One Thing

Through the years I've observed the probable reason why Jesus was indignant when his disciples rebuked the little children that came to Jesus. 

Mark 10:14-15 ~ "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."  

Child-like wonder. Innocence of a child. These are common phrases in our vocabulary.

Unless traumatically-conditioned to be hypervigilant, kids have a willingness to trust in authority figure(s) that is/are significant to them. There is this curiosity in little children as well that is fascinating and oftentimes, amusing. But as they develop to tweenhood, adolescent and later young adults years, the battle for individuation and autonomy intensifies - wanting to do things their own way, the reluctance to be vulnerable, etc. I see this parallel with my spiritual life. As adults, we become habitual creatures set in our ways. We tend to complicate things. We believe we know better than others. 

In Scripture, there has been passages that describe the Christian walk to be a simple concept. I'm emphasizing that the concept seems straightforward enough, but as a grown person, I realize I tend to overthink things. and I admit I'm a ruminator.

To help with my meditation and reflection, I'm trying to compile these verse that have the similar theme of One Thing.  

Psalm 27:1, 4 - 5
"The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?... One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock"

In this passage, King David's plea and sole focus, is that he will seek the Lord throughout his lifetime while resting on the intimate knowledge that God is his light, salvation and stronghold. In later psalms, he goes on to exclaim what can mere men do to him! What do I seek out for? Do I seek for my own (material) gain and pleasure? Do I seek for approval from mankind? 

Luke 10:38 - 42

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her."

This is one of the Bible stories I hold dear to my heart because I see myself very much as Martha. I tend to put a lot of effort in DOING because that's where I place my sense of worth. But here, Jesus said that the one thing that was necessary was to actually sit at His feet, to listen to Him and to enjoy His presence. I know I still struggle with this because I do enjoy like to work but I need to get my priorities right - to ensure I'm rooted in Christ and His teachings. So a close friend suggested that instead of being fully Martha or fully Mary, its finding a balance (Martha + Mary = Marty). So from time to time, she asks if I am being a Marty.

John 9:25

He answered, "Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see."

This story looks at a man who was given his sight after so many years of being born blind. And the Pharisees were not satisfied with the answers he was giving them because it didn't serve their purpose/agenda/beliefs. This makes me think of the incidents of churches that argue amongst themselves and each other in regards to practices. Doctrine is definitely not something to be dismissed, but it saddens me when I hear instances of churches breaking up because of certain practices (i.e. the color of the veil women are to wear). And I wonder - is this really what God wants us to argue about? What is the essence of being a Christian? It is looking at the fruits that is borne, the lives we touch. When start being petty and legalistic, how different are we from the Pharisees of old? So what do I know as my belief as a Christian? That Jesus is the Son of God. He came to earth, born of a virgin mother, lived as fully man and fully God. He died to take away my sin and rose again on the 3rd day, conquering death and my bondage to sin. And with this belief, I want to follow Him, living my life as a testimony, with Him having modeled the Christian life for me. 

Philippians 3:12-14

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 

I think this very much ties in with the point above. So what do I want to do with the life that has been charged to me? What is my goal? How do I want to journey in this lifetime? I love how the ESV states that its about "straining forward". It's not a walk in the park but it's also about letting go of the things that would hinder us from striving towards God's call and His prize. Pain is inevitable but we can make it worthwhile. One of the things I used to struggle very much with was guilt. Guilt of the sins I've committed or things I could have done better as His servant and it would bog me down, even though I have prayed for forgiveness, repented of my actions and tried to be more mindful to follow His nudgings. And my spiritual director asked me if this guilt which I've carried for years was actually bringing me closer to God or driving me further away. This was a good question - because sometimes that guilt brought shame which made me feel disconnected from God, and I would not be able to come before God. So it was also me having to forgive myself and to not let these mistakes define who I am now because I am changing with His guidance and strength. 

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I don't claim to be a perfect Christian, far from in fact as I rely on Christ to sanctify me. But for me, the challenge is to go back to the essence of what it means to be a follower of Christ. What does it mean to be a Christian? Who am I modeling after? Why do I do what I do? What is my goal? How will I attain it?