Silver Boxes

   When my kids were little, I was a summer camp director at our church camp. For many summers, I would pack myself and kids up and we'd move into our cabin at camp on Sunday evening to prepare for campers to arrive on Monday morning. We'd spend the next few days with over 100 children who had just finished First through Third Grade. We'd go back home late Wednesday night, spend a couple days doing laundry and repacking before leaving again on Sunday. It seems like my kids were almost raised at church camp. That's not a bad thing. In some ways, I'm glad those days are done. In other ways, I'd love to have those days back. The friendships that were created, the memories that were made.
 
   Perhaps one of my biggest memories took place one summer during our annual counselor orientation week. Of course, we always told the staff how to handle homesick campers, campers who didn't want to participate, how to have cabin devotions, etc. But this one summer, we also told them how to talk to campers and each other. I often think about this particular "training" and how it applies to life.

   Florence Littauer is a pastor's wife and Christian author/speaker. One Sunday, she was visiting a church. The pastor was so happy to have a professional Christian speaker in his church so asked her at the last minute if she would share a brief message. She quickly came up with a message to give them and this message is what we shared with our staff.

  Ephesians 4:29 says, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." (She used King James) I like the Message version so much better. It says, "Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift."

   Florence went on to say that the words we speak to others should be like "silver boxes with bows on top" meaning that we should speak kindly to others. While Scripture addresses swearing, Florence's message really focused more on speaking kindly and treating people compassionately. This was likewise the message we shared with our staff.

   If you were to give someone a gift, or better yet if you were to receive a gift, would you like that gift to be in a tattered cardboard box that looks like it's been sitting out in the rain or run over by a car? Or would you prefer to have a pretty little box, neatly wrapped with a festive bow on the top? If someone gave me a gift in a ratty old cardboard box, that would tell me a lot about what they think of me and how valuable I am to them. However, if they gave me a gift that they took time to wrap carefully, I would know that they find                                                           value in me.

   Friends, our words should be the same. If you speak rudely to everyone you meet, what message do you think that gives them? I'm not even just talking about being nasty when you talk to them. If you treat them like they're inferior to you or like they do everything wrong, that's not a gift to them. Making people feel like the way God made them isn't good enough isn't a gift to them. Every time you belittle someone or make them feel inferior or unappreciated, you're tossing a broken-down cardboard box that's been sitting out in the rain at them.

   On the flip side, if you let people know you appreciate them just the way God made them and say encouraging things to them, if you speak kindly and genuinely with them, if you value what they have to say and don't act like you have all the answers, it's like giving them a little gift, beautifully wrapped with a little bow on top.

    I've had both kinds of "gifts" handed to me. I've had people treat me like I didn't know anything, like I had no opinion, like I wasn't worthwhile. I've had those people who have acted like they knew everything about life and I was totally clueless. Every day I was around them made me feel like ratty cardboard boxed were being heaped up in front of me. But I've also had people who show they appreciate me, speak kindly and compassionately, value what I have to say, take my ideas into consideration and show they find value in me. Those gifts are so much more valuable.

   Don't ever let anyone tell you that you're not good enough because you're not like them. Don't ever let anyone make you into what they want you to be. If you're being the way God made you, embrace it! Anyone who can't accept that obviously thinks God made you wrong and they can do better. Don't surround yourself with those people. Surround yourself with people who let you be the way God made you and appreciate you just the way you are. Give a silver box to everyone you meet!

 

 

Finding Grace and Seeing Christ

      Last week I started a Faith Journey. Let me give you some background about me:

      I grew up in a Christian home. My maternal grandfather was a pastor. He and my grandmother were very active in their church (obviously). I watched them pray and read Scripture. My paternal grandparents were also involved in their church, my grandmother being active in women's ministries and my grandfather serving on the board of directors of the denomination's college. Prayer, Scripture reading and faith was a big part of their lives. 

      I was raised by a church music minister (my dad) and church pianist. We were in church every Sunday morning, Sunday evening and Wednesday evening. It wasn't a "going through the motions" kind of thing. It was a heartfelt desire to be in church. I grew up going to Sunday School, church camp, and memorizing Scripture as part of my church's Bible quiz team. I served on a short term missions experience team because I wanted to be a missionary (God didn't call me to be but I thought I knew better than Him at the time). 

      At the age of 9, on the steps of my dorm at Prairie Camp, I gave my heart to Christ. It was an easy decision to make. Then I figured helping with Bible School every summer, being on the quiz team, going to camp (and eventually being a counselor and, later, the director of the church camp) and serving on a missions team was enough. Shoot, I even went to a Bible college! I was good to go. Or so I thought. 

      I got married and started a family. We raised our kids in church. They were on Bible quiz teams, went to church camp (since I was the director, it was only natural). We weren't the best parents in the world but we did the best we could. We loved them (and still do). We sent them to youth events. Again, I thought I was doing all the things a Christian parent is supposed to do. 

      But then through lies of Satan who kept telling me I wasn't good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, etc (the lies changed often but were loud and frequent), I thought I'd be better off making my own life choices. I made bad ones. I turned away from God. Not like murder and bank robbery type choices. But choices God would have made for me. I still went to church. I still read the Bible. But this time it became more a "going through the motions" type thing. I just really got off track. But then God brought me to my knees. Ok, it was more a giant shove to the floor, slammed to my knees type deal. I've slowly climbed myself out of the pit Satan gladly welcomed me into. 

      I was doing much better but then I started watching "Christians" around me and thinking I didn't come close to measuring up to them. There were some who seemed to think they needed to shout to the world, "I'M A CHRISTIAN!!!" and there were some who quietly whispered it but what I saw on the outside didn't look like what I thought Christ would do. I didn't want to be a part of either of those. So I went to church because that's what I was supposed to do. I had devotions every day because I was supposed to. But I wasn't sure that I wanted to be part of something that I had to either blast in peoples' faces or that was just in name only but my actions had nothing to do with. 

      I read through the Bible two years in a row - the first year I more like skimmed through it, not really paying attention to it that much but the second year I started to highlight things as they jumped out at me. I took more time to see what God might want me to learn. But then this year, I was invited on a Faith Journey. A pastor I follow on Facebook started this journey to help encourage anyone who was willing to take the journey. I knew my faith needed something.So I joined the journey. I receive encouraging e-mails and texts, prayer support, and challenges to pray with people, read chunks of Scripture, etc. I feel a sense of belonging to the body of Christ. Since beginning, I've noticed that the Scripture I read (I'm now on year three of reading the entire Bible in 365 days) seems to come alive. I'm more confident in my faith. This all brings me to what God showed me today. (If you've read this far, congratulations!)

      This  week, I started reading the book "What's So Amazing About Grace? A quote in my reading today really got me thinking. Gordon McDonald said, "You need not be a Christian to build houses, feed the hungry or heal the sick. There is only one thing the world cannot do. It cannot offer grace." It made me wonder what happens when the church doesn't offer grace. I'm not saying "the church" meaning the building where a group of people gathers to worship. I'm saying "the church" meaning those of us who God calls His own. How do we treat people who aren't "as good" as us? People who may have to work harder to do the right thing. People who may miss going to church (the building) once in awhile. People who don't listen to worship music all the time. People who have smoked or consumed alcohol. People who have made mistakes. Do we give them grace? My experience has been that grace isn't always seen in Christians. I'm not saying that all Christians fail to show grace to sinners. But there are those who will point out every way that your life is "wrong." Please know, I will never judge you for the way you are, the way you talk, act, what you eat, etc. God is the only one who has the right to judge you. I'm not a judgmental Christian and never will be. The way you live your life is between you and God. I will show you grace. I will pray with you. I will tell you about the grace of my Savior. But I will NEVER make you feel inferior!

      Now, going back to those Christians who seem to walk around wearing a sign that says, "I'M A CHRISTIAN!!" - I would rather people be able to tell I'm a Christian by the way I talk, how I spend my time, where I spend my free time, how I treat them, how I act when I'm around non-Christians, etc. I shouldn't have to tell people I'm a Christian. They should be able to tell it by the way I live my life. I will gladly share Jesus with anyone. I will pray with anyone who asks me. I pray for people even when they don't ask. But I don't force them to believe what I believe. Again, that's between them and God. I will never be ashamed to tell you what I believe. But I won't force it down your throat. Jesus never did. Why should I? So, I hope you can see Jesus through me. If I have to tell you I'm a Christian, I'm doing it wrong and I need to fix something.