There is a lot we can learn from children if we take the time to watch. My grandson Jack will have his first birthday this month. I was watching him navigate his world the other day when he stopped to play with his green turtle (don't ask).
The highlight of this turtle is that it plays music when you move it. Jack gave it a nudge and it began to play that all-to-familiar tune that sticks in my head at the most unusual moments. As the turtle started to serenade us all, Jack began to rock back and forth to the music (an 11 month old's version of breakdancing). To my knowledge, his parents don't let him stay up for Dancing with the Stars or America's Best Dance Crew. His dancing is a natural response to the music.
How many of us pay attention to what's going on around us and check to see if our actions are just a natural response. When it comes to our faith, people just assume they will grow closer to God, but make no conscious, disciplined effort to do so. But is growing closer to God our natural response in life? The Bible says no. Romans 3:10-11 says, "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God." The Heidelberg Catechism (a reformed confession written in the late 1500's) says that we all have the tendency to hate God and our neighbor (Lord's Day 2, Q & A 5). In other words, when the music of life starts playing, our natural tendency is to move away from God and people, not towards them. Our natural tendency is to focus on ourselves first, not others. Our natural tendency is to keep people and God out.
If we truly want to know God more and grow in our faith, then we need to make the effort to do that. God promises to reveal Himself to us, but we are called to be obedient to His will and seek Him with all of our heart. Jeremiah 29:13 says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
Someone asked me the question, "Where is Heartland going?" My response was our mission, which is to make devoted followers of Jesus who Love God more than anything else, care for others more than themselves, and serve the world with passion and purpose. Where we are going is not a natural response to being a Christian. It takes commitment, discipline and devotion. It requires us to reprioritize our life and sometimes go in directions we "naturally" don't want to go. But it's worth it.
I might not have to teach my grandson how to dance, which he will one day be grateful for, but I do need to work with his parents to teach him how to live. We can take great comfort in knowing that even though we won't naturally learn how to love God, we belong to Him and He promises to teach us how to love and how to live. Let your Father in heaven teach you.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Lessons from a Toddler
Saturday, April 3, 2010
"It may feel like Friday, but Sunday's coming!"
I borrowed the expression from a video clip we used in church last Sunday. It reminds us that Friday might seem hopeless, dark, broken and hurting, but there is a Sunday that's coming. Jesus didn't leave us in Friday; He led us to Sunday!
I don't know how your life plays out, but mine seems to be filled with more than my share of Fridays. We have had some unexpected expenses on our truck that require money we don't have. We've been dealing with the emotional stress of getting the home of Lisa's mom ready to sell. It's hard to let go of 47 years of memories. I struggle with balancing my life, living out my strengths, being a better dad and husband. Somedays, it just seems like Friday.
But every Friday has a Sunday coming. Every season of winter offers the anticipation of spring. We shouldn't forget that the life Jesus offers isn't something we hope to realize in the future, it's a life we can live now. Words like freedom, healing, restoration, contentment, purpose and more all speak to a life that is available to us NOW!
I want to encourage us all to take the Easter message to heart. It's a message of resurrection and liberty. It's a message of wholeness and joy. Let the power of Easter speak to your life today. Remember, it may feel like Friday, but Sunday IS coming!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Sifting Through the Rubbish
Why blog? I've been thinking a lot about why I would want to take on the world of blogging. There is so much information out there, the last thing I need to do is give more information. But that's not why I want to blog.
The apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:7-8 says, "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ...". I look at my own life and it makes me wonder how much "rubbish" have I collected over the years, compared to the "treasures" of knowing and experiencing Jesus Christ in my life?
There's a show called "Hoarders" on TV right now that people are intrigued with. It's about people who just can't seem to let go of things and the pile of rubbish they have accumulated is destroying their life. I think Paul was talking to the hoarders of his day, people who were pursuing the things of this world, holding on to them, and then wondering why they just couldn't experience the joy of life that Jesus promised.
My goal in blogging is to sift through the rubbish of this world and find the treasures of life. I want to be a treasure hunter! But like gold miners who panned for gold, you have to sift through a lot of dirt to find the gold nuggets. I invite you to sift through the rubbish with me. I invite you to be a Treasure hunter. Take inventory of your life and ask yourself what you are hoarding. What parts of your life consume you to such a degree that you miss the treasure moments of knowing Christ personally? Jesus said in Matthew 6, "Seek first His [God] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you as well." Maybe we all need to let God be the organizer of our life and help us sift through the rubbish.
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