Be significant for God

There’s something to be said for Dr. Sheldon Cooper’s relationship agreement.

I think it might be a good idea. Maybe I should have an agreement for all my relationships. It might help solve many issues. I can’t be everything to all people. I am exhausted with trying to read minds and work out imaginary faults (theirs and my own). It’s like emotional pollution.

Are your relationships polluted?

Do you seek approval from your friends, spouse, children, your parents still? Often, that approval we seek can only come from God.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. ~Matthew 6:33

During this Lenten season, remove pollution from your relationships. Yearn for His approval only. Show your kids a good example: seek God first and not our culture.

Encourage your children to be significant for God and not for the world.

Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. ~1 Corinthians 5:6-8

I didn’t grow up keeping the Lenten fast. I didn’t grow up in a Christian environment at all. Now that I have four children, it’s up to me to create traditions and memories and educate them in the ways of God.

In past years, we’ve given up soda and chocolate. We even gave up TV one year. I ‘m sure that’s well and good and it can be a struggle when birthdays fall during Lent and others offer these items, not realizing our fast. TV isn’t much of a sacrifice for us anymore.

The point of Lent is for us to sacrifice something meaningful to our little lives to commemorate the unfathomable sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross. Everything we do until Easter Sunday should point to Him and what He did for us, while reminding us that everything we have is a gift from Him.

Removing chocolate from my life for a brief period of time just doesn’t cut it for me. It just doesn’t come close to comparing to anything Jesus does.

How about removing strife? hate? negative thoughts? How about being more loving? giving? respectful?

What would this season look like if we truly tried to live like Jesus: holy, unblemished, loving, putting others first?

Not the cliché of random acts of kindness, but also not self-seeking for that approval of men.

Put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;  to be made new in the attitude of your minds;  and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

~Ephesians 4:22b-24

What would happen if we all put on a new self and loved each other like Jesus commands?

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