How to be Alive in Christ.
I was sitting at the back of the large room filled with rows children. You could still hear muffled giggles and attempted whispers as the children were trying their best to follow their instruction to be reverent.
During church this is one of my favorite places to be.
Listening to their innocent answers to questions.
Sometimes their answers are surprisingly profound. Many times their answers make you laugh. Like the time I showed the children a mustard seed and asked, “Who knows why Jesus talked about mustard?”
One child just kept repeating, “Can I have some mustard because I don’t have any in my “figgigator?”
Another raised his hand in excitement sure he had the correct answer, “Because Jesus loved eating hotdogs!?”
This particular Sunday it wasn’t my turn to teach so I had nothing prepared. I kept looking out the door for a special guest who was coming to teach the children. If something wasn’t done soon to keep the children entertained chairs would inevitably turn into rocking horses and neckties would become lassoes.
I got up and walked to the front and had to think of what I was going to say during the 3 seconds it took me to take my place in front of the chalk board. I grabbed a tiny piece of chalk and asked,
“What do we absolutely need in order to stay alive?”
An 11 yr old raised his hand with a smirk on his face. “I can’t live without video games.”
I assured him that he would probably survive if he never played a video game again though he may be left with a nervous twitch.
I was hoping the next answer would be a serious one and I was praying the idea that flowed into my mind was going to come together.
We narrowed it down to the absolute essentials.
“Water.”
“Food.”
“Oxygen.”
“Warmth/Sunlight.”
“Do you know that there is something ELSE all these things have in common?”
I turned to the chalk board and wrote something next to each of the words listed.
Water= Living Water
Food= Bread of Life
Oxygen= Breath of Life
Sunlight= The Son/ Light of The World
These are all names that refer to our Savior, Jesus Christ.
He is the One who gives us life; who makes us feel alive; who gives meaning to life. There is no mistake that He is named after things we CANNOT survive without.
But are we trying to survive without Him?
Are you ALIVE in Christ? Do you seek Him as earnestly as you would water, food, air, and warmth to live?
I left the children with that thought as our special guest walked in the room and took over.
I sat down at the back of the room but my thoughts kept going to back to the final question I asked. Do I seek Him as earnestly as I seek food, water, air, warmth? What would my answer be to that question?
How would you answer it?
What makes us feel alive? Delicious food? Likes on social media? Finding a good deal? Compliments? Books, TV, movies? Winning? Success? The perfect body? Relationships? Adventure?
None of these things are inherently bad but if we aren’t careful they can easily become perfect counterfeits to what can truly make us feel alive. Since they are only counterfeits, no amount of any of it will ever be enough to make us feel like we are truly living. So we seek more and more and wonder why we still feel empty.
Based on how you spend your time what makes you feel “alive?” Are you being nourished by Christ?
Identify a counterfeit, eliminate it; replace it with something that will draw you closer to Christ. Believe in the hope He offers. Open your heart in prayer. Open the scriptures. Ask forgiveness. Serve. Allow emptiness to be filled with Christ and you will feel more alive than you’ve ever felt before.
The Life Christ gives.
A drink of pure water after days of desert thirst.
The Living Water
A decadent feast after weeks of hunger.
The Bread of Life
A deep breath after struggling under water.
The Breath of Life
The warmth of the sun after being frozen and numb.
The SON of God; Light of the World
Do I sip? Nibble? Take a shallow breath? Stand in the shade?
No!
Drink, feast, inhale deeply, step into the sun!
LIVE!
Become alive in Christ.
7 thoughts on “Are you just living or do you feel ALIVE?”
Wowee Amber!!! These words are a feast to my thoughts today! Thank you! Time to stop “sipping and nibbling” (and even sometimes fasting!) and time to start feasting!! Thank you!
I loved reading this. You have such a gift with words. Thank you for sharing that with us.
Thank you Terri????
So profound yet also something each of us have strength to do if we remember what truly gives us life. Too often I am caught up in the bad surrounding us. I feel afraid and frail. It’s certainly reassuring to know that fear can become faith & I can become alive and renewed in Christ. Thanks for the remarkable reminder! You have such a tremendous talent with your wise words! We love your messages. It leaves us with a smile every time.
Thank you Heather! You expressed what everyone feels at one time or another. It can be a daily battle for sure. Thank goodness we know who will win!!!!
Thanks for sharing Amber! This was beautifully written! It was good to be reminded that the world offers counterfeits and we need to run hard after the reality of what God offers us through His son Jesus!
You are welcome! You hit the nail on the head! I feel like I have to stop and ask myself every day if what I’m doing is counterfeit.????