My use of the word "kids" is not intended as disrespectful to us or to God.
I chose that word because I want to use a metaphor as an illustration which most
understand. All of us have been kids. Most of us have been or are parents
of small children.
To any caring, conscientious parent, no life experience sobers you as deeply
as does rearing children. The weight of responsibility in rearing children
is enormous. It is as though parents have a personality placed in their
hands to mold into a person.
As kids, most of us had parents determined to influence the way we looked at
life. They used a variety of influences to shape our view of life--from
gushy love to powerful discipline. Teaching us right from wrong shaped our
view of life--as did teaching us how to work, teaching us the meaning of
honesty, and teaching us responsibility. All such efforts were much more
than a "do this!" list. They declared, "Look at life this way!"
Are you tempted to disagree? Consider: is there a difference between the
adult with a solid sense of right, who works hard, who is always honest, and
who is responsible and the adult who cannot distinguish right from wrong,
who rarely works, who easily lies, and who is never dependable? If the
answer is "Yes!" what is the difference? A basic difference is this: those
two adults look at life entirely differently.
When our kids look at life in ways that conflict with the way we look at
life, our common reaction is a profound sense of horror. Christian adults
want our kids to look at life as we do. It matters! It is
important--fundamentally important to existence!
So it is with God! Scripture's common metaphor used to illustrate the
relationship God wants to maintain with us is contained in the word
"father." God wants the same relationship with us that exists between
loving fathers and their children. When we enter Christ, we become God's
kids. What we are and do matters to God!
God wants us to be spiritual people (1 Peter 2:9,10). To be spiritual we
must look at life and life's influences as does God. We consciously choose
between forces and influences that oppose God's spirituality and forces and
influences that encourage God's spirituality (1 John 2:15-17). We cannot
oppose and belong to God at the same time!
When we justify and love influences that oppose God, we choose to love
influences that make it impossible for God's love to live in us. God does
not choose to stop loving us as "His kids." We surrender to influences that
make it impossible for His love to survive in us. If we are to be "His
kids," we must want Him to teach us how to look at life.
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