Like A Child

…to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. Ephesians 1:10 (ESV)

This past weekend I went to church with my grandkids. One of them is under a year old. As we sat in his class, he noticed another baby, younger than he was. She was sitting in a stroller. He crawled over, pulled himself up at the foot of the stroller and with great curiosity gazed at her. As he stared at her, his eyes lit up with a smile and you could tell he was trying to engage her.

As I read the text above, I wondered what it would look like if the world were unified in Christ. What if we didn’t have divisions because of our race, our sex, our political party? What if we were not divided by how much money we made or where we lived or the jobs we had? And as Christians, what if we were not divided by our theology or our denominations?

What if we saw everyone the way Jesus does? We are all his children. We are all loved. We are all accepted and welcomed. When I watched my grandson engage the other child, the text popped into my head “you must become like little children.”

Maybe this is a good way to start the week; seeing all people as God’s children. Can we look at each other with genuine curiosity and openness? Can we embrace others just because like us, they are a child of God?

Today, I am going to let a little child lead me and I am going to try to love like Jesus does.

Mission Possible

In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.

You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness. Ephesians 4:1-6 (MSG)

These are your instructions for today. The only way you can do them is by keeping in touch with the Holy Spirit. Each time you feel that you want to quit or slack off, each time you want to take off on your own path and do your own thing, stop and pray. When it gets hard. Stop and pray. And when you find joy in the journey, stop and PRAISE!

Happy Friday Everyone!