When I Grow Up I Wanna Be...a Jellyfish

My New Year's Resolution has been to become a Jellyfish. It is a high and lofty goal and one that I pray I can accomplish. This resolution is unlike any other I've made before. Unlike my yearly resolve to lose weight, this one does not alter my size. And of course I am frequently resolving to be more consistent in my running or exercizing...but this resolution does not require that kind of activity. This resolution requires me to do ONE THING...it requires me to be me. Let me explain.

I was listening to Phil Vischer on Focus on the Family one day. Many of you may know him from his Veggie Tales fame. Now, after finding the blow of loss, he is back on the scene with "Jelly Telly". When he shared his testimony, he shared a very unique angle on jellyfish that made such an impact on me...that I resolved to become...a jellyfish.

You see, he shared, that jellyfish at rest are blobs. They are unattractive and they are icky. BUT when they are moved by the current they open up and become all that they were meant to be and they are GORGEOUS.

I have since looked at images of jellyfish online and discovered that he was absolutely right. Jellyfish on the move, by no effort of their own, are beautiful creatures.

He went on to draw the analogy between Christians and jellyfish. Like jellyfish, we as Christians just sitting are nothing special. We can become complacent, judgemental, discouraged, disinterested, and the list goes on. BUT when we rest and allow the Holy Spirit to move us...WOW! The fruit is amazing and we become the sweet image of our Heavenly Father.

That is what touched my heart. In my day to day living, am I moving by the Spirit or am I sitting in a Christian blobspot? What moves me? I want to be on the move by the power of the Holy Spirit to show the world, my world, my friends, my family, my children, the beauty of God in my life.

So...when you ask me what I want to be when I grow up I will tell you with great anticipation, a jellyfish!

I'm Not Called to Produce Godly Children...

While driving to work one day, after a particularly trying day with my teens, I was listening to Focus on the Family and the host, Juli Slattery said "We are not called to produce Godly Children..." That statement alone perked up my ears thinking to myself..."really???" but then she continued to say "We are called to produce Godly fruit, be Godly mothers". BAM...the punch line.

I don't know about you but I have certainly had times when I look at my kids, the choices they are making, the character they are developing, or the relationships they are pursuing and I think "What am I doing wrong?"

Perhaps my problem is not so much what am I doing wrong but am I pursuing the wrong things? Am I so busy evaluating and judging my children and their walks with the Lord while all the while my relationship with the Lord is on the skids?

Some time ago, at a time when I felt very alone in my desire to parent spiritual children, the Lord gave me this verse, in a new and fresh way. "Delight YOURSELF in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart". Psalm 37:3-5 This verse popped into my mind when Juli spoke on the radio that day. Am I truly delighting in the Lord? Am I desiring the things of God in my own life? Am I depending on my children's salvation to dictate my joy or fruitfulness in the Lord?

To further emphasize this need she gave the example of how Jesus won people to His Father. He did not nag, put long lists of expectations before them, judge or condemn them. He did not use sarcasm, temper, or attitude to drive the point home. He did not continually remind his followers of their past sins. Jesus was attractive to the people He drew to Himself because He was living it...for real! He was living out the fruit that comes from abiding in His Father.

I think I most often skip the verses like "There is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION to those in Christ Jesus". (Romans 8:1) when it comes to raising my children. Not only are they condemned by me because of things I see in them that make me quiver but I also condemn myself because I feel like I am forever falling short of what they need to become passionate followers of Christ.

Our goal is not to produce godly children. That is the work of the Holy Spirit in them. Our goal is to produce godly fruit. As we abide in vine, becoming branches that bear much fruit, may our children "taste and see that the Lord is good".