How do we define ourselves?
- God knows your name.
- God has a purpose for you today.
Those were the two “lessons” that I wanted Makayla and Elijah to take away from our “devotion” talk yesterday. I find that if I try to share with them what I am learning in my devotional times, it makes me boil it down to one or two basic take-aways. (and also holds me accountable for doing my devotions). So as I walked them to school yesterday morning I told them the story that I read in my devotional time that morning. It was the story of God calling Ananias to go to Saul, following his conversion. In verse 10 the Lord called Ananias by name, (hence point 1). In Acts 9:11-12 the Lord then told Ananias to “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” (hence point 2). God knows your name and God has a purpose for you today. Simple enough, right? Not with a 5 and 4 year old.
Point 1 was taken easily. Makayla and Elijah, did you know that the God that created all of creation, all the trees and grass, all the birds and bugs, the sun and the stars; knows your name just like He knew Ananias? Isn’t that cool? “Coool” they said in unison. Awesome, point 1 was taken well.
So I jumped right in to point 2. He has a plan for you today. He told Ananias to rise and go... He has a plan for us too. That point was taken well also. So we were quickly on to the application phase; “Makayla, what do you think God’s plan for you is today?” “I don’t know” was her dismissive reply. Pressing her, I rephrased the question (my former youth will be familiar with this maneuver) seeking an answer. “How do you think you could make God happy today?” After a few moments in thought she replied in more of a question than an answer, “By not being mean to people?”
While this seems to be a perfectly fine response, it was troubling to me. (Yes, I know she’s only 5). It is not that her answer was wrong. Of course it would make God happy for us not to be mean to others. The problem for me is this, she is already defining her journey with God by what she doesn’t do rather than what she does do.
I love Ephesians 2:1-10. In it we find all kinds of good stuff like that while we were once dead in our sins we are made alive in Christ. We see words like mercy, grace and kindness attributed to the way God treats us. All good stuff. Then verse 10 concludes, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” How do we define ourselves... by those things we don’t do or avoid or by those things that we do, by those things that we were created for?
“Makayla, of course that would be a good thing, but can we take it one step further? Instead of just not saying mean things, do you think you can say encouraging things?” She proceeded to tell me various encouraging things she could say to her teachers and classmates and ways that she could be a help to them.
Our discussion yesterday morning made me reflect throughout the day.. and into the night. Am I measuring my spiritual maturity by what I don’t do or by what I do?
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