The New Norms

Dear Encouragers,

Can we normalize going back to the basics?

Like, can we backtrack to the beginning where it all started? Imagine with me for a second; envision the words typed on this page. Think of the earliest memory of yourself. Envision the youngest, purest version of you, and observe yourself closely. So youthful, free, full of life, without a stain or blemish. You were learning, yes, but you were brave enough to put yourself out there into the world by boldly being who you were created to be. Think of the things you used to enjoy. Think about the things that used to make you laugh. Think of your most exciting Christmas as a child, and backtrack to the very beginning of time. Weren’t things simple back then? I’m not asking you to regret or ponder on the things that got in the way of THAT you, but I am encouraging the gift of nostalgia to fill you up and make you feel warm again. Before we were exposed to the sinful tragedies of this world, our hearts were spotless. Before we could comprehend what dating was and what abuse sounded like, things were good. Before society could consider us as “different,”...we were all normal! All of us had some outrageous, outlandish imagination, we all weren’t afraid of taking risks or showing love, and we truly believed that we could run faster than anyone known to man. So let’s get back to the basics before bondage and societal norms were a thing. Let’s go back to the version of ourselves that were open to change, growth, and unknown heights. In order to be transformed, God wants you to return to who you enjoyed being, not who society or circumstances forced you to become.

...Do you remember?...

   When I walked around as “Krissy” (aka the girl molded and shaped by the world), I received everything I thought I wanted.

I was: 

• Pretty
• Nicely shaped
• Funny
• Admirable,
• Multi-talented. 

 I had decent grades with the perfect job, I fit in with the most known people in my city; my family spoiled me rotten (though we were poor) which meant I never went without having money, and I always got attention...I always got my way. The truth is that I had everything…, but myself, and the girl I used to be got drowned out and erased by the world as I learned more and more how to play by the worlds messed up rules. In order to fit in, I had to become everything to everyone; I lied to make myself sound more interesting, I never told people no, and I flirted my way through life as if my looks meant more than character. I was living a hollow, meaningless facade all because that’s what the world told me to do. “You have to be the best, look the finest, be the smartest, but play dumb and innocent, be funny, be gifted, smile but don't smile too hard, have sex, do drugs, lie, go to parties or clubbing, drink your problems away”. “Strive for money, fame, fortune or success; Die, die, die. Kill the younger you that you once knew because they aren’t accepted in the real world. Change your name, straighten your hair…” sigh, the list goes on and ON. This world convinced the best version of me to TAKE A HIKE. Because I didn't know better, I used Society as my guide instead of God.

I ran and ran and ran as far as I could from who I knew to be, because I was terrified that Kris (the purest version of me) wouldn’t make it out ALIVE. My circumstances at home were horrible; toxic arguments all day long, no good food to eat, and my mom barely had money, but, MAN, did she work like a dog. No one to cling to except the people my age; I didn’t have healthy friendships or relationships, so I began to create to survive. 

I began creating a double life; Homeless and Hungry on one end and Sexy, Wild, and “FREE” on the other. My mom would take us to church, but when I slowly realized I wasn't comprehending the word because my life was very chaotic for a child at the time, I taught myself what most of us probably did.

To roll with the punches, to get right or get left; To mesh into the crowd because being different

means you’re a weirdo…you’re an outcast…you’re set apart  from everyone and everything created in this world. Slowly but surely though, the Lord reminded me that I was called for that very purpose...I was called  to be set apart…I was called to be set free from the pattern of this world. I was called to be conformed into HIS image…I was called to be uniquely me.

The Lord created me an original by design, NOT a copy,…but people didn’t like ME; they didn’t care to see the REAL ME; they only cared about the person they thought I should be. So I was…you know…everything the world told me to be!

In the Bible, Mark 8:36 bubbles up a new way  of seeing if all of this STUFF is worth it. Jesus says HIMSELF:

“What good is it for someone to gain the WHOLE WORLD [with all its pleasures], yet” forfeit his soul?

I was doing any and everything under the sun just to fill the hole of emptiness in my heart. I was depressed because my soul was spiritually starving, and everything around me seemed good at first glance, but in actuality I was spiritually dying!! I began seeking a way out of this broken cycle we call “living.” That’s when I realized I had one of two choices, as we all do. I could either put my pride aside by allowing Jesus to help me break out of the mold Culture shoved me into + admit I messed up by ask God for a way out, or die by “living my truth because I’m young and I think I know what's best for me, which is to live my best life and drown in worldly fun.” Once I was left with nothing-things got messy, the walls made of mud started to cave in, and the house of built on sand started to come crumbling to the ground.

I, along with Kris and Krissy, almost got crushed by the pressures of my problems. The only other option in that moment was to do what Kris knew best; I called on the God she remembered from childhood- not knowing if he would even care to hear me after all this time while being buried underneath the gravel and compacted oxygen. I decided that I was a sinner, a mere human incapable of living or thriving within my own limited strength. I KNEW in that moment I had lost; I was at the end of myself completely and couldn’t get MYSELF out of the sin I’d been feeding off my entire life. I NEEDED HELP which meant I had to drop everything weighing me down to grab onto Jesus instead.

For the first time since I was a kid, I understood that God sent his only Son for these exact moments...and trust me when I say I was at an all time low. I had to trust that Jesus wasn’t just some high and mighty "Lord" wishing for me to sink or swim in order to get to him on the doubtful hope of being saved MAYBE; He was and still is an ACTUAL SAVIOR...and when I called on him that day...and I turned to him in reverent repentance

...I was saved...not only in this life, but for eternity in the next one.

Because of what He (Jesus) did: coming down from heaven living a perfectly sinless life for 33 years, willingly gave up his life for the sickly sins of all humanity, and rose from the dead on the third day....

 We (being all people) have a guaranteed promise in Romans 10:13 that says:

"...for 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord WILL be saved."

 And that I was, in December of 2020, Jesus became my HERO; he didn’t just save a single part of me like this world probably would’ve…he saved all of me. After encountering an experience this VAST & this GREAT…I couldn’t just reside back within the realm pointless living when someone saved my life, so since that day I vouched to follow him.

I started to notice a shift within me...I was being changed and it all started because he told me to get back to the basics. To throw out all that was “me” by the standards of the world and keep all that was him and who he created me to be.

So this meant:

• No more “Krissy”
• No more drugs
• No more drinking
• No more lying about my name or identity
• No more surviving off of cheating, lying, and deceit 
• No more unhealthy relationships of ANY kind
• No more burying versions of myself just to fit in
• No more conforming to the crowd
• No more HIDING/COVERING my light
• No more walking in Darkness…

That’s what I was doing…walking in darkness because darkness was all I ever knew. But what if there’s freedom in backtracking? What if there’s a speck of light waiting to be brightened there in the dark? Dig deep within yourself and allow God to reveal that seed, that speck of light, that mini version of you, and nurture it. Water it. God showed me the young version of myself trapped in an abandoned house in the dark, alone and scared but still curious and hopeful. Is the original you in that same situation? Did you put the younger you in some broken-down leaky house, so you can bask in the facade of who this world is forcing you to become? God changed my life in the blink of an eye because he revealed that we needed to go back to what my soul loved…back to the things that are pure, holy, and wholesome. Things like:

1. Prayer
2. Reading
3. Writing
4. Cooking 
5. Seeing Nature
6. Painting
7. Dancing
8. Laughing
9. Long Convos
10. Purpose
11. Meaning
12. Intimacy
13. Love, and more. 

These are all the things I now walk in as I continuously stride to be better in my relationship with Christ. Because He knows me;  He’s been able to combine Kris and all her child-like ways, as well as Krissy and the knowledge/wisdom she’s been able to experience to create this better version of me. God is still molding and shaping me every day, the job is indeed never done, but it works out because He keeps the good and throws out the rotten and bad! 

With Godfidence, I can say that I’m finally able to breathe after 20+ years of living; I feel lighter, more vulnerable and valuable…seen…redeemed, finally set free. When was the last time you inhaled a breath of fresh air? When was the last time you did something  YOU LOVED doing? When was the last time you healthily prioritized your soul & your inner self? YES, Without the distractions, without hours scrolling on social media or playing video games, without the drugs, without the gossip, without burying yourself in work. When was the last time you did something fulfilling that required pure, sober fun and no worldly strings attached? 

You owe yourself a state inspection with The Creator who knows the REAL YOU like the back of his hand. Love…I hate to break it to you, but you need an oil change and a new battery pack to boost your energy. He can only do it if you are willing, though. Are you ready to stop surviving, so you can start living again? Lay down the old you and shed new skin, babe. Those temporary highs, addictions, fake company, and lonely nights full of sorrow aren’t sustainable anymore, so go back!

Let’s say a prayer that can help you repent (which literally means to turn away from your way and turn toward God). I believe a declaration of true repent-ance will help you get back to the basics:

Dear God,

I don't know or remember you, but I do know I need saving from the ways of this world. It's time for me to say what's real:

I’m lost, I'm empty, and I’m stained. Help me to turn back in your direction; rewind to where the real me left off...before life came n hit me like a truck. I’m tired of playing this rat race with the Enemy, so here I am asking for clear direction. I welcome you into my heart, so we can start sorting through all the clutter in this place I’m trying to make a home. Reveal to me where I need to be, so I can walk in who I’m destined to be. Help me to go back to the basics. I need actual change… 

And I’m starting to believe and remember that actual change starts with you, so have your way, and your will be done.

In Jesus Name I pray,

Amen.

Amen means “so be it”..., I pray that you would allow true renewing to shift your mindset so you can see again; let God revamp your heart and habits so that he can reinvent you entirely. From personal experience, I’m TELLING YOU it’s possible; you just have to have faith that the uncovering and backtracking WILL come to pass! 

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Encouragers, you are the apple of my eye; you push when the world says pull. You give and remain rooted by fighting for what’s right; you’re strong when you tap into the Lord’s strength, so I know change can happen. Go back with God and you’ll see the unknown + how magical it can all be. Cut off anything wrong or in your way, delete and block some numbers. Do what you have to do to break free; to get back to the basics.

Peace & Love to you all.

Yours Sincerely,

Kristyn Malika Sampson