Artist: James Hizon
Work Title: IDENTITY
Medium: Film/Spoken Word
Artist Statement:
My name is James. Raised up going to Catholic school, parents divorced leading me to public school. Found it difficult to learn how to fit in, trying to live for other people’s acceptance before God. My dad committed suicide when I was 15. I spent my time in depression and desiring to be isolated from other people. God blessed me with having a Christian with me in my life and met in film class. He asked me, if I was to die today, where would I go and why? Would I be good enough? But I realized that my lying, stealing, lust-driven, hate-filled heart which God equates to murderous intentions inside the heart, made me unworthy of God’s acceptance. I rejected God and even did good things not to give God the glory and recognition He deserves for creating me, but would steal that glory from God to make myself look God. I then tried to repent, and thought it meant to not sin. Yet it said in 1 John 1:8, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” That hit me. The truth about God and salvation was not right. I thought that being a Christian meant to simply no longer sin again. But, I realized, that as I kept going back to the same sins, I had zero assurance of my salvation. But that hit me. The truth that I needed to understand was to not only repent, which means to confess and turn away from my sinful lifestyle, but also to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ completely. I needed to understand that when Christ died and rose again, His blood was the down payment for my past, present, and the future sins that I would commit. Being a Christian, born-again by the Spirit of Christ poured out upon me because of His great love for me, doesn’t mean I am perfect. Actually, the more I live the Christian life, the more I realize how sinful and perfectly sinless Christ is in His love for the Father and mankind. And this is the message that I want to share with the world. Everyone is living for acceptance, worth, love and identity. But if we seek that all apart from Jesus, that acceptance is finite and bounded, that worth is finite and bounded, that love is finite and bounded, as well as the identity is finite and bounded. I’m a single individual majoring in Mathematical Analytics and Operations Research at UC Davis, but I know that even this identity is bounded by matter, space and time. I won’t always be doing this for my job, be a student at Davis, be single, etc. In reflection of my father’s suicide, he had a lot of possessions and hopes and dreams that he pursued apart from God. Then, he lost that marital status, that job was lost, and his pride in himself was gone. He lost his worth. He felt rejected and no one would listen to him. And because God has to punish sin, and he rebelled against the Lord, he is going to spend all of eternity completely separated from the holy presence of God and all that is good in Him in Hell. Yet, I have a heavenly Father, who loved me before time began, who loved a rebel like me, an enemy with desires hostile to Him, and sent forth His one and only Son to die for my sins, justify me to be in a right relationship with the Father, and be adopted into His family. I don’t need to be approved by other people anymore. I just need Jesus’ love and acceptance. I go to a great church in Vallejo called Community Bible Church, which supports The Cornerstone Bible Church and River City Grace (both in Sac). Also a part of River on Campus @UC Davis. My ultimate aim in this life is to point people to find their ultimate identity in obtaining this great salvation in Christ.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel,
for it is the power of God unto salvation, for whosoever believes.”
– Romans 1:16
Artist Contact:
FB: James Hizon
IG: Book.of.James
YouTube:
I decided if I ever make more videos, to post on my friend’s account.
Check out Joey Dominguez (Christian Dancer @CBC Vallejo)