A New Creation
Posted by Erin | | Posted On Monday, July 2, 2012
Now that our busy week of Vacation Bible School is over and we've had a couple of days to recuperate from the hectic schedule presented by the undertaking of such a feat, I've had a little bit of time to reflect on some of the different encounters that I had with a few of the children. As my mind travels through the collection of sweet little faces and voices, one boy in particular continues to emerge over and over. He made quite an impression.
It was the second night of VBS and I was standing in the gym, chatting with a few friends. Out of nowhere, it seemed, I was nearly knocked to the ground by this little blond guy who tackled me with a rather extreme vigor. With the aid of a running start, he had catapulted his body right at me and, upon landing, had wrapped his arms and legs around my trunk like a little monkey. There he hung, looking up into my face with an expression of total admiration. "You're pretty...I saw you looking at me last night when you were singing," he trumpeted. As I am currently the owner of a fairly serious back injury, one of my friends had to pry my new companion off of me and, acting as a makeshift bodyguard, protect me from further advances the rest of the night. However, she was unable to prevent him from leaping up on me one last time and planting a fat, wet kiss on the corner of my mouth.
As one might imagine, that interaction between me and my tiny admirer provoked a bit of laughter among some of the staff. My introduction to him was surprising and funny; none of us had expected to witness or be the recipient of such an overt display of affection. We discussed, in a lighthearted manner, what kind of adolescent this little boy might become, surmising that the pursuit of young ladies could very well grow to be one of his favorite hobbies. Although this fellow's ardor provided the impetus for some amusing conversation, I couldn't help but be moved by what seemed to be an almost desperate desire on his part for some love and attention. He was not going to be satisfied with a mere hug or kiss; he also needed to know that I had noticed him during the previous night's worship, that I had singled him out in my mind, that he was special to me. I think the little guy just wanted to be loved.
My heart ached as I contemplated the yearning that I had observed in my new friend. His craving to be loved is a need, I believe, that is common to all of humanity. We all want to be loved, admired, and highly regarded. But sometimes this hunger can become a driving force in our lives. We supplant a healthy need, a need that God has placed in our hearts, a need that only He can meet, with an unhealthy obsession. We become consumed with trying to find meaning and fulfillment in any number of relationships and activities, many of which are not necessarily bad unto themselves, some of which aren't particularly edifying. Before long, if we're fortunate, we can recognize that the original desire to be loved and admired has metamorphosed into a hectic scramble to cultivate identities for ourselves. Maybe some of us become so wrapped up in our jobs, our roles at home, how much money we make, the toys that we own, our appearances, even the ministries that we perform, that we identify more with those personas, relationships, and activities than we do with our Lord. These identities are false.
Conversely, maybe some of us have histories that we have allowed to define us. Perhaps some of us have committed sins for which we want to believe that God has forgiven us but, deep in the most hidden depths of our hearts, we don't really claim that belief as truth. Instead, we live each day under the heavy burden of that darkness, never quite able to claw our way out from underneath the oppressive load. These identities are also false.
We know that, if we have believed in Jesus Christ and the sacrifice of his life on the cross, a redeeming work that only he could complete, we are God's children. "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." John 1:12-13 Can you even begin to imagine? This God is huge enough to have created the magnificent seas and mountains, the vastness of space, the mighty winds of a hurricane or tornado, the thrilling sight of the most stunning sunset; this God is also huge enough to have created the intricate workings of the eye, the delicate, papery wings of a butterfly, the exquisite beauty of an orchid, the feathery eyelashes of a newborn. This God is my father; I am His child. This is my identity.
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalms 139:13-16 God knit me together in my mother's womb. Not only did he create every physical detail of my body, but He created every aspect of my personality. He made me unique. He knows me and He knows me intimately. Every detail of the person that I am is subject to God's sovereignty and creativity. This is my identity.
"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of the fulness of God." Ephesians 3:17b-19. In reference to this passage, Matthew Henry says, "By the breadth of it we may understand the extent of it to all ages, nations, and ranks of men; by the length of it, its continuance from everlasting to everlasting; by the depth of it, its stooping to the lowest condition, with a design to relieve and save those who have sunk into the depths of sin and misery; by its height, its entitling and raising us up to the heavenly happiness and glory." God's love for His children is infinite, unconfined by boundaries of any kind. I am loved by God. This is my identity.
We know that God loved us enough to sacrifice His son on the cross, but I think that sometimes we forget that He delights in us, that He loves to love us. "The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17 As a parent, this verse reminds me of the countless times I have held one of my children in my arms and quieted them with murmurings of love as they cried over a cut, hurt feelings, or even a broken heart. I am reminded, as well, of the countless times that I have crept into the bedrooms of my sleeping children in the still of night. I can see the rise and fall of their chests as they slumber deeply after a hard day; I can smell the sweat; I can hear the fluttering of their breath; I can feel the baby softness of their skin. They are unaware of these precious moments, but oh how my heart swells with joy! It is a joy that is intertwined with tenderness, gratefulness, fear even...but it is joy nonetheless. And it is an emotion that has compelled me at times to cry, to sing, to pray. I know the power of these emotions that are provoked by my children, but I only know them on a human level. I have to believe that we can't even begin to comprehend the strength of emotion that God must feel for us as He rejoices over us with singing. I am in awe of being cherished by God. This, too, is my identity.
Whether you are someone who finds your worth in your job, your role as a parent, your appearance, your money and toys, your abilities; whether you are a person who finds your worth in the sordid details of your past; or whether you are someone who finds your worth in both your successes and your failures...if you are a child of God, none of these successes and failures define you. Your identity is in Christ and you are defined by his death, by his loving and creative sovereignty over you, by your relationship to him, by his adoration of you. Sometimes it's difficult to live as if we believe these truths. But I refuse to cheapen who God is and what He has done for me by trying to construct an identity for myself that is not born of Him. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17
My Holy Father, I praise you for your many beautiful demonstrations of love. I thank you for your sacrifice on the cross, for the creativity with which you created this world, for the grace and gentleness that you have shown me time and time again. I am so grateful that I can call you Father and that you know me as your daughter. I pray that every day, in every situation, you would impress upon my heart the knowledge of my true identity; I belong to you and I am so thankful!
It was the second night of VBS and I was standing in the gym, chatting with a few friends. Out of nowhere, it seemed, I was nearly knocked to the ground by this little blond guy who tackled me with a rather extreme vigor. With the aid of a running start, he had catapulted his body right at me and, upon landing, had wrapped his arms and legs around my trunk like a little monkey. There he hung, looking up into my face with an expression of total admiration. "You're pretty...I saw you looking at me last night when you were singing," he trumpeted. As I am currently the owner of a fairly serious back injury, one of my friends had to pry my new companion off of me and, acting as a makeshift bodyguard, protect me from further advances the rest of the night. However, she was unable to prevent him from leaping up on me one last time and planting a fat, wet kiss on the corner of my mouth.
As one might imagine, that interaction between me and my tiny admirer provoked a bit of laughter among some of the staff. My introduction to him was surprising and funny; none of us had expected to witness or be the recipient of such an overt display of affection. We discussed, in a lighthearted manner, what kind of adolescent this little boy might become, surmising that the pursuit of young ladies could very well grow to be one of his favorite hobbies. Although this fellow's ardor provided the impetus for some amusing conversation, I couldn't help but be moved by what seemed to be an almost desperate desire on his part for some love and attention. He was not going to be satisfied with a mere hug or kiss; he also needed to know that I had noticed him during the previous night's worship, that I had singled him out in my mind, that he was special to me. I think the little guy just wanted to be loved.
My heart ached as I contemplated the yearning that I had observed in my new friend. His craving to be loved is a need, I believe, that is common to all of humanity. We all want to be loved, admired, and highly regarded. But sometimes this hunger can become a driving force in our lives. We supplant a healthy need, a need that God has placed in our hearts, a need that only He can meet, with an unhealthy obsession. We become consumed with trying to find meaning and fulfillment in any number of relationships and activities, many of which are not necessarily bad unto themselves, some of which aren't particularly edifying. Before long, if we're fortunate, we can recognize that the original desire to be loved and admired has metamorphosed into a hectic scramble to cultivate identities for ourselves. Maybe some of us become so wrapped up in our jobs, our roles at home, how much money we make, the toys that we own, our appearances, even the ministries that we perform, that we identify more with those personas, relationships, and activities than we do with our Lord. These identities are false.
Conversely, maybe some of us have histories that we have allowed to define us. Perhaps some of us have committed sins for which we want to believe that God has forgiven us but, deep in the most hidden depths of our hearts, we don't really claim that belief as truth. Instead, we live each day under the heavy burden of that darkness, never quite able to claw our way out from underneath the oppressive load. These identities are also false.
We know that, if we have believed in Jesus Christ and the sacrifice of his life on the cross, a redeeming work that only he could complete, we are God's children. "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." John 1:12-13 Can you even begin to imagine? This God is huge enough to have created the magnificent seas and mountains, the vastness of space, the mighty winds of a hurricane or tornado, the thrilling sight of the most stunning sunset; this God is also huge enough to have created the intricate workings of the eye, the delicate, papery wings of a butterfly, the exquisite beauty of an orchid, the feathery eyelashes of a newborn. This God is my father; I am His child. This is my identity.
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalms 139:13-16 God knit me together in my mother's womb. Not only did he create every physical detail of my body, but He created every aspect of my personality. He made me unique. He knows me and He knows me intimately. Every detail of the person that I am is subject to God's sovereignty and creativity. This is my identity.
"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of the fulness of God." Ephesians 3:17b-19. In reference to this passage, Matthew Henry says, "By the breadth of it we may understand the extent of it to all ages, nations, and ranks of men; by the length of it, its continuance from everlasting to everlasting; by the depth of it, its stooping to the lowest condition, with a design to relieve and save those who have sunk into the depths of sin and misery; by its height, its entitling and raising us up to the heavenly happiness and glory." God's love for His children is infinite, unconfined by boundaries of any kind. I am loved by God. This is my identity.
We know that God loved us enough to sacrifice His son on the cross, but I think that sometimes we forget that He delights in us, that He loves to love us. "The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17 As a parent, this verse reminds me of the countless times I have held one of my children in my arms and quieted them with murmurings of love as they cried over a cut, hurt feelings, or even a broken heart. I am reminded, as well, of the countless times that I have crept into the bedrooms of my sleeping children in the still of night. I can see the rise and fall of their chests as they slumber deeply after a hard day; I can smell the sweat; I can hear the fluttering of their breath; I can feel the baby softness of their skin. They are unaware of these precious moments, but oh how my heart swells with joy! It is a joy that is intertwined with tenderness, gratefulness, fear even...but it is joy nonetheless. And it is an emotion that has compelled me at times to cry, to sing, to pray. I know the power of these emotions that are provoked by my children, but I only know them on a human level. I have to believe that we can't even begin to comprehend the strength of emotion that God must feel for us as He rejoices over us with singing. I am in awe of being cherished by God. This, too, is my identity.
Whether you are someone who finds your worth in your job, your role as a parent, your appearance, your money and toys, your abilities; whether you are a person who finds your worth in the sordid details of your past; or whether you are someone who finds your worth in both your successes and your failures...if you are a child of God, none of these successes and failures define you. Your identity is in Christ and you are defined by his death, by his loving and creative sovereignty over you, by your relationship to him, by his adoration of you. Sometimes it's difficult to live as if we believe these truths. But I refuse to cheapen who God is and what He has done for me by trying to construct an identity for myself that is not born of Him. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17
My Holy Father, I praise you for your many beautiful demonstrations of love. I thank you for your sacrifice on the cross, for the creativity with which you created this world, for the grace and gentleness that you have shown me time and time again. I am so grateful that I can call you Father and that you know me as your daughter. I pray that every day, in every situation, you would impress upon my heart the knowledge of my true identity; I belong to you and I am so thankful!
So beautifully put my friend.