I received a call from my daughter a few months back. She wanted to relay a conversation she’d had with our granddaughter, who was about to turn four years old. The two of them were planning on going out for lunch together. Mother was picking things up in the living room; daughter Boo was in the tub. Mother hears considerable splashing going on in the bathroom.
“Boo, are you making a mess?”
“No, I’m not, Mother.”
“OK. Thank you, sweetie.”
Pause.
“Mother, would you define the word ‘mess’?”
We sometimes get so busy in our lives that we lose focus on what is expected of us as Christians. From time to time, the voice of the Lord penetrates our self-absorption, “Son (or Daughter), are you making a mess?”
It is so easy to glibly respond, “No, Father. Everything is going fine.” But when we take a closer look at our lives, we can see some problems hiding in the corner and, maybe, some water on the floor. That is when we begin to get a little worried. There is always the temptation to brave it out, and pretend that as far as we know, everything is fine. Our standing with Him is OK by our standards. Or, sometimes, we try to skirt the issue by trying to get Him to redefine “mess” in our favor.
How much better it is to be straightforward and say, “Father, I’ve made a mess of it again. Can you help me clean it up?” Not only is this the honest answer, but it always results in a closer relationship with Him who is always willing to forgive. In addition, who has a bigger mop and bucket to clean up whatever we’ve done? How wonderful to realize that we serve a patient and loving God!
God Bless!
Dr. G
“Boo, are you making a mess?”
“No, I’m not, Mother.”
“OK. Thank you, sweetie.”
Pause.
“Mother, would you define the word ‘mess’?”
We sometimes get so busy in our lives that we lose focus on what is expected of us as Christians. From time to time, the voice of the Lord penetrates our self-absorption, “Son (or Daughter), are you making a mess?”
It is so easy to glibly respond, “No, Father. Everything is going fine.” But when we take a closer look at our lives, we can see some problems hiding in the corner and, maybe, some water on the floor. That is when we begin to get a little worried. There is always the temptation to brave it out, and pretend that as far as we know, everything is fine. Our standing with Him is OK by our standards. Or, sometimes, we try to skirt the issue by trying to get Him to redefine “mess” in our favor.
How much better it is to be straightforward and say, “Father, I’ve made a mess of it again. Can you help me clean it up?” Not only is this the honest answer, but it always results in a closer relationship with Him who is always willing to forgive. In addition, who has a bigger mop and bucket to clean up whatever we’ve done? How wonderful to realize that we serve a patient and loving God!
God Bless!
Dr. G
No comments:
Post a Comment