by MeredithNMills | Jan 22, 2016 | Uncategorized
I just can’t get over God. His unstoppable, relentless, extravagant love…it astounds me. It undoes me. Nothing in human experience compares to such audacious, undeterred devotion.
Today, I’ve been reading the story of the “prodigal son” (Luke 15). Actually, I think we should call it the story of the “gracious father,” because really, it’s the dad’s response that makes all the difference.
As the story opens, we meet a most undesirable young man. Self-entitled and demanding, he can’t wait to get away from home. He claims his inheritance early and hits the road. Far from home, he squanders his money on sensual living. It all catches up with him, however, when a famine hits and his money runs out. From playboy to pig-keeper, great is his fall. And all those friends who hung around when he had money? Not one to be found.
Sitting in the pig slop, the young man remembers his dad. He recalls his father’s generosity to his servants, and decides maybe, just maybe, his dad would receive him back as a hired hand. So he begins the long journey home. As he walks, he rehearses the speech he will give to prove his penitence. He imagines his dad’s response – the shame and disappointment in his eyes, the anger in his voice, the “I told you so’s” and “things can never be the same” speech he was sure he would get.
Can you imagine his surprise when he sees his dad running toward him? Is he coming to stake a “no trespassing” sign at the gate?
Before a word is out of his mouth, his dad folds him into his arms and begins kissing him.
A bit dazed, the son starts his rehearsed speech. “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” Before he can say another word, his dad interrupts and begins to lavish forgiveness and affirmation on him. He declares a feast and throws a party to celebrate his son’s return.
His son. Not a hired servant, but his son.
In this story, Jesus painted a picture of the heart of our God. Compassionate and approachable. Eager to forgive and to welcome back home. Bountiful and liberal in His gifts toward His kids.
And here’s what I find most amazing. When the father receives his son, he leaves no reminders of who his son once was.
Sure, the son has his memories and the natural consequences of his sin. But that dead person – he’s not dead anymore. That lost boy – he’s home now. He’s no longer a pig-keeper or a playboy. He is a son. He doesn’t have to try or prove or spend his life doing penance. He just is a son and nothing can change that fact.
He has a completely new identity.
And so it is with each of us who call God our Father. We are His kids – dearly beloved, fully accepted, lavishly gifted and intimately known.
While some might think this gives license to sin, I find it to be quite the opposite.
If I am so greatly loved, oh, how I want to love Him back!
If I am a new person, I want my life to reflect that fact.
If I am gifted with the Holy Spirit, I want to give Him free reign in my heart.
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 Jn 3:1).
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come” (2 Cor 5:17).
How does a new identity affect the way you think and live?
Related posts:
Come Close
Apple of His Eye
Eternal Life Now
by MeredithNMills | Sep 30, 2015 | Uncategorized
The secret is out. This is the real me.
A few weeks ago, we joined a homeschool co-op. I prepped my kids ahead of time…reminding them to be friendly, to be interested in others, to introduce themselves. You know, basic friend-making stuff. But inwardly, I was a bit anxious myself. I’m not naturally outgoing. Being the first to introduce myself is not exactly in my comfort zone. I, too, was hoping to make connections that would lead to new friendships.
I guess I was hoping to impress people, to make them like me.
You can imagine my embarrassment when, at the end of the first day, I had to search for my misplaced phone. I found it in the office. Assuming someone had turned it in, I asked where it had been found. The sweet lady gave me a puzzled look and told me it had been sitting on the desk all morning. Only then did I remember that I had come to the office first thing that morning in search of name tags. Hmmm….well, she’s not going to think of me as the most organized person in the group.
But really, it wasn’t that big of a deal. Anyone can misplace their phone. (I just happen to do it all the time!)
However, when this same person locks her keys in the car the very next week…Well, the secret is out. This is the real me.
I spent nearly the entire final period in the parking lot waiting for a locksmith. The locksmith, of course, showed up in a huge conspicuous tow truck, just as classes were letting out and people were coming to their cars. He was a jolly fellow – asked how my day was going, as if locking oneself out of one’s car adds humor and excitement to the day.
I guess I should have smiled about it, laughed it off. But I was too worried about what people were thinking.
Ah, people pleasing. I know it well.
It can be paralyzing at times. I spend so much time trying to keep everyone happy. I work hard to make people think well of me – even when it means hiding my quirks and imperfections.
It’s an exhausting way to live, and God is teaching me that we were never designed to live this way.
Can I share with you what I’m learning? Because maybe, just maybe, I’m not alone in this people-pleasing craziness.
First, a person’s value lies not in what we do (or don’t do), but in who we are. Our Maker says we are “remarkably and wonderfully made” (Ps 139:14 HCSB). We bear the image of God (Gen 1:26-27). We are infinitely loved and valued – not because of our own merit or loveliness, but because God has set His love upon us (Eph 2:4-5).
Second, we all have emotional needs that God alone can satisfy. The longing for acceptance is a God-given desire. Its purpose is to lead us to Him. When we look to Him in faith, we find that we are relentlessly adored, unconditionally accepted, and even greatly liked – quirks and all. (See Hos 2:14-19, Eph 3:12, Zeph 3:17.) On the other hand, looking to people to meet this need will lead to disappointment and conflict.
Third, another person’s opinion does not define us. This may seem obvious, but I have many times internalized a rejection (real or perceived), as if it were true of me. When our identity is built on who God says we are, we can come back to that reality every time we begin to feel otherwise.
Finally, true friendships are based on transparency and acceptance. If we keep our shortcomings hidden, the relationship will not be genuine. We’ll wear ourselves out trying to keep up the charade.
This is, of course, not a “blanket excuse” for hurtful behavior. We shouldn’t excuse sin or selfishness under the guise of “just being myself.” In living authentically, we should never lose sight of grace.
But oh, the freedom of walking confidently in faith. When those shackles of fear start to fall off – what a glorious new beginning! It’s taking place in my life. How about you? How has God helped you overcome people-pleasing? I’d love to learn from your journey!
“This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel says, ‘In repentance and rest is your salvation. In quietness and trust is your strength…’” (Is 30:15).
by MeredithNMills | Apr 24, 2015 | ministry, serving, Uncategorized
She washed my feet that day.
It was hot and dusty in Ensenada, Mexico. So many things were different from what I knew – outdoor bathrooms, eating in the open air, houses with just two rooms in them, little stores in people’s homes… A completely new culture. And I loved it. I fell in love there…with fish tacos. And, more importantly, with the Mexican people. So beautiful. So generous. So kind.
We had just returned from a neighborhood outreach where we hosted a game of “football” (or “soccer,” as we Americans call it.) My sandaled feet were dusty and dirty from walking on the unpaved roads, so I sat down on a retaining wall next to a water spigot to wash them.
A Mexican woman, my sister in Christ, watched as I tried to balance on the wall while scrubbing my feet. Then suddenly, she walked over and knelt beside me. She took my dirty feet in her hands and began to wash them for me.
I was speechless. How do you thank someone who just showed you Jesus in such a vivid way?
That memory is forever etched in my heart and mind. I don’t even know her name. But she was Jesus to me that day. And someday I will meet her again. We will talk uninhibited by language barriers about the Servant Master we both love.
This memory came to mind recently as I read from John 13 with my kids. Jesus, Creator of the universe, Most High God and King of Kings, knelt before His followers and served them. He did the lowest of jobs, a job reserved for servants, when He washed their stinky feet. It was a picture of His love for them. And an example for them (and us) to follow.
But I’ve always wondered why the Bible includes verse three – “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power, and that He had come from God and was returning to God.” Apparently, this was the basis of His service. What significance did this knowledge have for Jesus? Philippians 2:6-7 gives an interesting parallel. Jesus, “although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-slave…”
The man Jesus was totally secure in His identity. The Father knew Him and had given Him authority over all things. That was enough for Jesus. He didn’t have to prove that, to grasp that equality. It’s who He is, regardless of whether people recognized Him or not. Because He didn’t live for the approval of man, He was able to empty Himself and serve.
And that can be true of us as well. A few verses earlier in Phillipians 2, we are told to “do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves” (v. 3). It’s not that we are less important than others. We are all made in the image of God. But we don’t have to prove our worth, because God knows us and has given us our identity.
As God’s child, I am chosen and greatly loved. I have been made holy and blameless through the blood of Christ. I was adopted because He wanted me. He has freely, lavishly, bestowed grace upon me and has given me every spiritual blessing. I am redeemed and forgiven. His intentions toward me, His child, are kind. I have been given an eternal inheritance and have received the Holy Spirit to seal and guarantee that inheritance. His surpassingly great power is for me. (See Eph 1.) In Christ who loves me, I overwhelmingly conquer (Rom 8:37). Direct, bold access has been granted to the throne room of the Almighty (Heb 4:16). He has personally drawn me near (Eph 2:13). I am firmly rooted and complete in Christ (Col 2:7,10). I am a new creation (2 Cor 5:17), God’s masterpiece (Eph 2:10). And nothing, absolutely nothing, can ever separate me from the steadfast love of my Jesus (Rom 8:38).
That is just a taste of my identity as a follower of Jesus. Is it yours? If you know Jesus, it is your identity as well. Nothing can change that – not our sin, not the opinion of others. Our Creator defines us and has blessed us beyond measure.
If God knows us, and says this is who we are, we have no need to “grasp equality” with those around us. We have nothing to prove. So like Jesus, we can freely serve those God puts in our lives. The indwelling Spirit of Jesus will direct and empower us as He lives His life through us.
When has someone been Jesus to you?
