Christ Lives Through Us

“And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)

Summer is a great time to enjoy our children and grandchildren. I remember when my son was growing up. He loved playing baseball more than he loved to eat. As his parent, I thought he was one of the finest baseball players for his age that I’ve ever seen. But then again, no parent can be objective when it comes to talking about his own child. You know what I mean?

One particular summer, Mark made the all-star team and we had the opportunity to travel to Atlanta to compete against other all-star teams from the north Georgia area. He learned more about baseball and I learned a little more about my relationship with Christ.

Every time he stepped up to the plate, I was in the batter’s box with him. And when he hit the ball, I found myself virtually running down the baseline too, trying to beat the throw to first base. My prime has passed me, as far as baseball is concerned, so I played the game of baseball through my son. It’s called living vicariously.

Jesus lives through his children in much the same way that I lived through Mark when I watched him play baseball. When we made the decision to accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, we also agreed to allow his spirit to dwell within us and guide our lives. In other words, the accomplishments that Christ registers in this world are going to depend on how well we play the game of life!
So as Christians, we, too, are members of a team, except our team is called the Body of Christ. That’s why the Apostle Paul says, “So in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ” (Romans 12:5)

Just like Mark’s all-star team, God positions us based upon the particular talents that we have. The Bible calls those talents gifts and God expects us to use those gifts to win others to Christ, even when we don’t believe we can hit the pitch. “On the contrary, those parts of the body that to be weaker are indispensable.” (I Corinthians 12:22)

My relationship with my son in his early years also taught me an important lesson about God’s forgiveness. There were and still are times when he tests my patience as a parent. In fact, when he was a child, there were nights when I couldn’t wait for his bedtime to arrive.

Any parent understands what I’m talking about. Sometimes the day just wears long, and for whatever reason, Mark and I had those days when we did not get along very well. He wasn’t a very good child, and wasn’t a very good parent. Many of those nights when I would put him to bed, exasperated with him, he would look up to me from his pillow and says, “I’m sorry, Dad”.

Believe it or not, God has those kinds of days with us. But when we look up and say, “Forgive me, Father,” His forgiveness for us, in whatever way that we may we have failed Him, is as spontaneous and complete as my forgiveness for Mark when he apologized for failing to meet my expectations.

We love our children in spite of their flaws. We see the good in them and know that their lives have promise even when they fail. God loves us the same way. “Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14)