Clear Direction

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14: 6 (NIV)

“Mommy, where are we going this morning?” “To the zoo,” I replied. “And what are we doing after that?” “We are going to the grocery store?” “Then what are we doing after that?” “We are going home?” “Well, what are we doing when we get home?” “We are going to relax?” “And what are we going to do after that?” It was clear that my four year old son wanted to know our entire plans for the day in consequential order. As much as a constant borage of questions like this can irk me, I have to admit that I am like that too. :)

I love details! I want to know: when, where, why, and how--all the time. I like to know the plans or be the event planner. I am the kind of gal who likes to plan the whole week out with my kids, and I usually have a backup plan in mind just in case it’s raining outside, but we have a playmate scheduled at the park. I know! It may seem too “type A”, but that is just who I am.

When I think about it, I think our society is like that too. Many of us want to be able to plan not only our schedules, but have a general guideline for our lives as well (where we want to work, where we want to live, how many kids we want to have, how long we want to wait before having the next kid, meals for the week, vacations, financial planning, college funds, etc.). Our society is hungry for direction…a legitimate need often met in illegitimate ways (horoscopes, taro readers, psychics, etc.).

In the age of all this uncertainty (with the economy and everything else), I am so glad that God was very clear about how to access Him. In John 14:6, Jesus clearly states, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The entire new testament highlights the fall of man, the need for a savior (a worthy sacrifice), and the coming/birth of the Messiah—Jesus Christ. Yet our seeking culture, will often make us feel that this idea of Jesus being the only way is far too narrow-minded. But is it really? Perhaps an illustration I heard at church yesterday will help:

There once was a little girl whose dad was an identical twin. He and his brother looked exactly alike. One day, the little girl was waiting for her dad to come home from work when her uncle walked in the door. “Daddy!” she exclaimed, and she ran into his arms and hugged him. A few moments later, her father walked in. “Daddy!” she again exclaimed, and she ran into his arms and hugged him. The uncle and the dad sat at opposites sides of the room. The uncle would say, “Sweetheart, come to daddy.” And the little girl would run over and jump into his lap. Then the dad would say, “Sweetheart, come to daddy.” And the little girl would get up and run into his lap. They did this back and forth for a few minutes until the little girl sat in the middle of the floor crying. She just wanted to know who her Daddy was! She was confused!

Isn’t our society just like that! With all the religions out there today—Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, New Age, and everything in between—people just want to know what is true. People want clear directions! Just as all roads do not need lead to Miami from St. Augustine, Florida, all roads do NOT lead to heaven! A brief study of the five major world religions will reveal vast differences in what each religion says is true about God and how we make it to heaven…if that religion even has a “heaven” so to speak.

Why am I bringing all this up? Well, it occurred to me that as we get ready to celebrate Christmas, God in his great goodness will probably give us several opportunities to share His love with those around us, and to let people know that the birth of Jesus is the real reason we celebrate this season called Christmas. This is where I need help myself. I tend to be quite good at encouraging other believers or speaking with other Christians, but evangelism is extremely hard for me! It is not easy for me to talk about Christ and my faith to another mom at the park whom I have just met. After all, that is somewhat taboo in our culture these days. It is also hard for me talk about it with other moms that I know relatively well, but whom I also know are not interested in hearing me talk about Jesus. They would rather stick to Santa. But I would encourage you (and myself) to pray for and take advantage of the opportunities that we do have.

“Live wisely among those who are not Christians, and make the most of every opportunity.” Colossians 4:5 (NLT)

This Christmas season, let us truly reflect on who Jesus is, why He came, and the fact that he came for everyone. He is not exclusive; he is inclusive. He died for all of us while we were still sinners. No one can find that kind of love and acceptance anywhere, and that is GOOD NEWS! Some may not like our message, but let us live genuine lives that reflect Him and we may be surprised at some of the people who come to the faith because we were willing to be taboo and talk about religion with family, friends, and people we don’t really know.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, you sent your son Jesus for all of us. Help us be bold enough to share your message. Help us to not be ashamed of the gospel. You provided one beautiful way for us to access you. Help us share that way with others. May your perfect love cast out all the fears of our hearts, and may we never grow weary of living the life you have called us to. Thank you for this very beautiful CHRISTmas season. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Challenge:
How would you explain the true meaning of Christmas to a child? Why was Jesus’ birth so important? Contemplate these questions, and then share your response with an adult that God places in your path who really needs to hear his truth.

Recommendation: Pick up a copy of the Jesus Storybook Bible—it is meant for kids but is great for adults too! It talks about how Jesus is woven into the entire Bible from Creation to Redemption. Most importantly, it talks about why we need Him.