Before I even start unpacking our class last night, I just have to say that the "why am I here" question is universally one of those topics that stumps a lot of people. Individuals will question their existence for decades, if not their entire lifetime, searching for some enlightened, deep, moving answer that will bring focus and purpose to their life.
The Surge kids did it last night in an hour.
Ok, maybe that is a little too general of a statement to be completely accurate, but I have to give them credit for engaging in the best discussion I've had in any discipleship group in the past ten years. The whole thing started with just the basic question: why are you here? The answers were all over the board, but basically they understood before we even got started that God was responsible and played a role in the question of "why". So, the first place we looked in scripture was Proverbs 3:1-6. I read the verse out loud and asked the kids what it had to do with the question of why we are here. Ok... I have to gush for a minute. The answer I got almost knocked me over. One of the kids took the verses and broke them up into two parts to answer. The first part (1-4) was all about making God the priority of our life and the second part (5-6) was the results if we do that. She said it a lot better than that, but that's the simplified idea. If God created man to have a relationship with, then the purpose of life is the relationship and making that the priority is how we should live life. And when we do that - follow God and make Him our priority - then He will lead us the best way.
We talked about that part for just a minute. I used the illustration of hiking through the woods with my family. When we camp in the fall, we end up hiking at least once. And since the adventurous part of me detests staying on trails, we usually just start walking through the woods in a general direction. My kids usually start out excited, wanting to lead and direct the path we take. But like most kids, they usually only look a step or two ahead of where they're walking and pretty soon end up waist-deep in thorny-vines, step in a hole, get trapped in by undergrowth or any number of other situations. It is only when they let me lead and they get behind me that the hike becomes successful. I go before them and avoid the things that poke and trip, places that might cause injury and things that would make the hike bad.
The same is true with God. It's not that He so much goes before us and makes everything quick or easy. It's that He shows us the best way. The best way isn't always the shortest, clearest, easiest route. But if we trust His directions, we know that He will take us the best way, even if the path is long, bumpy or difficult at times.
So if our relationship with God is the point, then how do we maintain that relationship? We then flipped to Micah 6:6-8. As usual, the nation of Israel is struggling to follow God, despite all He has done for them. As the prophet is talking to them, he talks about they are constantly looking for ways to fix their relationship with God. They want to make things right, so they ask which things should they offer. He starts with a very small thing and then builds to bigger and bigger things to cover the debt of sin that they have committed against God, even to the idea of sacrificing their own children. But Micah's answer is simple. Instead of focusing on fixing the problem, focus on not breaking it to begin with. How? By doing these three things: treating people fairly, loving others faithfully and living the way God wants you to live. If the relationship with God is the purpose, then the easiest was of maintaining the relationship is doing everything in our power to not mess it up. And if you don't want to mess it up, then just do these few simple things.
But how do we do these simple things? For help with that answer, we turn to 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. There we see three very basic ideas that hold true for every successful relationship that exists, but certainly for our relationship with God. First, always be joyful. It's all about our attitude. When our attitude toward God is right, our relationship with Him flourishes. And what better attitude is that there than being joyful? After all, the Creator wants an intimate relationship with you. It's hard not to be joyful when you think about that. Second, pray constantly. It's all about communication. You cannot be my friend it we can't communicate. There is no relationship if there is no relating. And so dialogue (not monologue) with God is how we work at keeping the relationship relational. And prayer is that vehicle. Lastly, thank God for what He does. Perspective is everything. If all things come from God, then He deserves to be thanked for all things. When we lose perspective of our position in the relationship, we have a problem. God is God and we are not. We need Him; He wants us. When we pat ourselves on the back for all we have achieved or accumulated, we skew the perspective of our relationship with Him. By thanking Him, we not only display our gratitude but remind ourselves of our dependence on Him.
I often get asked how I can stand to put myself in a position to teach wild and crazy 4th and 5th graders. If you've ever been in the room before or after class (and sometimes during), then you know what I'm talking about. Honestly, it isn't always the easiest thing to do. But nights like this make it all worth while. They never cease to amaze me with their ability to understand and process Truth in ways that skeptical adults struggle with. They may just be a bunch of 10 and 11 year-olds, but sometimes the wisdom they have is years beyond anything we would expect from them. And getting to be a part of that is incredibly exciting. I hope it excites you too.
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