A Call to Die

-
When I was a teenager, I loved daisies.  One year, I decided to plant daisies from seed.  After the first batch grew and bloomed, the pods withered and died.  A friend told me that I could take dead heads and spread the seeds.  I did what he told me, and the following year, the size of my garden multiplied ten fold!

Jesus said in John 12:24-26, " Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me."

These may be difficult words at first.  However, the more I grow in my understanding and love for Christ, the easier these words become.  This life I live is not about me.  There are many moments and days that I wish it were!  A harsher reality is that this life is not about my kids (I'm pausing to let that sink in).  My life is about following Christ to the best of my ability.  While that includes mothering my children and being a wife to my husband, my identity cannot reside in those roles. 

So how does this play out in my life on a daily basis?  I think I am still a work in progress.  Praise God for grace.  But I try to allow Christ to permeate everything I am and all that I do.  I try to allow Him to affect the choices I make in how I love my husband and my children.  When I am at work, I try to allow the fruit of His Spirit to overflow in my teaching.  Perhaps, it is not necessarily about what I do all of the time, but it is about who I am. 

One of the most rewarding things I see is when some of the youth I have had in the past post on Facebook, words about their faith.  My prayer is that I played a small role in their spiritual journey along the way.  But to see another generation flourish in the faith is the legacy I want to leave. It is my passion and my aim in life.  It is the prayer for my children and for all those I encounter.  

 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Remember When...

-
Image
Over the last several days, I have enjoyed nothing more than enjoying watching my children simply be children.  As they grow older, I know these days of childhood are fleeting.  They still enjoy playing in the hose, exploring outdoors, and using their imagination. The live life unhindered by the worries of the day. Not long ago, my parents found an old box of childhood memories.  In there, were drawings, doodles, and even writings I had crafted in my youth.  As I sifted through the pages, part of me longed for the simplicity of days past.  I used to hike down to a brook in the woods and sit for hours, watching the tadpoles swim and listening to the birds sing. I rode my bike in the neighborhood until suppertime, without a care in the world. Jesus calls us to live freely and to live without anxiety as many of us did when we were children. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." In a time when many of us h
Read more

My Bible Study with Mormons

-
Image
Three weeks ago, two Mormon girls knocked on my door and asked if I would like to watch a video about Easter.  I agreed.  After the video, I invited them inside to warm themselves from the cold.  We sat down and talked about life and faith.  At the end of the conversation, I asked if I could pray for them.  Before they left, they asked if they could come back next week and read Scripture with me.  I had told them that I had studied the New Testament in seminary. Last week, we read John 1 together.  We discussed how Jesus came to earth for the world in order to justify us for our sins.  I talked about the notions of truth, grace and freedom.  It was a wonderful time of fellowship.  The girls asked if they could come back the following week and discuss John 2.  I asked them if it would be ok if I made them lunch and they agreed. Today we met for the third week.  This time, we had all studied John 2 beforehand.  We discussed Jesus' wedding at Cana and then the cleansing of th
Read more

The Impact of Love

-
Image
Today, as I glanced through the hashtags of Twitter, I noticed the anger within the posts. Hearts are crying out for change and revolution. Many Christians implore action based on Christ's response to the moneychangers in the Court of the Gentiles at the temple. I read their pleas and heard their pain. I watched the marches on television yet wondered, "how does solidarity promote change?" As I reflected, read, and prayed, I remembered what most motivates change. Looking back on the passage of Jesus at the temple, I am reminded of several things. First Jesus was angry. The vendors had made the Court of the Gentiles an unfair market place. This outer courtyard was the only place where non-Jews could go to worship and commune with the One True God. Yet, Jewish merchants profited by turning it to a place where they converted secular coins into the Jewish currency necessary to pay the Temple tax, making them no better than tax collectors. Also required was
Read more