My goldendoodle, Camper, lives with joy and excitement for each moment that he gets to encounter people and animals. Camper lavishes God’s love on God’s kids of all ages. He’s like my dad and my friend, Steve, who know no strangers.
We’re taught in Scripture that we’re to “Love one another deeply from the heart” (Ephesians 5:1). When I reflect back at the end of each day, I don’t want to be outdone by a dog.
When I go to work and engage in helping God’s hurting people, kids love to share their stories in the sand. My 95-year-old friend, Gay, loves to collect and share gemstones. I started collecting precious stones, and some of my favorite Hobby Lobby stones have precious words on them like God, faith, hope, love, create, and believe. Some of my favorite kids share their faith stories using these precious stones.
God’s Word tells us that we should always be prepared to share the reason for our hope (2 Timothy 4:2). At the end of each day, I don’t want to be outdone by young kids, by old friends, or by rocks.
My crazy-creative, musical friends and loved ones are always composing new songs that bring glory to God. Yesterday, my neighbor, Gay, played “Jesus Loves Me” on his dulcimer and on his saw! My crazy-creative, artistic friends amaze me with new, fresh drawings that celebrate the wonders of God’s creative love. My crazy-creative wife is always coming up with new recipes that taste amazing and bring me so much joy and thankfulness. In fact, my writing just got interrupted because I had to try out her new recipe for buffalo chicken dip. Yum! At the end of my day, I pray that my own crazy-creative expressions of God’s love only add to the beautiful songs, masterpieces, and tastes created by those whom I love.
My Dad never stops living his life to the fullest. Although he never stops telling stories or composing new songs, he never compares what he’s creating now with what he used to do for God.
I pray that how we’re expressing our faith now never becomes a dull comparison to how we used to share and live out our faith in Jesus Christ. I never want to be outdone by a younger version of me.
Last week, a little boy told me that he thinks that I’m like Jesus. Some days we on, and some days we’re off. But even when we’re off, Jesus works powerfully through our weakness demonstrating His power, and we’re outdone by Him (2 Corinthians 12:9). Don’t compare yourself to others, because it can steal your joy. Just strive to be like Jesus, and let His love shine through you.
