When Silvia shared her testimony she said something that sparked a thought in my head. She said “Growing up God was the same in every season of my life. I was the one who was changing.”
Hebrews 13:8 (NIV) says “8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Malachi 3:6 (NIV) says “6 I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.”
One of the things that makes God such a good anchor in our lives and such a reliable source of power and love is His consistency in who He is.
Our perceptions of Him change based on where we are in life, what we’re exposed to and ultimately our relationship with Him.
I was thinking about making an analogy of how our relationship with our parents can be similar to our relationship with God and to be honest there are some similarities like how we communicate and relate to one another. But I noticed that there was a significant difference that was brought to my attention.
The difference I’m referring to is in the fact that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. Unlike God, we as humans are always changing. What this means is that when one person has a relationship with another, they are both influencing each other and simultaneously changing one another by being in a relationship.
When we are in a relationship with God, it is God who is influencing us and changing us. We don’t influence God or change Him by being in relationship with Him. I’m not talking about influencing His actions as we do send petitions of prayer to plead with Him for help. I’m talking about changing and influencing who God is.
For example: God is love. This is who He is. There is nothing we can think, say or do to God that would change Him from being who He is which in this case would be Love.
1 John 4:7-8 (NIV) says “7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
Humans on the other hand can be influenced and can change who they are by being in relationship with one another. Maybe it has to do with the fact that we are constantly growing, not just spiritually but as the seconds pass your body is literally aging.
One of the most interesting things I’ve learned in my counseling courses is that in families with multiple children, no one child has had the same version of their parents.
For example: When my older brother was born. He experienced a different version of my parents that I would never be able to experience. When I was born, I experienced a different version of my parents that was most likely different than what my older brother experienced. My little brother would also not experience the same versions of my parents when my older brother was born and when I was born. In fact, He would experience a version of my parents that would be most likely different than both my older brother and I would have experienced.
Simply put: As my parents changed we changed and as we changed my parents changed.
Ask someone who went from having 1 kid to 3 kids, if they changed from when they had their first kid to their third.
I felt like God wanted me to highlight one of the benefits of Kingdom Parenting. As we walk in relationship with one another, caring for one another, expect to be changed and to change those around you. This is a gift from God. A human experience that can only be experienced with another human.
Father, we thank you for who you are. We thank you that you are the same God regardless of where we are in life. I pray that you would continue to be our anchor as we walk this journey to maturity and growth in you. As we embark on Kingdom Parenting, help us to embrace the relationships that you have given us and the opportunities to change and influence one another and be changed and influenced in the process. Help us to grow together and love one another. Help us to learn and understand each other better in every season we are in. We submit all of this to you in your son Jesus’ name, Amen.