I was blessed with 5 of my children when I married their dad. I chose to become part of their family and love them like they were my own from birth. I was blessed with my 6th child when a young man needed a safe environment in which to live and we welcomed him to be part of our family. I also love him as if he were my own from birth. And then, there are my "children".
In church last week, one of the young men who refers to me as mom, greeted me with a "Hey Mom." Someone standing nearby asked him if I was his mom and he explained that I was his second mom. As I sat waiting for the service to start, another young man came and sat with my daughter and me. He too greeted me with "Hey Mom" and gave me a big hug. This week, another "son" got engaged and replied to a congratulatory Facebook post with a, "Thanks, Mom." These young men have a special place in my heart and I love the dearly, but in reality, I am not their mom. They call me mom, but I didn't play a big part in raising them. They visited my house on occasion, fairly regularly years ago, but they didn't live here. They ate my food, but didn't benefit from my cooking on a regular basis. There names aren't listed on any documents that would make them heirs to earthly treasures in the event that I should die. Yet, they call me, "Mom".
I wonder how many times we act as if we belong to God when there is no real relationship. We say the right words and may fool those around us, but they are just words. We go to His house and maybe dine on His food, but when it comes down to it, He doesn't play a role in the choices that we make. Once we leave the doors of the church it's as if we've never been there. We play the game of pretending to belong to Him, when we have purposely placed distance between ourselves and His will for our lives with blatant sin.. Those around us may be fooled into believing that we actually know Him, but He knows the truth and His heart breaks for us. It's time to quit pretending. If you know God and aren't acting like His child, make changes. If you don't know God, and are just playing the game to fool people, ask Him to truly become Your Father.
In church last week, one of the young men who refers to me as mom, greeted me with a "Hey Mom." Someone standing nearby asked him if I was his mom and he explained that I was his second mom. As I sat waiting for the service to start, another young man came and sat with my daughter and me. He too greeted me with "Hey Mom" and gave me a big hug. This week, another "son" got engaged and replied to a congratulatory Facebook post with a, "Thanks, Mom." These young men have a special place in my heart and I love the dearly, but in reality, I am not their mom. They call me mom, but I didn't play a big part in raising them. They visited my house on occasion, fairly regularly years ago, but they didn't live here. They ate my food, but didn't benefit from my cooking on a regular basis. There names aren't listed on any documents that would make them heirs to earthly treasures in the event that I should die. Yet, they call me, "Mom".
I wonder how many times we act as if we belong to God when there is no real relationship. We say the right words and may fool those around us, but they are just words. We go to His house and maybe dine on His food, but when it comes down to it, He doesn't play a role in the choices that we make. Once we leave the doors of the church it's as if we've never been there. We play the game of pretending to belong to Him, when we have purposely placed distance between ourselves and His will for our lives with blatant sin.. Those around us may be fooled into believing that we actually know Him, but He knows the truth and His heart breaks for us. It's time to quit pretending. If you know God and aren't acting like His child, make changes. If you don't know God, and are just playing the game to fool people, ask Him to truly become Your Father.
Beautiful. And thought provoking.
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