Friday, January 20, 2017

All God's Children


Romans 14:10-12
You, then why do you judge your brother or sister?  Or why do you treat them with contempt?  For we will all stand before God's judgment seat.  It is written:  "As surely as I live," says the Lord, "every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God."  So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

Granddaughter, Virginia Rose, my mother and I are gathered at the small dining table enjoying a simple lunch of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, in my opinion, the ultimate in comfort food.  Out of the blue, Virginia pipes up with this observation.  Pointing first to me and then to her great grandmother, she says, "You're my Gammie and you're my Nana, but you're also my sisters."

Mom and I exchange quizzical looks.  "Virginia," I say, not understanding where she is coming from (yes, I can be quite obtuse at times), "Savannah and Alexandra are your sisters, not Nana and Gammie."

Virginia cocks her head to one side, and asks, "Aren't we all God's children?"

"Why, yes, honey, we sure are," I readily confirm.

"Then you're my sisters," she declares.  "We're all sisters and brothers; everyone in the whole world!"

Wow!  You could have knocked me over with the proverbial feather!  I know that I've told Virginia many times before that God is our Heavenly Father and we are His children, but after checking with daughter, Sarah, to see is she has told Virginia about the brother/sister connection, I discover it's a conclusion this sage six-year-old has come to all on her own.

That's HUGE!  (My word for the year)

~

Today marks the inception of a new era in American history as President Trump officially takes the oath of office.  For some of you, this is a day of joy and hope; for others, it may feel like the beginning of the end.

The past election cycle will be remembered, I fear, as one of the most divisive and mean-spirited in recent history.  Tragically, this propelled many Christians into judging their brothers and sisters, and treating them with contempt for their political stance.  And in many instances, the bridges of love and friendship, once so steadfast, burned to the ground.

My hope and prayer as our nation moves forward is this:  May we look past our difference long enough to see the commonality we share.

We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, called to love others in His name.

We are all God's children.

And it's about time we act like it.

After all, if a six-year-old can figure it out, why can't we?

Amen!

22 comments:

  1. Amen! Out of the mouth of babes.... Thank you, Martha, for this timely call to treat one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.

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    1. Thank you so much, Mary! As Christians, we definitely need to get our priorities straight. I do hope the words here serve to heal.
      Love and blessings!

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  2. Martha,
    It's clear that Virginia is on the right track. We're all created in God's image. We become brothers and sisters when we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord. What an amazingly large family we have in Jesus! Knowing this should change how we see and treat others.

    Love and blessings!

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    1. It should definitely change how we see and treat others, Kim, and I really am praying that any divisiveness this country is now going through, that more and more Christians will show Jesus' love to all of God's children. Who knows how many hearts could be changed and turned to the Lord?
      Love and blessings!

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  3. What a bright little girl! And what a powerful lesson for us all...and yes, may we as Christians be first to light the way to unity and peace in our nation once again. Thank you for these thoughts today, on a very special day indeed.

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    1. Thank you, Pamela! Yes, Virginia's amazing insight floored me, too. Such a valuable lesson we can all take to heart, and act upon as we hope and pray for this nation to come together.
      Love and blessings!

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  4. wow out of the mouths of babes. Such wonderful truth. Love this Martha!

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    1. Out of the mouths of babes, indeed, Jean! No wonder Jesus admonished us so many times that we had to become a child in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Their hearts are so pure!
      Love and blessings!

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  5. Yes Virginia, we are brothers and sisters; with One Father. Thank God He lives, and He lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, He will continue to make glad the heart of His children.

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    1. Amen, Doug! We are truly all His children. May we love one another as Jesus commanded.
      Love and blessings!

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  6. Hi Martha! Oh my gosh, I would have melted if I heard my granddaughter speak such truth at such a young age. What a wonderful presence of faith you are to her in her life!
    Yes, we are all connected in Christ, and I will pray that our country and it's government remembers that as we move forward in 2017. That would be huge!
    Sunday blessings,
    Ceil

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    1. It would be huge, Ceil, that's for sure! (I love that "huge" is my word for the year.)
      Honestly, it surprised me, too, that Virginia made this connection. I was so floored! Hope I can continue to be that beacon of faith to her and the other grands.
      Love and blessings!

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  7. Martha, Amen and amen! I join you in prayer for unity in our country. We must show love the way Jesus did.

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    1. Thank you in joining me in prayer for our country's unity, Beckie. Oh, Lord, how we need it! May we continue to love as Jesus commanded, and never grow weary.
      Love and blessings!

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  8. Yes... we are more alike than different! Good call, Virginia. :)

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    1. Aren't we though, Shannon? How I'm praying for this nation to come together.
      Love and blessings!

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  9. Great post Martha. No matter who is president, Jesus is King!

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    1. Yes, indeed, Mike, and amen! That's what all of us need to remember as Christians.
      Love and blessings!

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  10. So true, Martha! It seems a simple concept, but one we adults need to be reminded of...often!

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    1. Yes, Galen, we adults do need to be reminded of this. It's so easy to get set in our ways, developing prejudices and fabricated judgments on our fellow human beings. We need to look for Christ in everyone, and then act like He would toward them.
      Love and blessings!

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  11. This irrefutable logic from Miss Virginia gave me chills! Life really is that simple; we make it unnecessarily complicated as we navigate through the years. All of the negative noise out there on the political spectrum is exhausting, and much of it distasteful. It is lovely to visit here and be lifted up! 💖


    - Dawn

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words and thoughts here, Dawn! Yes, life really IS that simple. Jesus taught us the way, and too often, we neglect that in our own self-interest. We are called to not be selfish, but selfless.
      Love and blessings!

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. . . Good Tidings of Great Joy . . .

  . . . Good tidings of great joy . . . ~Luke 2:10 Pictured above are my daughter, Sarah, son-in-law, John, and their three girls, Virginia,...