Rich rewards await those who are willing to teach preschool children in Bible class (or any age children for that matter). Younger children though, are so honest and open. They have such a fresh perspective. I have said it before, but it is because I truly believe it; those young children can actually teach you something too if you keep your heart and mind open to what they have to say.
Once in Bible Class the children began to ask each other what their names were. I found it very interesting that each one of them answered with both their first and last names. After each child told their name, they looked at me and said "What’s your name, Mrs. Robin?" When I told them "Robin Whitley" all three of them laughed. "Whitley," they repeated and continued to giggle. For some reason that was very funny to them. One of them even told me it was a silly name.
At that age, names are very important to children. They are just beginning to think of themselves as individuals rather than an extension of their parents. So they begin to seek their own identity. Names are vital to this process – their name becomes a part of who they are. These children said their names very proudly. They seemed to be very happy to know who they were – their names gave them a sense of pride.
That got me to thinking about our names. What is the most important name we wear? Christian! Do we proudly wear that name? Is it part of who we are? Does it give us a sense of pride? Are we happy to know that we are Christians? Do we understand – or remember that being a Christian means remembering who we are, who we belong to, and who we represent.
Our Christian name should effect how we live our lives on a daily basis. People are known for certain characteristics or traits and when someone hears that person’s name, they immediately think of the traits associated with that person. That can be for good or bad. An individual's traits, characteristics -his personality - are what defines who that person is.
What are you known for? I just heard today about a woman who rented a house to three young people they didn’t know – not because of those young people, but because a member of the Church vouched for them. The lady who was renting the house said, "I don't him, (the person who vouched for them), but I know of his reputation. If he says they are OK to rent to, then i will rent the house to them."
How wonderful it is to know how much weight and power our good reputation and influence can carry?
On the other hand, what about the weight of a bad reputation?
We are are supposed to known for our good works. We are Christians – our behavior should reflect the light of Christ. Do we act as Christ did? Are we filled with the fruits of the Spirit? Are we known as whiners and complainers – or do we allow ourselves to be filled with the joy that comes from serving our Lord and Savior? Do we lose our temper quickly or are we known for our patience? Do we talk about others behind their backs or are we known by the fruit of peace? Do we speak loudly and brashly or are we known by the spirit of kindness? What about haughtiness or being prideful…. Are we known as arrogant or are we known to have the spirit of gentleness or meekness? Are we known as the church member who is "hit and miss" when it comes to the services – or are we known for our faithfulness? I could go on and on, but you get the idea. There are areas in my life that I know I need to work on. As Christians we should always be striving to grow. If a change should change needs to be made in our lives we should love God enough to be willing to make that change. And we all know that sometimes we can do better than we do.
Jesus tells the disciples (the 70 that he sent out to teach and preach) - "rejoice because your names are written in heaven." If we are followers of Him, then we can be assured that He knows who we are. Psalms 147:4 says "He telleth the number of the stars; He calleth them all by their names." Don't you think if he knows the names of all the stars He created that He knows who you are? In Philippians 4:3 Paul mentions several other fellow laborers in Christ's kingdom "whose names are written in the book of life."
God knows our names – to me that is very, very personal – even more so than the fact that HE knows the number of hairs on our head. He knows my name. We know He knows us all – He knows what’s in our hearts. So we must remember to love as Christ did – to live as Christ did.
Have you ever stopped to think about the fact that for some people in this world, the closest they have ever gotten to knowing God is knowing you? That’s why names are so important. That is why what we are known for - how people remember us - the traits associated with us --is important. NOT because of us or for any glory of our own. We wear the name Christian proudly, honestly with honor – for God’s glory. We live a Christian life so that people can look at us and say, "I know that woman … she is a Christian."
Christ above all things,
Robin
No comments:
Post a Comment