Happy July! The other night my daughter was tucking Gabster her daughter into bed and like a typical little girl she was fighting the thought and procedure of the night time ritual. The only night I know that little children like to go to bed is Christmas Eve and this wasn’t even close to that date. As the fight between the two girls, and might I add “strong girls” preceded with gusto, my daughter pulled one of her secret weapons out. She informed Gabster that there would be no sticker for her if she did not comply with her mom’s wishes and put on her jammies and get in bed. To which my grand baby replied with her face starting to turn red, with sheer determination, “I don’t care about stickers, you’re the one who cares about stickers, I only care about people who truly love me!”
Wow, that is where I live. I often find myself trying to obtain “stickers” from God. I often try to do things for God to earn his favor, his love. I find myself doing more than just being. Have you ever worn yourself out by trying to do things for God instead of just sitting in His presence enjoying Him? I have never been a great fan of the idea of the “purpose driven life”. That to me implies that the goal is doing something for God, to obtain His grace; and that somehow my acceptance is based on something I can do for Him. I believe in a relational driven life. That is where I focus my time not in doing something but in being something. And that is my goal in my life, to be his son, a true follower of Jesus Christ. I will of course continue to do things for Him and His kingdom, but it will not be the driving force of me getting up in the morning. A friend of mine, David Wilkerson, put it this way,” I am convinced that God is more interested in winning all of me than in me winning all the world for Him”. How about it saints, does God have all of you? Or are you like me, some-times too busy to spend time with God because of all the stickers we think we need to earn? Being a Christian is not like the boy scouts where the goal is to compete with each other for merit badges and stickers. We may not have the numbers of some churches on Sunday morning, but as long as He shows up in the fire like he did with Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego we are going to have church! As my daughter kissed her daughter Gabster on the forehead, that little girl had what she wanted. Even though she had lost the fight to stay up, she had her mom in her arms. May we be like her, not looking for stickers but seeking after the one who loves us and holds us in His arms.