When I was about ten years old I was a girl scout (and I find it a bit disturbing that the exact girl scout uniform I used to wear -above- I found the image on the Smithsonian legacies site.) I should’ve just gone downstairs and taken a picture of my old uniform!
Anyway, that’s not the point although I kind of dig the fact that I have waaaay more patches on my sash. 🙂
We used to go camping as a troop and one time we stencil painted our names and an adjective to describe us on a pillow case. The catch was the adjective had to start with the first letter of our name.
Great. There were only 3 words I could think of for N; Nice, Naughty & Nutty. (I know, there are far cooler N adjectives… give me a break I was ten.)
We went around the circle telling everyone our adjective…
Cute Christy
Sweet Shannon
Adorable Angie
Jumping Jena
Oh they had such cute names, I was totally going with Nutty Nicole. It was fun and would make people laugh…oh yes, that was the one.
As we went around the circle, it stopped at the other Nicole in the group who was just as inventive on N adjectives as I was. “Nutty Nicole” she said.
I about had a heart attack. I was certainly not going with naughty, and nice was just lame! The circle rounded its final turn and I was last to go, and I said…
It is so funny the silly regrets we have in life. The little things we wish we could change… and I can assure you no one else even remembers the adjective I chose back then, but I do not still have and never did use that pillow case!
Do I wish I would’ve gone with another word? Absolutely! Any other; neat, nifty, noble, notorious, even noisy would’ve been good, but what I find so interesting is how desperately I did not want to be associated with the word:
We are born with an innate sense of right and wrong since the fall of mankind. God didn’t want us to have to choose between right and wrong. He had one rule…
“…You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17
We are made in the image of our Creator who cannot do wrong, but since that fateful choice to eat from the tree, all the generations since have possessed that choice… and so we struggle.
“…Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil…” Genesis 3:22
Thankfully as Christ followers we have help…
“… he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” John 14:16-17
Although we all will fail at some point after giving our lives to Christ by making a wrong choice, I have frequently found myself labeled and placed in the “naughty” category, often by other Christians, because of the songs I listen to, the jokes I laugh at, the movies I see.
One of my favorite songs is “Fly Away” by FFH;
This song speaks to my heart. I love it’s sound, it’s beat and especially it’s message. I sang this song as a special one Sunday a long time ago at a church we used to attend,
and got in trouble for it.
At that same church I lead the youth program, AWANA, and used some Go Fish songs to teach the the kids;
it was frowned upon.
The God I serve is an exciting, colorful, and fun-loving God and I have been taught that the way I see Him and life is wrong. Thankfully He brought us to the church we now call home, where I am surrounded by other people who enjoy life, a good laugh and a strong beat. They are just as crazy as me in thinking God is alive and energetic and wonderful.
“The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
“…as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” Isaiah 62:5
Our five senses point to His creativity and enjoyment.
Why do we have taste buds?
Why does our skin long for touch?
Why does He create things of beauty for us to gaze upon?
Why do we prefer certain sounds?
Why can we be satisfied by a scent?
And why then did He create laughter?
Of course we must have a healthy fear of the One who created us. He has rules we are expected to follow and we are to glorify Him through our actions and our lives, but to say He doesn’t want us to fully enjoy Him and this world He created specifically for us, is silly.
“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.” 1 Timothy 6:17
Find out for yourself how great God is. He wants you to live life, love life, and love Him.
I Spy God 