1 John 3:1-2
See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
We are so blessed to have so many people in our church who are willing to serve in the children’s ministries…people who truly love God – AND our children. Last Sunday, Timothy told his Uncle Greg… “My teachers made me sad.” Greg asked him why, and Timothy replied, “When I got there, they hugged me and told me they were so glad to see me…and when I left, they hugged me again.” We explained to Timothy that these were good hugs…happy hugs…gestures of love from his teachers. I’m not sure why he associated hugs and affection from someone other than family members as a sad thing. But apparently, he doesn’t fully understand how much he is loved by so many people…and why!
Somehow I think that this is also the case for many of us in our relationship with God. There are probably some who wonder what we are up to…what “ulterior motives” we have for showing them kindness, grace, mercy, love and compassion. They don’t trust us…don’t see us as God’s children. And truthfully, we may not fully understand our role as God’s children, either. For some of us, expressing God’s love and care for others is more of a “chore” or an act of responsive obedience than something we have internalized and taken to heart. If we have trouble with this, it should be easy to see that surely those less comfortable in their relationship with God – or those who have no relationship with Him – would find this confusing.
So what can we do? First, I believe “practice makes perfect”. Each day, we must ask God…”Where do you want me to serve today?” We must call on Him to show us who needs to experience love, comfort, empathy or encouragement through us…and make it happen. The more we do these things for others, the easier they become. As we develop our “faith muscle” and become more comfortable demonstrating Jesus’ love and compassion, others will hopefully see that this is genuine.
There will always be skeptics…or those who label us “Jesus freaks” for expressing the love of Christ in our lives – and outwardly toward them. And some days, it will be hard to do what God has called us to do…to “love the unlovely” in His name. But we must trust that God is developing us in His image…making us more like Jesus. Someday, this will all be clearly revealed to us when we meet Him face-to-face.
We have work to do! We have people to love in the name of Jesus! We have hugs to give out to “children” of all ages…whether they fully understand why we are “hugging” them or not! God has called you to be His child…this is who and what you are! Others still don’t know Him…at least not in this way. It’s our “job” to introduce them to Jesus…through our words, actions…and how we conduct our lives each and every day. The more we practice this…the easier it gets – and the better we become at it. Are you ready to roll up your sleeves and start “hugging” others for Jesus? When people look at you, Who will they really see?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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