Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Church Mice All Grown Up.




These thoughts are for those of you who house some of your earliest memories within the church walls.

For those of you who had the blessing of reading Bible stories with your parents every night as you went to bed.

Perhaps some of you had the gift of hearing that Jesus loves you every day as a child--just like me.

This is for you girls, who had to go to a Harvest Festival instead of trick or treating. :)

Perhaps you were the Queen Bee in Sunday school--just like me.  I was the loser who sat in the front with my hand positioned strategically so I could answer the questions first.  Maybe that was you, too. (We were awesome, by the way ;) )

Maybe your dad is a pastor, or your grandpa.  Or perhaps you dominated at Awanas, or truly thought nothing was funnier than Larry on VeggieTales.

You were a lot like me.

But now you are growing up.  And things change.  Maybe you had to realize that nobody in 7th grade wanted to see you new Bible cover.  Perhaps your first lesson in high school was that inner beauty and purity got your NOWHERE with the boys.

And maybe, if you were really honest, you would say that Jesus and Sunday School were great for childhood, but now... they just don't translate.  The stories of David taking on a giant made you stand taller when you were 6, but now...now it's just a memory.

But maybe if you were even more honest, you would say that you wish it was as simple now as it was then.

Sometimes, when you are alone, not distracted by friends, boys, phones, you can remember what childlike faith felt like. And you want it back.

You want to believe, simply, again.

Can you go down memory lane with me? Go back to Sunday School with me.  Back to the songs and hand motions and simple truths about God. Look at those stories again.

Think back to Noah's ark.  Do you believe that this childhood story about animals can give you strength at 17?  This story actually points to Jesus and the cross.  Because you accepted Jesus back in Sunday School, Jesus can still carry you through the storms of life?  If you place yourself under his love, you will find protection and promises. Put yourself on that ark, and hear yourself shout aloud:
"Hear my cry, O God...
From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint...
You have been a refuge..a tower of strength...
Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings."
(Psalm 61:3-4)


Remember the story of Joseph?  Yes, the guy with the great coat. Well, here you are, as a teenager, and within these pages you could see anew that God's plan for your life is so much bigger than you can see now.  You could cling to the comfort that God never left Joseph's side, through abandonment, slavery, imprisonment.  He will never leave you either, through heartache, depression, loneliness, rebellion.  And if you kept looking at this story, perhaps you could begin to believe that God has HUGE purposes for you too, just as he did with Joseph.

As David took on Goliath, you can take on the giants in your heart and mind.  The giant voice that says that you have drifted too far, or that you are too plain or too boring too hold anyone's attention.  You can still believe that because God is with you, you can be victorious over your giants. And like David, your life could find a new start when you take on your giants in God's strength.

Girls, may I be the one to remind you that the Sunday School stories can change your teenage years, just like they did in elementary? You can really believe that Jesus loves you again, and there your confidence will be.

I still believe.  It doesn't always have to be so complicated.  We just need to mute out the distractions of adolescence, look away from the buzz of high school, walk away from the painful drama of junior high, and instead, dive into the stories of our childhood.

Let's go back to Sunday School girls.