What Do You See?

I purchased a classic children's book for our grandaughter called Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See.  Each page opens with a beautiful drawing of an animal and asks what do you see.   The brown bear sees a redbird, the red bird sees a yellow duck, the yellow duck sees a blue horse and so on.   Each animal "sees" another animal and you ask the same question.  She loves the book and so do I.

It got me to thinking about something.  Several times someone younger than me has asked me if I could meet with them to talk about living life or has mentioned something they see in me.  I want to ask this, "What do YOU see?"  I would even ask it in the sing songy voice I use at nap time.

If what you see is commendable I would suggest to you that what you see is not naturally me.  It is the work of Christ in me through His Holy Spirit.  I am the same sinful fallen woman as any other woman without the work of sanctification or change that the gospel of Christ has done in me.   Christ has taken a self-centered young woman who had ideas of what was good and bad and begun a good work.  This older woman you see now has been worked on for a long time.  I made some colossal mistakes.   Even in those God in his grace has used them for my good.   This older woman still has work to be done.  I get angry, selfish, discouraged, impatient, proud, hateful, etc.

Here is the good part.  Though there is still work to be done I know that God is faithful to complete His work.  Look at these scriptures.

Philippians 1:4-6  "In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident in this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

Ephesians 2:10  "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

The work God began in his children he will finish not just for their good but for his plans to pass on good to others.  He has a vested interest in making sure we become less and less of our former selves and more and more like his Son, Jesus Christ.  There is years of work to do.

Often we would like to be good at something immediately.  Take, for instance, the piano or guitar.  I have known many people who really wanted to play but then after taking only a few lessons were frustrated because they did not sound great.  You can't learn to play an instrument quickly.  If you want to play well it takes years of lessons and decisions to practice day after day.

Your spiritual life is the same way.  Yes, a huge step has been made when you accept Jesus Christ as your savior but to be changed through and through takes the rest of your life.  You make that first decision to believe then you make daily decisions to walk with Christ.

What does that look like?  It is attending and participating in a healthy body of believers Sunday after Sunday year after year.  It means choosing to go to Sunday School and bible studies when they are offered and doing the homework.  It means reading good Christian literature recommended by those you know to be solid mature believers and comparing it to the word of God.  It means grappling with those times that what the bible says does not agree with what you thought you knew and trusting God over yourself.  It means practicing prayer and devotions regularly.

Years ago God gave me what I call a life verse to help me in this process.  A bible study I was in at the time suggested asking God for one and having the eyes of your heart open to see what he gives you.  For me it was Philippians 4:6-7.  "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by petition and prayer, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.   And the peace of God,  which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."  Don't just find it but memorize it so that it readily comes to mind whenever you need it.  I use this almost daily because it says anything and everything and I take God at his word.

Another is James 1:5  "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."  To me this was a prayer I could always ask and get an affirmative answer.  God wants us to have wisdom and I can rely on his kind of wisdom over what the world has to offer.

There are many other things that over the years have become habits that I just do because I have done them for many years.  My desire in writing this is for you to know you will also grow and mature in Christ and display the fruits of the Spirit.  It is the work that God is always doing in us in everything we experience.

I have much more that I would like to say and will in a later post.  What I would desire for you to consider now is this:  When someone looks at you and you ask  them "What do YOU see?" what would you like their answer to be?  There is no better compliment in Heaven or Earth than for someone to see Christ in you.