“But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.”- 1 Corinthians 8:6
Sometimes you’re talking to your kids, and you end up preaching to yourself. The other day I was talking to my six-year-old daughter about a stuffed animal she was given for her birthday. It was a plump, unicorn with wings named “Dumplin’.” I had taken the animal from her (due to misbehavior) and her argument to get it back was that I had stolen it. Her words: “you stole it, and we are not supposed to steal daddy.” While I was inwardly impressed at her quick thinking, this couldn’t stand. Therefore, my response was: “honey, I’m the parent, therefore everything in this house is mine.” She replied: “but they gave it to me.” I followed up with, “I understand that honey, but it’s still mine, because I’m the parent and you are the child. The word is “vouchsafed” honey, it’s granted into your care by me. I am letting you own it, and therefore I can take it at any time.” I spoke this to her, and then the Holy Spirit spoke to me as well.
Everything that I think I “own” has been vouchsafed to me. My family, health, wealth, mind, house, car, clothes, talents (or lack thereof), etc. It has all been granted to ownership. It is not mine. It all came from God, gifted into my care through His benevolence. Since it came from God, should he choose to take it back He is not robbing me, or stealing from me. He is not a cruel or mean God. He is simply taking back what was vouchsafed into my care. In the book of Job, Job lost everything because he became the preferred target by Satan himself. God asked Satan “hast thou considered my servant Job?” Satan took the challenge and proceeded to take virtually everything from Job. This would cause many to blame God and curse him, but Job simply spoke those beautiful words that have echoed through the ages. Words giving hope to millions: “naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job understood that it all came from God, and in this understanding, he anchored himself. When all around Him was turmoil, Job clung to this truth. We have no issue blessing God when he is blessing us. When the job promotion comes, or the next child is born, or the investment is prospering, praise God! Yes! Praise God. Yet, when suffering finds its way to our doorstep, and we are stripped of something we hold dear, it is much more difficult to view this as a blessing. To see this as a part of God’s plan to conform us to Christ. God’s plan to carry out His divine will. To trust Him completely, realizing that “the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away”. Recognizing that all things came from Him, and when this life is over it will all return to Him. Furthermore, whatever is, is God’s. When we settle ourselves into this, it will change our view on things in this world. It matters how we use our time, how we use our money, how we teach our children. It matters because we are under the Lordship of God and His Son Jesus Christ. It matters because it can all be taken away. Life is precious, death is sure, and we are not our own. What God has given, he has given that we might glorify Him!
God is our Father. He teaches us in ways we cannot even begin to understand. This is why the Christian life will always be principled on faith. We are a people of faith, and we walk by faith. We are walking and obeying a God that is beyond all we can see or think; yet he is a good God that is guiding us into His perfect will through the Holy Spirit. While we may not always see it now, we have faith we will see it by and by. While the world moves in fact, we walk in faith.
