Day 5.

Today I wrote a devotional for the college students I work with. I emailed it to them earlier today and will be also posting it here as my Day 5 writing post. Enjoy

 

1 John 3:1-3

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,[a] we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

 

I have a lot of favorite verses and sections of scripture, but the one above is one of my absolute favorites. I want to tell you a short tale before we begin with this scripture.

 

There once was a young lady. She woke up one morning and decided to go for a walk , she had a beautiful trail right near her home. As she stepped out of her front door she took in the fresh air, she listened to the birds chirping and she let the sun’s rays coat her skin. She began her brisk walk.

 

It wasn’t long before her walk led her to a fork in the trail. At the intersection of the for there was a single willow tree and under it was an older woman leaning against the tree.

 

Our young lady paused briefly as she approached the fork, nodded at the woman and chose at random which direction to continue on. As she stepped forward the woman moved from under the tree and stood in front of the young lady.

 

She was startled to say the least. The older woman looked her in the eyes and spoke:

“Who are you and where are you going?”

 

Our young lady was not sure this old woman was even justified a response, but she answered:

“My name is Jessica, and I am just on a walk, I am enjoying being outside.”

She attempted to continue on her walk.

 

The old woman stepped in front of Jessica again and asked again:

“Who are you and where are you going?”

 

Now slightly frustrated Jessica answered the old woman again:

“I am a student, I go to college in town and I am just out for a walk.”

She attempted to press on.

 

Again the old woman stepped in her way and asked:

“Who are you and where are you going?”

 

Jessica was now angry,

“I have no idea what you are asking or why you even care! I don’t know what you want me to say, what do you even mean by asking who I am? I told you my name, I told you what I do and where I am from, can’t you just let me pass?”

 

The old woman had a smile on her face,

“Darling, how will you ever know where you are going in life if you do not know who you are?”

 

Jessica was at a loss for words as the last question of the old woman cut her deeply. She sunk her head, turned around and walked home….

 

I love this story. I love telling it to people and I love to hear their reaction to it.

So here is my question, do you know who you are? Do you recognize the core of your identity that will never change?

 

1 John 3 makes it clear that if we are in Christ then we are children of God! John recognizes that a fact like that should be world changing. What love God Lavishes on us by calling us his children!

 

In this story, while Jessica could not think of a good response to the old woman, you have the ultimate reply that will never change.

 

Who you are is a Son or Daughter of God. At the core of your existence you are someone’s child, more importantly you are God’s beloved child. There is no changing this. It is the only aspect of who you are that will never be fluid. And this simple yet life changing fact reveals to you where you are going.

 

When you know who you are and you know that you are a child of God, knowing where you are going becomes incredibly easier. God spells it out. You are headed to His arms, where His children belong.

 

Thoughts to Ponder:

What does being a son or daughter of God say about every other aspect in your life?

Do you believe that if you were to shed all the layers of your personality that you would find at the core a child of God?

Who are you?

Where are you going?