Better Picture or Bigger Story?
Our kids are not safe. It only takes one desperate teenager with a gun to prove that we are not able to protect our children 100% of the time. That is reality.
When tragedy strikes, we realize that time is short. This life is but a breath.
If we are holding up a picture for our children that we cannot promise with 100% certainty, what happens when reality hits and the picture is shattered?
We can tell our kids, “We do everything possible to keep you safe.” What happens when “everything possible” is not enough?
A 5-year-old recently told me with conviction that he is going to live a long time because he’s smart. He eats healthy and exercises so his mother has assured him that he is going to live a long life. I appreciate what his mom is teaching him about making healthy choices, but are those choices a guarantee?
When we cling to a better picture mentality, we feel good when the picture looks focused and bright. Things get murky when the picture gets fuzzy and dark. Disappointment, doubt, depression, despair…those are the realities of a better picture gone bad.
The Bible tells a bigger story. The story of the Bible leaves room for the broken, the painful, the unexpected and the tragic. It is a story of hope for the hopeless. It is the story of healing for the broken. It is the story of restoration for the estranged.
God’s bigger story has guarantees.
God is big enough to handle whatever we face. We can trust Him no matter what. The kingdom of God is here and is coming. Following Jesus brings life and peace. For those who love God and are called according to His purpose, He is working all things for good. Only God knows the number of our days and he has ordained them all. Eternity with God will not involve tears or pain.
Here’s the Big God Story in a nutshell:
God created the earth and everything in it, including man who was made in the image of God with the very breath of God. Man began in perfect relationship and true freedom with God until he sold himself as a slave to sin. God intervened by creating a rescue plan that involved laying down his own life to pay our debt so that we can live in a restored relationship with Him in true freedom for eternity. We can live a life of joy and peace in the midst of pain and chaos when we abide in Christ.
If that’s not good news in a broken world, I don’t know what is.
How To Create the Ideal Family
If you're like most parents, building a strong family is at the top of your priority list for 2011. In order to help CCC parents along, I've decided to compile some Biblical examples of parenting so that you'll have some step-by-step instructions on how to get started. 1. Adam & Eve. Look no further than Genesis and you'll see two people literally created for each other, ready to populate the earth with delightful offspring. Let's see what we can learn from their parenting techniques.
- Step 1: Lure your spouse into deadly sin.
- Step 2: Blame someone else for your failures, particularly your spouse.
- Step 3: Raise your sons to be so filled with jealousy that one kills the other.
Uh, maybe we should move on to someone else.
OK. Trying again.
2. Noah. This one is easy. After all, Noah was the only man on earth who followed God. Surely he can give us some insight.
- Step 1: Obey God with reckless abandon and involve your whole family in the journey. (So far so good.)
- Step 2: Witness God do an amazing rescue of your entire family.
- Step 3: When the whole thing is over, take up drinking.
- Step 4: If one of your sons makes fun of you for lying around naked and drunk, cast him out of the family while cursing him and all of his descendants.
Hmmm. This is harder than I thought.
I've got it now. Let's check in with the father of many nations.
3. Abraham. This guy got a little bit of a late start in the whole parenting process. In fact, things were taking so long that he decided to speed things up a bit. Let's see how he did it.
- Step 1: On the advice of your wife, sleep with the maid.
- Step 2: Do we really need to know what Abraham's Step 2 is? Seriously. That's messed up.
How I am going to instruct you how to create the ideal family using biblical examples when I can't even find ONE single family in there that isn't screwed up?
But isn't that what we're after? Sometimes I feel like there is this illusive dream I'm chasing to have the perfect family with a husband who hangs on my every word and kids who obey the first time with a cheerful attitude. In my dream the laundry is always done, the bills are always paid and the kids are hanging out just waiting for family devotions to start.
Isn't that what God is after? Good Christian families he can use to build His kingdom? If that's not it, what is He up to?
What if God is telling a bigger story rather than holding up a perfect picture? What if God can take broken, screwed up people and fulfill His promises in them...through them...with them? What if God wants to do that in and through your family?
Will you let Him?
It's coming...
According to the traditional church calendar, we are in the season called Advent, meaning "coming." It's not hard to see signs of the Christmas season all around us and they seem to crop up earlier and earlier each year. I don't know of any other season filled with such anticipation of its arrival. You already know what I'm going to say about all the hype and the focus being on commercialism, materialism, busyness, blah, blah, blah. I'll spare you the lecture. We all know that Jesus is the object of our anticipation. The question is HOW do we celebrate the Advent of Jesus in a way that is meaningful and not just one more thing to do on an already too long to-do list?
The thing is, unless we intentionally set aside time and space to do this, it likely won't happen on its own. Life will take over...that's what life does. So I challenge you and encourage you to pick something you will do as a family to keep Jesus at the center.
Here are a few ideas and links to get more info:
Attend Morning in Bethlehem with your preschooler on December 11th at the Old Mill campus. This is a fun time for families to travel back to Bible times and participate in activities pointing to Jesus' birth.
Host a Birthday Party for Jesus. Sign up for a ready-made box with everything you need to host your own party with your kids and their friends. You can sign up in the Atrium at Old Mill or at the Information table at Sarpy. Or you can send an email to darlab@cccomaha.org. We did this for the first time last year and could not believe how easy it is!
Use the Homefront Weekly as an Advent Devotional. Pick a time this week to read the Bible Story your child will hear on Sunday morning. This week's Advent theme is hope. Take time this week to reflect on the hope we have in Jesus and what it means that he came to us and is coming again. If you didn't pick up the Homefront on Sunday morning click one of the links below:
Preschool/Kindergarten Homefront Elementary Homefront
If you have other ideas to share about how your family celebrates Advent, share them with a comment.