Photo by Incase

By Casey Iwanaga

Do I stand up and speak out?
Do I sit still, stay accepted and be okay?
If I don’t stand up, I lose myself
If I sit, I gain nothing
I worry about my image
My image should reflect God
Yet I’m not worried about God’s image
I’m living the way I want, the way I want to see myself, the way I want others to see me, I’m living safe
The life of a Christ follower isn’t safe or easy
Do I stand up and speak out for myself?
To maintain my image? To feel heard and seen?
I need to stand up and speak out for God
In doing so, I need to sit down and let God live this life of mine
I need to let God be seen and heard with this voice, life and confidence he has gifted me

Casey Iwanaga is a junior at the University of California in Merced. Her father is a retired pastor currently serving as Chairman of the OMS Holiness Churches.