"Who do you think you are!!" or "Who do you think you are?!"
A familiar popular geneaology series, a lyric from a popular Spice Girls song, or maybe a phrase we have said ourselves, words directed at us, or we have heard someone else challenging another who is being rude, arrogant or judgemental.
If someone asked me that same question right now, I wonder what they would think if instead of saying my name and where I live or am originally from, I came out with the answer "I'm a child of God". I wonder what their reaction might be...
I also reflect on how I might look when I said these words....would my face be beaming with a smile? What would my body language be like? As the words came out of my mouth - would they make me feel different in any way?...
I have been researching my family history and have managed to trace back to 1784 and my 4th great grand-parents. It's great to have a list of names and understand a little of my ancestors, where they lived, the types of jobs that they have done, the lives they may have led, finding interesting detail and surprises and sometimes coming across the odd photograph and certificates to help to tell the story of their lives. My ancestors all seem to have been married in church's but I know little of their faith. I wonder if they too would answer that they were a child of God too...
I want to share a couple of bible passages;
John 1:12 (NIV) "But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God."
1 John 3:2 (NIV) says "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Our identity as a child of God means that we rely fully on God and trust in His plan for our lives."
Having reflected on these words, I think that when I say "I'm a child of God", my face would have the biggest smile, my body not tense but feeling that I could dance as I know that God has a plan for my life and I can put my trust in him. Just as my ancestors and I myself would have relied on our parents to guide us and protect us as we were growing up as a child, God will help us on the rest of our life's journey, whatever we face, being present with us, guiding our path, helping us to understand his will for us and to have joy in our hearts. That's not to say that every day will be rosy, and there will be times that we will want to resist God's prodding of us perhaps in a direction that we find uncomfortable or difficult to go..
But by encountering Jesus, and believing in Christ, through faith we become children of God and that means a life of discipleship, to live like Jesus each day. We learn that God chose us, he sent his Son for us and knows us all intimately by name. For me, that makes me feel really loved. How does it make you feel today? Do you like I wish to embrace that love in your heart and soul, to live without fear and to put your trust in God. Wouldn't it be great if we could all confidently say that we are children of God by shouting it out as loud as we can for all to hear...
Today, I feel lucky to be able to learn and understand more about my own family and to be part of God's wider family. Knowing also from the words of Psalm 139 that we are fearfully and wonderfully made and dearly loved and precious to God.
© Stephen Allen July 2023
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