The Whole Person

Chuckle:  "In a school essay on parents, one little girl wrote: 'We get our parents when they are so old it is hard to change their habits!'"  

 

Quote: “Almighty God, bestow upon us the meaning of words, the light of understanding, the nobility of diction and the faith of the true nature. And grant that what we believe we may also speak.” –St Hilary of Poitiers

 

 

Jesus prayed: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding the truth from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing it to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way!” (Matthew 11:25-26 NLT).

 

Jesus refers to two kinds of people in His prayer to the Father, the “wise and clever” – proud and arrogant in their own wisdom and knowledge – and the “childlike” – humbly open and responsive to the truth of God’s Holy Word. To which group do you belong? Do you consider yourself wise in your own eyes or do you search for truth with childlike faith and understanding that only God holds all the answers to our questions

 

Speaking of childlike faith, I have been touched by the words of Elder J. J. Johnson, Pastor of Sunlight Christian Spiritual Mission African Baptist Church in New Orleans. He was a man who could scarcely read and write, but with a level of faith seldom seen.  Please read with your physical eyes and listen with your spiritual ears to what Elder Johnson says in this sermon excerpt

 

    “If you don’t believe in God, you ain’t a whole man; you just a number in the book. A lot of smart people claim they don’t believe nuthin unless they can see it. Look, friend, you can’t see electricity in that high-tension wire up yonder, but I DARE YOU TO TOUCH IT!  No, you can’t see that electricity but you can see the light.”

 

What a beautiful expression of his faith. I think each of us goes through life searching for that which will make us whole/complete and bring us ultimate fulfillment – true contentment, peace and happiness. No doubt, we all want to be seen as a whole person, not lacking in anything that draws us closer to our Lord. The kind of faith Elder Johnson described meant not only believing in God but trusting Him with your eternal soul and in every circumstance of life here on earth.

 

When a father tosses his little daughter into the air, she giggles and is not afraid. Even though she sees herself in the most unusual and threatening circumstances with nothing between her and the hard floor below, she has no fear because she trusts her father to catch her and gently lower her to the floor.  That’s the kind of childlike faith and trust each of us should have toward our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

 

Love, Jerry & Dotse