May
3
2017
Blending In
Posted in Discipleship 2 Comments
All the times I wished I had a second oven in my kitchen.
All the times it would have come in handy.
Preparing meals for all seven of us with one oven was doable.
However, there were always those times when I wished that there were two ovens instead of one.
I never asked my husband for a second oven because it was not high on the priority list.
Wishes are not musts.
I made my one oven work all those years.
It was after a surprise party for my husband’s birthday years ago when I planned my new oven.
My husband, the engineer, had all sorts of ideas as to where a second oven could be placed.
I did not like any of those ideas since I am the one cooking in the kitchen.
I know how much it means to have everything close at hand.
It was one morning on my walk that the solution came to me.
An existing cabinet that is my pantry has another cabinet above.
Next to that pantry cabinet was a desk that matched our cherry cabinets.
Above the desk is a bookshelf in the same matching wood.
There was space between the desk and the swinging door that goes into my dining room.
I wondered if the cabinet company could move the desk and bookshelf down.
Then a new cabinet could be built for my second oven in the open space.
I ran the idea by my husband when I returned from my walk.
That might work, was all he said, which was high praise coming from an engineer.
We called the cabinet company and they drew some sketches.
A new cabinet could be installed with a second oven.
Above the oven would be a cabinet with two doors.
Below the oven would be two file drawers for my desk.
It was a wonderful use of space.
It would be a blessing to have access to a second oven.
I could bake brownies in one oven and have roast beef in the other.
I was so excited for the installation day to finally come.
We were very pleased.
My second oven and new cabinet looks as if it has always been there.
The wood matches exactly.
The cabinet fits in that space like a glove.
I thought about the way the new cabinet blends in with the rest of the kitchen.
Blending in is good sometimes.
Sometimes, blending in is not so good.
Sometimes being set apart and being different is important.
Years ago, I taught Sunday school.
I taught a group of fourth and fifth grade children.
After the lesson, I would always share a story or devotional with them.
Sometimes, it was an idea that I had myself; sometimes it was something I read to them.
One story that I read to them has stuck with me all these years.
Alexander the Great, one of the greatest military generals who ever lived, conquered almost the entire known world with his vast army. One night during a campaign, he couldn’t sleep and left his tent to walk around the campgrounds. As he was walking he came across a soldier asleep on guard duty – a serious offense. The penalty for falling asleep on guard duty was, in some cases, instant death; the commanding officer sometimes poured kerosene on the sleeping soldier and lit it. The soldier began to wake up as Alexander the Great approached him. Recognizing who was standing in front of him, the young man feared for his life. “Do you know what the penalty is for falling asleep on guard duty?” Alexander the Great asked the soldier. “Yes, sir,” the soldier responded in a quivering voice. “Soldier, what’s you name?” Demanded Alexander the Great. “Alexander, sir.” Alexander the Great repeated the question: “What is your name?” “My name is Alexander, sir,” the soldier repeated. A third time and more loudly Alexander the Great asked, “”What is your name?” A third time the soldier meekly said, “My name is Alexander, sir.” Alexander the Great then looked the young soldier straight in the eye. “Soldier,” he said with intensity, “either change your name or change your conduct.” (story by Wayne Rice)
However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed. But praise God that you bear that name. (1 Peter 4:16)
Sometimes just like my cabinet and second oven, it is good to blend in.
Sometimes, standing out is the only way people know to Whom you belong.
If we bear the name of Christ, then we should stand out.
If we take seriously the name of Christ, we welcome being different.
If we are in Christ, do people know it?
If we call Jesus, Lord, is it His Lordship we bow down to?
If we bear the name, Christian, are our actions any different from the world?
Does our behavior as a Christian point others to Christ?
Isn’t it wonderful that we do not have a military general telling us to change our name?
We, who are in Christ bear His name, even though we sin.
However, we have the Holy Spirit convicting us of sin, making it possible for us to change.
For those who are not in Christ, the penalty of sin is indeed death.
We have a Savior who took the death penalty for us so we can keep His name and remain in Him.
We have the Holy Spirit who helps us change our behavior and makes us more like Christ.
We have a Heavenly Father who forgives our sin when we come to Him in repentance.
We bear His name and we are set apart.
That is a good thing.
Blending in with the world is not what we want to do as Christians.
Being set apart, being different, and being unashamed is the mark of a Christian.
If you are in Christ, you carry His name wherever you go.
Bear His name unashamedly, with great love.
Your comment this morning about not liking religion reminded me that I am not a “Baptist” or any other denomination–I am a Christian. That is my name and who I belong to. I happen to go to a Baptist church, but I am first and foremost a Christian.
Sue,
It is not about religion. It is about a relationship with Jesus. If we are in Him and bear His name, we must look different form the world. How else with others see the difference and be pointed to Him?
Gina