I don’t own any “impressive” hats. I’m not sure who I would want to impress if I
did. But when it comes to my roles,
relationships and responsibilities, there is no hesitation at all as to whom I
want and need to impress most – my children.
As women, God allows us that wonderful privilege. Whether or not you have children of your own,
the roles and relationships we are privileged to have – as a mom, grandma,
aunt, neighbor, teacher, child-care provider, friend of friends with children –
make it possible to leave an impression on impressionable lives.
This wonderful honor and opportunity is
described in what I call a “double take” verse.
A verse when first read doesn’t quite make sense, but when unraveled,
contains a powerful truth. That verse is
1 Timothy 2:15.
But
women will be saved through child bearing – if they continue in faith, love,
and holiness with propriety. 1 Timothy
2:15
Let’s clear up one thing very quickly. Paul
wasn’t saying that a woman’s salvation is obtained differently from a
man’s. He wasn’t putting women down or
dishonoring them. He was pointing out a
wonderful privilege and responsibility he did NOT want women to miss - the
opportunity to be ETERNALLY PRESERVED.
The most valuable part of your life can last forever in each and every
child in your life.
The context of this verse is a woman’s role
in the church. Paul was definitely not saying that women have no
role in the church. Actually, the
problem was the reverse. The church was full
of new believers with a passion and fervor for sharing Christ. In trying to do it ALL for the Lord,
priorities can easily get askew. The
most important things get brushed aside or are not given the full attention
they deserve. Paul knew that if woman
gave all their time and effort to the church they would miss out on the
most important privilege God offers them.
The privilege expressed in 1 Timothy 2:15 – being “saved.”
The Greek word is sozo, which means “found in completeness, saved, preserved, to be
whole.” “Saved” as in painstakingly
preserving something we recognize as priceless and of great value. If you collect Beanie Babies, they are sozo.
I have two Hummel figurines that were given
to me as gifts. When I discovered their
value, I promptly put them in globes to protect them and displayed them more
carefully. I sozo–ed them. The reason I took such precautions was the
value of anything sozo is determined
by its condition. Glued together and
missing pieces definitely affect the value.
However, the value soars when everything is in “mint” condition, and
especially if the set is complete. Have
you ever watched the Antique Roadshow?
“Now if you had all twelve goblets…” Or “If you had all eight chairs,
the value would be $$$$$.”
Look at 1 Timothy 2:15 again. Who is it that is being sozo? We are! God sees in us a priceless treasure to be
preserved for generations to come. Some
may leave their mark in society. And
Lord willingly, each of us will make a difference in the lives of fellow
believers. But, it is in children
that God wants to eternally preserve us.
He wants to preserve our heart, our priorities, our faith, and our
passion, and pass them down to our children as a godly inheritance.
He desires to do it “through child-bearing.” The
Greek word teknogonia, which refers
to “the performances of maternal duties.” It is not about giving birth, but
doing “mom” things even if you aren’t the mom.
Yet,
O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the
work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8
Children are
wonderful globs of soft clay. God sees
each child as a work of art – a divine masterpiece being created into a
representation of His own Son, Jesus.
In creating a work of art, whether decorative or functional, the master
potter uses his hands to shape and control the clay. Control is a major factor when working with
clay, especially on a spinning wheel.
Without those confining hands it goes everywhere! Without His hands around our children, their
lives would go spinning completely out-of-control. We can take great comfort and strength
knowing that He truly does have our “little bitty baby in His hands.”
In addition to his hands, a potter also uses
a variety of tools. Which tool he uses
depends on what the potter wants the piece to be, look like and
accomplish. A potter will often
hand-carve a favorite tool or create a special die, including one that imprints
His authenticity and workmanship on a masterpiece. If necessary, he takes as much time and effort
preparing the tools, as he does actually working on the clay. The tool he uses is that important to the
process.
God has a
myriad of tools at His disposal, but His #1 choice of tools in the shaping of
our children’s lives is us, women. It is
an honor beyond description. God desires
to take our lives and imprint it on theirs.
What does
our Heavenly Potter desire to imprint on the children in our lives? – “faith,
love, and holiness with propriety” The New American Standard translation puts
it this way – “faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint. Does this list sound familiar to you?
But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22,23
These are evidences of the Holy Spirit’s
control in our lives. When our lives are
surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the result is faith, love,
holiness and right priorities. These are
very things God desires to imprint on our children, their friends, and someday
our grandchildren.
If those attributes and characteristics are
constant in our lives, God is able to preserve them completely. Like the potter, ideally, he would like to
have the imprint tool leave just the right mark the first time. He wants the imprint to be clear and
perfect. If it isn’t, he does whatever
is necessary to fix it. When “faith,
love and holiness” are not consistent in our lives, the imprint left is anything
but keep-able. But God loves not only
the masterpiece He is creating, but also the tool that He is working with, so
He applies His redeeming grace. He
patiently works on the tool, as well as smoothes over the faulty
impression. He promises to preserve the
godly characteristics and fix the rest.
A dirty, clogged up, battered and chipped die
is not going to leave a keep-able impression. We all need the potter’s
redeeming attention in our lives.
Submitting to His inspection is the first step to being a useable tool.
Search
me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if
there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm
139:23,24
We have to let Him do whatever is necessary
in our hearts, minds and lives. It may
be a little soaking in His grace, some tough scrubbing to dislodge old habits
and sins, and maybe even a little carving to fix what is missing. If we are carrying around a bunch of gunk
from the past – unforgiveness, willfulness and unresolved issues between God
and us, we are not going to be able to leave godly imprints on their
lives. The effort and pain in allowing
the Lord to clean and restore us is truly worth it as we see the results of our
transformed lives in theirs.
Remember is it is the skill of the potter,
not the “quality” of the tool that makes the difference. Only the Master of all master potters could
possibly use living tools. The
problem with “living” sacrifices, as stated in Romans 12:1, is that they keep
crawling off the altar. The trouble with
“living” tools is they keep wiggling out of the Heavenly Potter’s hands.
If we are not firmly in the grip of the
potter, the marks we will leave on children will be anything but
preservable. We submit to the Lord’s
“five finger grip” through:
1.
Relationship
- on going, daily partnership
with God.
2.
Worship - reverent attitude towards God.
3.
Prayer - continuous
communication with God.
4.
Bible Study - teachable spirit that hears from God.
5.
Service - willing obedience to
God.
It is only through constant communication
with the Lord through prayer, reading His Word, and the working of the Holy
Spirit in our lives that pure and eternal imprints can be made in the hearts
and minds of the children in our lives.
We are always on the job. As God’s chosen tool, we are constantly being
impressed on their lives. Thus, it is
vital that we live daily what we desire to see reproduced in their lives. If we want to see Jesus in them, they have to
see Jesus in us. We have to walk it,
talk it, and live it!
TALK THE WALK
and
WALK THE TALK
These
commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on
your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the
road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 6:6,7
Our talk gives clarity to our walk,
and
our walk gives credibility to our talk.
We need to
be able to say exact what Paul said in Philippians 4:9.
Whatever
you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me --put it into
practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:9
Let me revise this verse. Everything a child has learned or received
or heard from each one of us, or seen in us – he or she should be able to put
into practice. And the God of peace will be with that child. We can, if we live our lives visibly by the
standards of Philippians 4:8:
Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever
is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable --if
anything is excellent or praiseworthy --think about such things. Phiippians 4:8
If we are imitating Christ in everything we
do, we should want children to imitate us.
Follow
my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
1 Corinthians 11:1
There are some specific and practical things
you can be doing to be an example worth following:
1. Be genuine
in your corporate worship. Don’t be
afraid to let your children see you absorbed in praising and hearing from God.
2.
Incorporate
worship into your daily life. Fill your
home and car with praise music.
3. Pattern
godliness. Talk freely about God and to God. Let them hear you pray. Share Christ with others in their presence.
4.
Let your
children see you reading your Bible.
Teach them to respect the time you dedicate to studying His word and
talking to Him.
5. When you
chose to read a book or watch a video with or without your child, choose one
that exalts Christ and godly characteristics.
6.
Ask out
loud: What would Jesus do? Would this make God smile?
7. Live by a
high standard of integrity. Be
absolutely trustworthy. Be real. Be genuine.
8. Model
unconditional love and acceptance – not just to them, but everyone, especially
the hard to love.
9.
Use your
giftedness, giving honor and credit where due = the one who chose and empowers
the gift, not the recipient.
10.Be
involved in God’s work. Make sure it is
service with a smile. If you grumble and
complain, they will perceive it as a pain rather than the blessing God intends
for you, them and others.
Your lasting legacy, their godly inheritance,
is found in what they “learned and received and heard and seen” in YOU! Is it worth saving? That is God’s desire, is it yours?
Through the realization of God’s redeeming
work, we can look at our children with such hope and excitement. However, before a piece of pottery can become
a usable vessel it must go through the finishing process. Air-dried clay can feel hard, look great, and
even be usable on a very limited basis.
However, when left out in the storm, it will be reduced to a mushy
mess. God is not finished. It must be placed in the kiln and fired. The finer the clay, the hotter the firing
temperature and the longer the duration.
Absolutely nothing is harder than watching
your child go through this firing process.
You truly wonder if anything will survive. But, the master potter does not leave the
kiln unattended. Too little heat or too
short a time, and the integrity is compromised.
Too hot or too long, and the piece shatters. His investment of time, resources, effort and
reputation depends on His personal watchfulness. Remember, the masterpiece the Heavenly Potter
is creating is a replica of His Son.
Take heart and cling to God’s promise.
The resulting masterpiece, your child, will be worthy of God’s signature
on their lives.
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always
give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor
in the Lord is not in vain. 1
Corinthians 15:58
Train
a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6
… being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will
carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6
And
we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who
have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
You are
making an impression. In the past it may
not have been the very best, but returned to the Master Potter’s firm control,
He can and will redeem it for good. It is never too late. As a woman of God, let Him use your life –
your actions, your attitude, your demeanor, and your words to make an eternal
impression, so that the very best of who you are will be forever preserved in
the children He brings into your life.