This morning she asked me if we are dolls in his show. As in, "Is God like a puppet guy and we are his dolls? He pulls us in a direction and we just go?" Yikes. She's seven years old and already showing signs that we have an uphill battle ahead of us. I freely admit that I am shaking in my fake cowboy boots. One child has already made the choice to serve self rather than God. He walked away without a backward glance. What if the other one follows after him?
It's hard not to be afraid but what else is there? She's already admitted that she doesn't like going to church, doesn't pray unless her dad does it with her at bedtime, and that the only reason why she thinks she's a Christian is because she doesn't want to get in trouble. We've gone in circles about what Jesus has done and why he died on the cross. She knows the meaning of Easter and Christmas and why we take communion on special Sundays. The one area I falter in is scripture memorization. I stink at memorizing them myself and I'm even worse at trying to teach them to my kids. Will God hold this against me?
I can't help but feel like there is an urgency to continue praying as fervently as I know how. Not only for all my kids, but for everyone who has wandered away or is sitting on the fence. It's not too late for them. God can change a heart in an instant. It would be so wonderful if that instant would come soon so that I can have peace knowing that they will be ok. I feel like King David today.
"Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. Give heed to the voice of my cry, my King and my God,
For to you I will pray, my voice you shall hear in the morning O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to you, and I will look up."
Psalm 5:1-3
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I could be completely out of line here but I’m just going to say it anyway. As Christians we really need to stop picking on each other. From politics to the public school system, it seems that everyone has an opinion about everyone else and we’re not afraid to share it with the world. Differences in doctrine and parenting alone can be enough to get us riled up fast. It’s a dog eat dog world out there and it seems like the older I get, the more often I need to pull over and get a rabies shot.
Understandably, we are going to have our disagreements. We can’t all be republicans or there wouldn’t be any reason to practice self-control and patience. We can’t all be home school mothers or America’s Walmarts would go bankrupt. God forbid we all switch to the Pentecostal religion! Can you imagine the potlucks? The grocery stores would need a week just to restock after Sunday! One would think that with all of our uniqueness we would be stronger as a church body. Yet it is precisely these differences that are pulling us apart instead of drawing us closer together. Paul seemed to be well acquainted with the practice of backbiting. Check this out.
Galatians 5:13-14
“For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Apparently he was no stranger to Christians attacking other Christians. He offered some good advice that can still be applied today. “Listen, you guys. You’re supposed to be servants of God. Don’t use your religion as a means to attack your brothers and sisters. Love them and treat them the way you would want to be treated.”
It should be that simple but I don’t know that it is. It is a little known fact that registered Democrats are hiding out among our congregations. You might find one cowering beneath a hymn book or behind a bucket of fried chicken every election year but they are there. The plain truth is that they love Jesus as much as you do. There are also working mothers who put their children in public school. It is a very painful and difficult choice to send a child into the world and hope for the best. Does that make those mothers any less worthy of love and respect? Our words and our actions would indicate otherwise.
The world grows darker and colder by the minute. Selflessness is rapidly becoming obsolete as society finds more and more things to gratify its sinful cravings. Common courtesy, respect, and decency are as rare as the people who practice these attributes. As Christians, we are supposed to be the light of the world, the salt of the earth. Have we in our quest to be more religious forgotten how to be more loving? Perhaps it is time to take a step back. Let’s examine our motives when we “gently admonish” our brothers and sisters in the Lord. If we can find an inkling of self-righteousness or pride, it might be time to put the pot on simmer and rest a while. After all, a little salt is good but too much is just plain nasty.
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