We are are morning family. I leave for work at 7:15 and the kids are usually up by 6 AM at the latest. On Saturday I kind of wish they would sleep in, but during the week I am glad they are early birds because that means I can sit down and have breakfast with them. During breakfast you never know where the conversation might turn. Today's topic was the devil and hell. It went something like this...
"Daddy, the devil is bad and people who do not love Jesus have the devil in their hearts," says Anna. (This sounds offensive, but the truth is her theology is right--1 John refers to anyone who does not Follow Jesus as "anti-Christ"--probably a little different than what we are use to thinking of when we think of the term anti-Christ, but the truth is, Jesus said either we are for him or against him and if we are against him we are "anti-Christ").
"What the 'Debil', Anna?" asks Seth.
"The Devil is red with horns," replies Anna.
"Where did you learn what the devil is like, Anna?" I asked.
"From TV. I saw him on TV. He is red and has horns and has a sharp thingy," explains Anna.
"Where the 'Debil' live Daddy? He live in my heart?" asks Seth.
"No, he only lives in people who do not want to love Jesus," Anna again explains.
"The Devil use to be an Angel named Lucifer. The Bible tells us he wanted to be the boss instead of letting God be the boss. So, God made a place called Hell so Lucifer, the devil, could be boss there. All the other angels who wanted Lucifer to be boss went to hell with him and they became, what is called demons. Now, every person gets to decide if they want God to be boss of their lives", I shared this because I did not want the TV to be the final word my kids receive on any topic, especially biblical topics.
"Yes," Anna chimed in, "The people who do not want Jesus in their hearts go to the bad place. But if you let Jesus in your heart, heaven is beautiful and fun and you get to be with Jesus all the time."
At the end of this conversation with my kids, I heard another voice. It was not an audible voice, but a voice that was just as real and deep within me. God asked, "Do you still want me as boss of your life?" It was a good question for me to be forced to answer as I approach a New Year. May be it will be a good question for you to answer for yourself as well.
Do you want God to be boss of our lives? Sometimes I fear that I want God to love and forgive me, but I don't want him telling me what to do. However, I know the truth is that he is not satisfied with anything less than having complete control of my life..funny thing is...when I give up control everything always turns out better...why do I so often protest?
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