What Character

I was driving this week through the winding mountains of Georgia in awe of the beauty. Trees of yellow, red, orange, and green surrounded me like a tunnel straight out of a painting that you could look at for hours. Fall is my favorite season, even though it starts to get cold, there is something amazingly beautiful that is happening around us. In the peace and quite of my car, surrounded by God’s changing creation it got me thinking. Change…it happens all around us all the time.

When I was a kid we would play cops and robbers or cowboys and Indians. My kids play a similar game, I don’t think it has a name they just have the good guys and the bad guys. The good guys always win and they get to shoot the bad guy. That is pretty much the same as cops and robber. But here is the change…tasers. Apparently, it is a lot more fun to catch the bad guy and to be the bad guy if he first has to shake around a bit before he falls to the ground incapacitated.

Another sign of change was when I was teaching my son, Xavier, to read. He had this list of words we would go through before he read his story and with each word he liked to make up a sentence. We got to the word log and he said, “like to log on or off the computer.” And it hit me times are definitely changing. He was four, log, should be something you sit on by a campfire or roll down a hill.

“In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.” Psalm 102:25-27

God made His creation beautiful and He made it to change. A pregnant mother’s belly, a growing child, the leaves in the fall, and the bloom of the flowers in the spring, but the most beautiful, wonderful change that takes place is in the human heart as it grows in a relationship with Christ.

As mothers we can be an example of that change to our children. Let them see what Christ is doing in our hearts. Be humble and loving. Apologize for the wrong that we do against them. Pray with them. Be transparent in how God is working in our lives and has worked in our lives as we teach them.

Surrounded by constant change, one thing I find comfort in is knowing that God is unchanging. He loves me the same today as He did the day He created me regardless of all the stupid things and messes I have created in the middle. God’s character does not waver. It is what it is and what it has always been.

This has been my focus in teaching my children this year. We always want our kids to learn all the Bible stories and we get so excited when they are two and they can tell everyone about Adam and Eve, Noah and Jesus. But as they are growing there is that depth to the stories that is more important than the one we read them out of the board book with the pretty pictures. In every one of them we see a bit of God’s character, that truly is the most important part of the story. That is the part we need to hold onto and teach our children.

Reading the story of Abraham this year with Alexis who is nine and Boston who is eight was so different than it has been in the past. They struggled with, as most people do, the part where Abraham, obeying the Lord, takes Isaac to offer him as a sacrifice to the Lord. Together we were able to look back at what we had already read about God. We were able to see that God was a God of love, that he kept his promises. We remembered that God promised Abraham descendants that would number the stars in the sky and that these descendants would come through Isaac.

Logically they could see that God had never let Abraham down, he had taken care of him, given him a baby with Sarah as He promised. But this, sending Abraham to sacrifice his son, is more than logic. There is a lot of feeling to contend with here. But in the end what we could look at and rely upon was the character of who God is and who He was to Abraham. His character had won out. Even though the kids couldn’t understand why God would even tell Abraham to do such a terrible thing, they could see that God kept His promises and that, they along with Abraham could trust in the character of God even when they didn’t understand.

That is what I want my kids to know. I want that burned onto there little hearts. Every Bible story I want them to be able to pull out what they learned about the character of God. Because that character, will be the only thing they have to lean when nothing else seems to makes sense.

We all have faced challenges in our lives when they think, why is the Lord letting this happen, or really that’s what He want me to do? We can get all bent out of shape and be just down right disobedient because we cannot understand. The truth is we don’t always have to understand the why or the how. What we need to understand is God’s character.

We are God’s tools to be used by God. We are His tools in our kids lives, our husbands, neighbors, friends and countless others whom we don’t even know about. Being God’s tool is not all serving in soup kitchen, taking care of babies in the church nursery and singing in the church choir. Sometimes being God’s tool hurts and in those times, like Abraham, we need to remember that we can rely on the character of God. We need to remember that our God loves us, He is just and fair, righteous and all knowing. He is merciful and full of grace. He hears our prayers and answers them. He keeps His promises and we can find peace and comfort in that.

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. John 14:27

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

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:38-39

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9

God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “ The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.” Hebrews 13:5-6

Challenge: This week as you read your Bible look for things that show you the attributes and the character of God. Make a list, and tuck that paper in your Bible so you can add to it as you read. The next time you have a trial in your life, pull out that list and be encouraged and reminded of who your God is.

If you are not currently reading through anything in your Bible I would suggest Psalms. You could fill a notebook with what you will find in there. Also, if you would like to read a book about God’s promises try The Shelter of God’s Promises by Shiela Walsh. This book was a good reminder of who God is and the comfort and peace that are to be had in Him and His promises.

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