Matthew 16:17-18
Jesus came back, “God bless
you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn’t get that answer out of books or
from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this
secret of who I really am. And now I’m going to tell you who you are,
really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put
together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the
gates of hell will be able to keep it out.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
On July 12, 2010, F. Diane
Barth, L.C.S.W., a psychotherapist and psychoanalyst in New York City
wrote an article for PsychologyToday.com titled “Are You Turning Into
Your Mother?” In one paragraph, she noted…”when I was young and my
family teased me about being like my mother (who I did not resemble
physically), I felt criticized and resentful. I wanted to be different
from her, to have my own personality, separate from hers, and besides, I
did not like the things they were commenting on (for example, my
bossiness!). But today I am grateful to her for having passed onto me
numerous characteristics, including her love of books and her interest
in writing, her empathy for others, and her incredible stores of
energy.”
One of my mother’s dearest friends told me
recently…”As long as you breathe, so does your mother.” I know she
meant this as a compliment. She implied that I remind her of all of the
things she loved about my mother. And like the therapist, F. Diane
Barth, I am also grateful to my mother for passing on to me the very characteristics that Barth enumerated about her own mom…love of
books and writing, empathy for others, and energy and enthusiasm for
life.
More importantly, I am grateful to my mother for her
tremendous demonstration of faith and trust in God. In many ways, my
mother was the “rock” of our family. Even in her last days, she
stoically announced, “I know that I don’t have much time left, and it’s
okay.” And she made sure that she imparted last words of strength and
wisdom to many family members and friends. Just as Jesus explained to
Peter, Mother didn’t develop this strength on her own…it came from God.
She listened for His voice, and He granted her insight into the secret
of who He really is.
Jesus makes the point to Peter that his
assignment is to be the “rock” for others…to spread the word and
encourage those in his midst to seek their own “assignment” from God –
and act on it. As the “rock” of our family, my mother did a good job of
encouraging others to act on their Godly “assignments” – to go forth
and serve in the name of Jesus. In this manner, she “fed His sheep”…and
I am sure that she has now heard, “Well done!” from God Almighty.
OUR MISSION
is clear. We are to build upon the “rock” of Jesus Christ…to learn
from the examples of those who have shared His Good News with us…to be a
“rock” for others as we encourage them in their faith…and to busy
ourselves furthering the church. I’m not talking about building a
“church facility”…or even adding to the number of people with whom you
may worship on Sundays. I’m talking about increasing God’s Kingdom –
and nurturing those who come to know Him so that THEY can also share the
Good News with others and continue building on this firm foundation.
As
long as I breathe, I guess others really will see traces of my
mother…my dad…my grandparents and other important influences in my
life. But I HOPE that what others see the most in me is Jesus…His kindness and compassion, grace, mercy - and hope for a future built on the ROCK of God’s love for all of His children.
Are
you building on the “Rock” of Jesus and feeding His sheep? When others
look at you, what – and WHO – do they see? We all have work to do in
this area. My prayer is that we will begin in earnest today. Are you
with me?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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