It doesn’t take much time with a child to realize how badly they want to be noticed. “Watch this. I want to show you this. Look at me. Look what I made!” – But it seems it takes the Holy Spirit for us to realize that adults are no different.  🙂 I could list a plethora of examples here; I won’t, but we are certainly guilty.

I had someone say to me once that they hoped their child would find what God created them for so the child could exploit their talent and make a living. The honesty and directness of this statement caught me completely off guard and I remember not saying much in response. I simply looked at them. As I reflect back, I appreciate this parent’s honesty. The appalling part is that this is a very real part of our brokenness, and the truth is most parents are doing this exact thing, we just won’t admit it, and admitting it many times is one of the hardest parts. Justifying our corrupt thoughts, trying to pawn them off as Good, is much more dangerous.

In the circles I run, most parents genuinely want their kids to be ‘good’ people, but! more than Good, we want our children comfortable, acknowledged, and affirmed… and good of course but only by comparison. This is in direct conflict with living for Christ. Christ lived for God’s glory. So how, in a world where everything is measured and valued on being seen, do we learn to live in a way that our actions glorify God instead of self. “How can we live in a world of lies and save the truth?” –Adventures in Odyssey. How do we stop valuing everything we do on the world’s standards and start holding our actions up to the eternal standard? For God’s Glory! The answer always is and will always be Jesus.

Matthew 3:11-12 (msg) I’m baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. The real action comes next: The main character in this drama—compared to him I’m a mere stagehand—will ignite the kingdom life within you, a fire within you, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He’s going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned.

There is a way out of our sickness of self – and this Way will turn our lives upside down and inside out in every True, Good, and Beautiful way possible. No stone will be left unturned. No corner will be left dark. He offers us new Life, Deliverance, and Freedom! Praise God for providing The Way!

Abide in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Make music, dance, play, work, create, etc – all for the Lord! The Creator of the Universe sees us and yearns to take care of us. He didn’t give us talents to exploit but to glorify Him so that we may commune and live in harmony with God! He will provide! Absolutely amazingly beautiful!

Lord, free us this day from the bondage of self. Amen.