I was listening to a song just a few days ago. It was a worship song with which I am highly familiar (as it is one of my favorites), and though I have sung the lyrics numerous times before, I was this time struck by the significance of a single word.  

The lyrics sang, “Tuya soy. Tuya soy. Cristo, tuya soy.” I am yours. I am yours. Jesus, I am yours.  

The word that so struck me was “soy.” I am.

Why is this significant? Because in the Spanish language there are two ways of discussing who or what you are. To say, “I am,” you can say “estoy” or “soy,” and they both mean something separate. The lyrics would have translated the same had they been, “Tuya estoy. Tuya estoy. Cristo, tuya estoy,” but the meaning would have been changed.

The differences between soy and estoy are large in number, though in this context they can be simplified. Estoy is used more commonly with temporary feelings, ailments, or locations. Things such as, “I am sick,” or, “I am hungry,” or, “I am at work,” can be expressed by using estoy. These are temporary states that do not remain unchanged; such does not describe your life on a daily basis.  

However, soy is used more commonly to define the characteristics of a person. One can convey more concrete facts such as, “I am a woman,” or, “I am left-handed.” These are solidified identities about the person you are; pieces of yourself that will not change ten days nor ten years from now.

All of this to say that there is greater meaning when professing to Jesus, “Tuya soy.” It does not mean, “I am yours today, but we've still to see about tomorrow.” Not, “I am yours now, but there is a possibility that could change.” Nor does it say, “I am yours until x,y, or z happens, and then you can forget about it.”

Tuya soy means that you are His forever, and being His is a characteristic of who you are. It is not a job you work part-time or something you decide to be when convenient. It’s not a title you claim on good days and cast aside on the bad ones. Nor should it ever be any of these.

Being a disciple and servant of Jesus should be a characteristic as staple and permanent as, “I am Mary.”

After inspired by the song, I wrote this in my journal the other day:

“It’s unbelievable to me how simple it is, but that song says it so perfectly. Have I made being a servant to Jesus a characteristic of who I am? I've decided that being discipled by God and in service to Jesus needs to be my life, and all else more like a part-time job.”

Committing your life to God should be the most prominent and influential commitment in your life. It should be a promise that is given as much (if not more) time, energy, and effort as any school degree, career opportunity, or goal for which you strive. It should be so deeply written on your heart that it becomes an innate part of who you are.

For if it is all this, you can truly profess to Jesus that you are his- in the forever way.

My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. -Psalm 62:7-8

Question of the Day

When you have an addiction, it changes your entire life. It consumes your thoughts and time; it influences your actions and goals. It can monopolize you from the moment you wake up until the moment you go to sleep. If you've ever had an addiction, you know what I mean.

I am sad to say that I'm addicted to food and depriving myself of it. I am addicted to surface-level “beauty” and physical appearance. I am addicted to the feeling I get when I think I am skinny, somehow believing it makes me more important, valuable, and beautiful.

These addictions never fail to greet me each morning. When I wake up, I am bombarded by thoughts of food, exercise, and societal standards of appearance. Every morning I wake up and ask myself, “What can I do today to lose weight?”

It doesn't take long after my alarm for me to begin strategizing about my schedule for the day. I plan what I will eat and when I will work it off.

Do I have time to do a workout today?

Is the amount of exercise I have time for sufficient for what I plan to eat?

Should I wear baggy clothes today to hide myself?

Will I be in a situation today wherein I am forced to eat?

Can I avoid that situation?

All of this happens before I even get out of bed, and each morning I spend the time and energy to plan my day and feed my addiction.

Here’s my question: What would my life be like if I woke up every morning and asked myself, “What can I do to become closer to God today?”

If I woke up every morning and asked myself how I could strengthen my faith that day, would I lie in bed and strategize the way I do about my addiction? Would I plan it all out? Would I scheme for the good of my God and persistently squeeze it into my schedule at all costs?

What would my life look like if I did?

I imagine all of the hours spent each day mentally and physically giving in to my addiction; time spent researching food or forcing exercise upon myself. Moments spent verbally assaulting my body in front of the mirror or sobbing in the corner because I've bought in to all the lies.  

If I used that time each day for Jesus- to grow in my faith, further God’s kingdom, and love others well- I firmly believe my life would be drastically different. A deep faith could replace a deep addiction. Love based on one condition could transform to a love based on no condition. A plan to change my body could become a plan to change the world.

I may be alone in the cycle of daily interrogation and manipulation where my addiction is concerned, but I don’t think that I am. I think there are many people who imprison themselves behind such questions every day; people who wake up and almost immediately find themselves thrown into battle with their addictions and vices.

The great thing about this is that I am the one asking the questions and making the plans- that means that I can change them. Rather than allowing my addiction to starve me, I can decide to starve my addiction. I can ignore its inquiries and disregard its schemes. I can wake up tomorrow and ask myself, “What can I do today to strengthen my faith?” and I can watch my addiction die as I refuse to feed into it any more.

This afternoon I sat contemplating my meals and exercise regimen for the rest of the day, and I couldn't escape the feeling of God’s question on my heart.

“What do you think your life would be like if you took all this time you were spending on your disorder and spent it with Me?”

Though specifics are yet to be determined, I've got some ideas of how that question could be answered. Best of all, in that I've found another question; one that I will begin asking myself each morning.

“What can I do today to become more like Jesus?”

I’m very certain such a question every day will beautifully change my life. Call me crazy, but living each day for Jesus sounds so much better than living each day for an addiction. 

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. -Colossians 3:1-3

Searching for Happiness

People say that happiness is a way of life and not a destination, but for me it always has been. A destination, that is.

It’s never been a destination in the way that I’d think, “I want to find happiness someday,” or, “I want to go to happiness sometime.” Instead, my heart for traveling had found happiness in its most previous excursion.  

My family took a number of vacations when I was younger, so I've been traveling to different places for as long as I can remember. I never appreciated it much as a child, but my love for it grew as I did.

Each place spoke differently, but something about them spoke deeply to my heart. I learned that I love new places. I love experiencing different people and different cultures. I constantly reminisce about the places that I've been and I dream each day about the places where I plan to go next.

My destinations were my happiness; my happiness a destination.

Don’t get me wrong: traveling has certainly never been my entire life, but lately it’s been competing closely with other passions to become the most prominent.

Unfortunately for me this meant that when my dreams to travel seemed to fall apart, my happiness did so, too.

It all started when my dream to study abroad in Spain died. I had wanted for years to spend a summer in Europe learning of and experiencing the cultures and people in Spain. However, different plans came together, my life took unexpected turns, and my dream was put on the back-burner. At first I believed that I was only postponing the trip for the future, but I continually become less and less hopeful of that each day.

This experience of seemingly losing my dream created in me an irrational fear that none of my desires to travel would ever come to fruition. This then resulted in an incredible urge to “get up and go” before another opportunity passed by me. Nothing else seemed to matter as much, and every morning was only one more closer to the morning when I would leave. 

This dream quickly began to consume me. It became a dream fueled by fear instead of by passion, but I was far too engrossed by it all to notice.    

I started to pray about it numerous times each day because I was distraught about what to do and when to do it, but I wasn't really searching for answers. Being honest with myself (and with you), I wasn't looking for God’s guidance or his peace about the situation. I was only looking for a way to get what I wanted. 

My prayers didn't come from a scared child seeking comfort in the arms of her refuge. They didn't come from a confused daughter asking for peace enough to trust her Savior through it all. No, the prayers came from a selfish child asking God to do what she wanted so that she would be happy.

I had made happiness to be a destination, forgetting where it is truly found: in God.

I had allowed the things of this world to steal away my heart, and I was trying to find my happiness there. I believed that pursuing and accomplishing my dreams would satisfy my heart; but I couldn't have been more wrong.

God gives us dreams. He gives us our passions and desires. Dreaming and having goals isn't wrong. We find ourselves stumbling not when we dream, but when we make those dreams the sources of our joy.

I'm not saying don't dream. I'm saying don't let your dreams control your delight in life.

The moment we make someone or something other than God the direct source of our happiness, we will find ourselves let down, disappointed, and left wanting.

Nothing in my life deserves to be the foundation of my happiness, and none else can wholly captivate me like God. No relationship, destination, career, vacation, or success will ever bring me the joy found in Jesus. I do experience God’s love and joy through these things, but it should never be solely through them.

I firmly believe God wants me to enjoy life; he has given me a number of blessings to prove this to be true. However, I also firmly believe that he wants me to enjoy him, first and foremost. When I allow God to be the source of my joy, I have the freedom to experience happiness in other aspects of my life, without letting them define it.  

My happiness should be dependent on God, not on my circumstances. And when my circumstances don’t define my happiness, I find it a lot easier to enjoy all of them.

Psalm 37:4 – Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 

A Letter to my Body

This entry is inspired by and dedicated to the current National Eating Disorder Awareness Week.  

Dear friend,

Oh how I don’t even deserve to call you that.

I have betrayed you. I have betrayed you in the worst possible way, and I am ashamed.

I can’t even imagine what you must think of me, but I wouldn't blame you for any of it. I have treated you terribly despite your constant loyalty to me. I know that I have a lot of ground to cover if I am ever to make this right again, and I understand that I can’t undo any of the horrible things that I did to you.

For that, I am so so sorry.

I've never treated you as a friend. I have never treated you as though you were worthy of love, attention, care, or admiration. Rather, I have believed and acted upon the lie that you are worthless and you are wrong; that you are a source of shame.

I have spoken to you so harshly; thrown at you demeaning daggers of lies. I've looked right at you and told you how disappointed and disgusted I was with you. There were times I couldn't even bring myself to look at you.

I was so shallow and hurtful. 

I let other people talk so cruelly about you. I let them tease you and call you terrible names. I sat silently by as they slandered you and told me how worthless and ugly you were. I never defended you, and instead I accepted all of the criticism as true.

I was so embarrassed by you. I hated the way you looked and I hid you away from the world hoping no one would notice your flaws.

I wrongly blamed you for much of my pain, believing that you were the source of my problems. I convinced myself that it was your fault I had been so hurt, and I never hesitated to tell you so.

I was so heartless and misguided.

I have always been unfaithful to you. Regardless of how much you ever did for me, I was never happy enough with you. I've always wanted something else, something more, something different. You've never been good enough for me, though you've always been far more than I deserved.

I even tried to make you something different, instead of taking joy in what you already were. I tried to destroy your uniqueness instead of celebrate it. I tried to change you, and I yelled at you in anger because you weren't different, continually asking you why you couldn't be more like “that.”

I have deprived you of so much, and I have selfishly acted in ways that have jeopardized your health and strength. I have taken away your most basic needs and used them as a reward if you performed well. (Oftentimes I wouldn't even give them to you if you had). I punished you for desiring what feeds you your next breath, and I tried to train you to no longer crave those things, hurling insults at you when you did.

I have unrealistically expected so much from you, even in times of sickness, malnourishment, or injury. In moments wherein I should have been taking care of you, I didn't love you enough to allow you rest. Instead I called you weak and worthless for hurting, and I wanted nothing to do with you.

I hated you. I hurt you. I belittled you.

It hurts my heart just to think of how lowly I treated you, and I am ashamed of my actions. I would never allow someone I love to be treated in such a way, and yet I saw no fault in doing it to you.

I have been horribly wretched to you.

My dear friend, you were never wrong; I was.

I can never make up for the years of hurt and damage between us, but I can assure you our future together will be different.

I want to celebrate you. I want to praise you for the number of amazing things you do daily. I don’t thank you enough for your loyalty, nor do I commend you enough for your strength. You are an amazing creation, and I am astounded by your brilliance.

I want to tell you that you are beautiful, so beautiful, and that I am in awe of you. You are perfect as is, and I want to take delight in every imperfection. I am forever sorry that I tried to take away from you your uniqueness, not recognizing that it is what makes you who you are.  

I want to love you, and I want to love you well. I want to treat you as the special, radiant being that you are. I want to take care of you and respect what you need. 

You are wonderful. You are magnificent. You are stunning.

I am going to prove to you that things will be different now, though before I was blind to my faults and your beauty. I will strive to renew our relationship as it should have been from the beginning, and I will not allow anything to come between us.

I love you, I do.

Thank you for always being my faithful friend. Now, I vow to be yours.

Love, Mary. 

Oh God, How I Need You

I've been coming to realize lately how often and how desperately I need God.

I used to think I just needed him for the big, life-changing stuff. You know, the, "God please help me arrive home safely, pass this exam, get this job," stuff. The addictions. The disorders. The BIG stuff. Recently, I’ve learned that I desperately need him in even the small, daily stuff (which actually turns out to be the big stuff).

A few weeks ago I heard a pastor say in reference to grace, “You can’t accept something if you don’t know you need it. This is why God reveals our sin.” In the same way, one won’t depend on God if they don’t think they need to, and this is why he reveals our weaknesses.

When God reveals our weaknesses, he illustrates to us our deep need for him.  

Back in February, I went on a week-long trip with my church. The purpose of the trip was to grow in Christ, but throughout the trip I was miserable. I felt nothing other than broken. Each day, more of my imperfections and scars were revealed in my life and I felt far beyond repairable. It was too much too quickly, and I didn’t know how to handle each new aspect of damage I was finding in my life.  

What I hadn’t yet realized was that God was opening my eyes for my benefit. He wasn’t pointing it out to hurt, shame, or overwhelm me. God wanted to heal me, to begin repairing my heart, and he could only do so once I opened my heart to him. If I didn’t think I had a need to be healed, I wouldn’t turn to God for healing.

Though unintentional, I was quite overwhelmed by it all, but I learned through it the freedom that comes in fully depending on God in everything. 

I’m learning now that I need God in every aspect of my life, and I need him desperately. I feel that each day I reach a new mountain, whether it be new obstacles of pain, confusion, anger, hurt, etc., and I find myself each time saying, "I have no idea how I could do this without God." 

Jesus says, “Apart from me you can do nothing,” which is absolutely true, but I feel as there is so much more. It’s not just doing that we need God for. While there is nothing that I can do apart from God, there is also nothing I can be. No redemption I can bring. No healing I can find. No comfort I can give. No wisdom I can speak. No words I can write. No love I can display. No strength I can assert.

I need God for everything.

I need him every minute of every day in every situation, and I continually see that holding true in each aspect of my life, that I couldn't do it without God. I see it in my relationship. I see it in my goals. I see it in my friends and family. I see it in my words, my heart, my thoughts, my dreams.

I need God daily for strength. I need him daily for my identity. I need him daily for healing, comfort, peace, encouragement, love, wisdom, hope, purpose, direction, and grace. I need him for breath and for life.

I need God in every moment because I am broken, because I have a damaged heart. I am an imperfect being who lacks fullness on my own. But in God I am made complete, I am given renewed strength, and through him my world comes beautifully to life. 

Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:4-5

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. Colossians 2:9-10.