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Whatever!


There is no separation of the practicing of our faith and the everyday matters we all have to attend to. Our Sunday best should be a reflection of our work week and daily routine. Because anything less is a depreciation of Christ.

But when we exalt the name of Jesus as the name above all names, then we will fulfill this goal - “Whatever you do, do in the name of Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." ~Colossians 3:17

You see that the ‘whatever we do’ is based on a foundation of Jesus. But it is the last part that makes it difficult. It is doing the right thing with thankfulness in our hearts. We could do the right thing begrudgingly, and we often do. But this practice makes us no better than the ascetic, who punishes his body thinking it will please God.

This is foolish thinking, as anybody who has been a parent for more than 5 minutes can attest. It works something like this. We become teenagers and come to certain conclusions about our parent’s rules and regulations. We assure ourselves that when we have children, it will be different. Our rules won’t seem arbitrary and we’ll be so much fairer and we won’t lack common sense.

(Not that I ever thought this about my parents.)

We assume our children will happily agree to every rule or chore we assign because, after all, they have parents who have learned from the misdirected reign of tyranny of the previous administration. So then we are shocked when our children balk at our level-headed judgments. How can they not be dancing while fulfilling their duty to obey their parents? Why are their faces filled with scowls and disbelief?

They may obey, but they will show they are not happy about it. And I don’t know about you, but as a Dad, this bothers me. I don’t see myself as being unfair. It’s not as if my children are growing up on a farm or living in a factory. Why can’t their attitudes match the many blessings they have been given?

And then I wonder if my Heavenly Father is asking the same thing of us.
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