Josiah Road

How Unique Are We?

posted by Andrew Hebert 28Jan

Growing up in a family of seven kids was not always an easy thing to do. Besides the embarrassment of wearing hand-me down clothes that could be up to ten years out of style, things such as sharing a room with three brothers and sharing a bathroom with three brothers and three sisters were difficult and trying times for a kid. Probably the worst thing was at mealtimes. There were eight other people at the table – all hungry – and if you weren’t quick, you didn’t eat. By the time I reached high school, I finally realized that if I would start serving my plate while everybody’s heads were bowed in prayer, I could get enough food to get by.

One potential problem in a big family (Figure 1) is neglect. Although this was not a problem in my family, there were times that I wondered if my parents even remembered that they had a son named Andrew. My parents had seven kids with seven individual schedules. Seven sets of friends, seven sports teams, seven sets of needs. They had a real balancing act trying to give each of us individual attention.

But somehow in the midst of the circus that was my family, my parents managed to make me feel unique and special. My parents were at every single baseball game, every single band concert, at every important milestone in my life. They made me feel one-of-a-kind, and we never were able to tell if they loved one child more than another. They treated us all the same and loved us each as if we were their only child.

I was thinking this morning, if I am treated as so unique and special by my parents in this earthly relationship, how much more unique and special am I to God? I started thinking of all the ways that God acts towards me as an individual. Rather than merely relating to humans as a group, he relates to humans as individuals. He doesn’t lose me in the group or forget about me because there are so many others who look, sound, and act like me. He has a particular plan for my life. He took the punishment for my sin on himself when He went to the cross. He hears me when I pray and cares enough about my individual situation to answer. He created me as an individual. He will one day receive me as an individual. And one day, as an individual in a group of other individuals, I will worship at His feet and thank Him for taking care of each of His children to an extent that merely magnified every good thing I saw in my parents.

Ask And You’ll Receive…Just Like That?

posted by Kaylan Christopher 25Jan

Like most young people, I struggle to stay afloat financially; I miss my family, who live far away, so bad that I constantly hound them about moving my way; and I wonder when, or if, I’ll ever find that “someone” and get married.

This short list is just a fraction of a more extensive inventory of things that cause me to worry, keep me up at night, and stay unchecked on my never-ending “To Do” list.

Sometimes I let these things get to me. And sometimes I try to remind myself of the bigger picture—that I’ll look back on them 10 years from now with a whole new set of things to deal with and laugh at how petty the old ones were.

I don’t think these states-of-mind are out of the norm for most people. Yes, even those who follow Christ. I just have a problem of trying to deal with everything on my own and I can’t decide which one I want to live in.

“Ask God for what you want and need. Just ask.” This is all I’ve heard lately—from Sunday sermons, to small group Bible study, to my daily e-mail devotional.

Perhaps this is the Holy Spirit’s response to this growing issue in my life. Still, the understanding I have about this simple message doesn’t make me want to give my stuff up to Him or ask for His help.

I’ve always had a hard time asking people for things because I don’t want to put anyone out. And I always feel so selfish asking God for anything, so I regularly say, “I know you’re busy and I don’t want to inconvenience you, so I just won’t worry you with my life. I’ll just take these things on.”

But Jesus said, “Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:13-14).

And He offers up at least one answer regarding things unanswered, not resolved, or unfinished in our lives in Matthew 6:25-34: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

I haven’t worked all this out in my heart and head yet. And I know what God’s Word says, but I need to implement these truths into my life—and sometimes, for me, it’s a process of figuring out how. What are your thoughts on this subject in relation to your own life? Do you regularly ask God for the things you need and want in life? Is that hard for you?