be the good kind of -ist

I assume that by the title of this post most of you are wondering, “what on earth, is an -ist.” Generally speaking, when we are in need of answers and more understanding on a particular word or subject, the most common and easiest way to find it is, well, googling it. 

When you search the word “-ist” through dictionary.com this is what it is defined as…

-ist:
a suffix of nouns that denote a person who practices or is concerned with something.

In other words, -ist is a suffix, the ending to a word, that you tack onto another word, which combined becomes a longer word that is used to define and identify what a person practices in life, what is important and most concerning to them. Seems more complicated when you say it like that! Here are a few basic examples. A realist is simply a person who tends to view things in life as they really are. They generally practice realism in everyday tasks and are concerned with “real-life,” rarely taking part in the wishy-washy-day-dreamer-elaborate-visionary type of stuff. They go about life as they see it. A cartoonist is a someone who practices visual art and drawing, specializing specifically in cartooning. They are often concerned about using the cartoons as a means of entertainment either on television or in the newspaper. 

I got to thinking about this three-letter ending, and it made me realize something. Something so small—something that isn't even worthy of being called a word—can so greatly define who we are and what we practice in life. 

Unfortunately this isn’t a new way of thinking for us humans. It is so easy for us to fall into this rut, believing that as soon as we make one mistake, as soon as we mess up, as soon as our secret is out—that is it for us. We will be forever defined by our past, unable to shake our old practices, concerns and “-ists” no matter how badly we want to. 

Fortunately there is a way out…

Think about this for a second. A terrorist is someone who practices terrorism, someone who terrorizes and intends on creating fear in others. A terrorist casts fear into individuals, into political groups and into nations. The main concern for a terrorist is to instil fear into who ever they can, no matter what that may look like. But with Christ—“there is no fear in love, perfect love casts out fear,” 1 John 4:18. When Jesus’ perfect love is so present, all fear is cast out! Cast out of the individual, cast out of the political group, cast out of the nation and even cast out of the terrorist. If Jesus is in the picture, love has overcome and overpowered casting out all reminisce of fear. And if there is no fear, what does that leave the terrorist with? A clean slate—simply just an “-ist.”

Jesus has the power to transform a terrorist into a love-ist. A depression-ist into a joy-ist. A hurtful-ist into a kind-ist. An unworthy-ist into a specialist. A lonely-ist into a social-ist. An ungifted-ist into an artist. 

No matter what you are practicing and what you are conceded about in life right now, by God’s grace and perfect love, that can all change. You no longer have to feel like what you messed up with today will define you for what you will empower tomorrow. Don’t let the little things in life, the massive mistakes or the three-letter endings drag you down or define you.

So what kind of -ist will you be?

What ever it is…be a good one.