What
I now realize is that children are referencing to the look on our faces. They
are looking to see if we are smiling at them. They want to know if we think all
is well with their world so they can carry on with their fun and games, which
is actually very serious business to their little hearts and minds. If we show
that all is well with us, they can feel that all is well with them.
This
morning, as I considered God’s work of making me some little bit more like Jesus,
and the fact that I am far more different from him than I wish, I realized that
there is an aspect of this that is much like a child referencing to an adult,
and the caregiver responding with a smile that says everything is okay.
What
settled into my heart was the awareness that my time with God in his word each
morning, my prayers throughout the day, my reminding myself of things God has
told me, is all like a child referencing himself to his caregiver. Or, in a
more familiar biblical picture, it is like a little lamb referencing himself to
his Shepherd. He wants to feel assured that all is well with the flock because
the Shepherd is watching over him, and he is smiling.
The
thing that comforted me was the realization that, because I am the child in the
picture, the little lamb who needs the care of his Shepherd, my need is not to
be in charge to make sure that everything is looked after. It is not my role to
manage my life so that I get some kind of pseudo-security from determining that
I have all my bases covered and nothing is going to get by me.
Rather,
it is my role to be the child, the lamb, the beloved one of God. I am the one
who finds security in the watchful love of the Shepherd, the all-seeing love of
the Father who rejoices over me with singing. I reference myself to how Jesus is
doing, how he is feeling, how he perceives the things going on around me.
Jesus’
place in the picture is to carry on his shoulders the cares of the whole world.
It is Jesus who has to think about what is happening to the flock of God, and
how each one of his lambs fit into the picture. Jesus is the head of the body
of Christ, the one who thinks about, and communicates with, every part of his
body, organizing and orchestrating what we are doing in relation to him, all so
that his joy can flow into us, and our joy can reach its fullest measure.[1]
The
conclusion of the matter is that I grow up, not by trying to be as good as Jesus
at the things Jesus is doing, but by being myself and letting him take care of
me. As I continually reference myself to him by spending time in his word and prayer,
by fellowshipping with his people in the body of Christ, by listening to other
believers share what God is doing with them, and considering how that relates
to what God is doing with me, I will know what he is doing in his church, and, therefore,
what he is doing in me.
It
is interesting to look at the book of Revelation as God’s gift to his
referencing children. As we face the scenarios described in the book, we can
look into the revelation and see that God is actually okay with everything that
is going on. No matter what bad thing is described, it doesn’t interfere with
God fulfilling all his good plans and purposes for his children.
Another
way of saying this is a very comforting word from God, quoted by the prophet
Isaiah, “fear not, for I
am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you,
I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”[2] Such Scriptures are like God’s smile in response to our referencing.
No matter what we are going through, when we look into his face, we see no sign
of worry or fear, but only that smile of love that tells his children that all
is well.
From my heart,
Monte
© 2014 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517,
Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted,
Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good
News Publishers.)
[1] John 15:11
[2] Isaiah 41:10
No comments:
Post a Comment