CHILDLIKE

“Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven’” (Matthew 18:2-4).

When I was about five years old, I was at a picnic with my family and four or five other families.  There were several picnic tables pushed together end-to-end, with the food and beverages placed at one end.  I was in the middle of my meal when I decided to go get a kool-aid refill.  I took my cup and was on my way, but somehow I got confused and very lost in the crowd of unfamiliar picnickers at the park.

This memory came back to me recently, and my mind could vividly recall little Sandra with the pixie haircut, cup in hand, looking very scared.  I, and some friends to whom I was recounting this stressful moment in my past, asked Jesus to speak to this frightened little girl who didn’t know what to do. Immediately the Lord came into my mental picture, knelt down and put his arm around me and told me it was going to be OK.

This snapshot from my childhood has become precious to me, not only because of Jesus’ comforting presence in it, but also because of the helpless expression on my little-girl face.  I get the impression that this utter desperation is pleasing to the Lord, and that He deeply desires to father us as we in our lostness look up to Him.

FEAR OF OTHERS’ OPINIONS

“Come to Me, all you who….are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 NKJV).

In the book The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer speaks of heavy, exhausting burdens we put on ourselves because we have a sense of shame that nags at us.  We worry about what others think of us; we work endlessly to project a good image; we get jealous and envious.  These things are not unfamiliar to me; I experience them every day, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.

There are lies at the root of this, such as:

 “I’m not good enough.”

“There’s something wrong with me.”

“I’m unworthy if I don’t look good, and say and do the right things”

We may not even be aware that we believe these lies, but at a moment of anxiety, ask yourself if any of the above statements seem true.

Here is the truth:  If we are in Christ, we are holy (2 Corinthians 5:21), not because of our looks or behavior, but because God has given us the gift of righteousness.  We are God’s workmanship, and He has made us glorious (Ephesians 2:10, 2 Corinthians 3:18).  If we think we have to make ourselves amazing, of course we’ll be insecure, because we can’t do it.  We are GOD’S workmanship, and He makes us awesomely amazing!  The pressure is off, and we can rest.