Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
– Romans 6:3-4
Slang terms. Some of them we love, some of them we hate, some are idiotic, while others actually have a deeper meaning. Regardless of how we feel, we must accept the reality that slang terms become part of our language while reflecting our culture. One such slang term that, if you take the time to actually listen to what it is insinuating actually can carry weight as a follower of Christ.
Owning it. You need to own it. You are really owning it. The literal definition alludes to possessing something, usually materialistic or financial in nature. However, informal English has opened up this term to a personal aspect in our life. Owning it generally means accepting full responsibility for our actions, decisions, and their outcomes. It is confidently embracing our unique qualities and achievements. Owning it signifies accountability, taking ownership of a situation, positive or negative, good or bad rather than deflecting blame.
It is not hard to see how this slang term fits into our faith and the intensity we follow Christ. In reality, it is nothing more than a metric, a barometer so to speak that we can use when looking in the mirror.
Unfortunately, many today have become content living off of others. Not so much from a financial dependance, though that occurs much too often. The far more tragic dependance involved here is living off someone else’s accomplishments, their successes and even their identity. The world has historically always had idols. As disastrous as that was, somewhere along the way, people and cultures have channeled their idolatry on those they, well idolize. These idols are elevated to royalty and seek to portray an image that is wrought with deception. It creates a machine with an insurable hunger that is fed off the insecurities and dreams of the public.
In so many ways, history is repeating itself in that it is nothing more than worship of those people and things that, at a core level, only contain emptiness and despair. This idol ideology runs contrary to owning it. Instead of relying on others to establish your identity, your opinions, even your thoughts, to own it means that you grab hold, take the helm and steer your own ship, making your own path, even if it runs contrary to public opinion and cultural norms.
It is not hard to see where this fits into our faith. Instead of living off someone else’s identification as a Christian, we choose to make Christ our own. Rather than sharing someone else’s testimony like it’s our own, we step out and live out what Christ has placed before us. In place of attending a church because someone you know goes there, a church becomes your own. And most importantly, Jesus has moved from the abstract to the intimate. Your faith becomes your own, testimonies begin to accrue as you follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and you become an interracial, unique, beautiful part of the Body of Christ.
You are really owning it because you have made the choice to follow Christ.
As Paul so wonderfully puts it, We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.And now we understand that owning it means living within your identity in Christ.
