Abandoned at the Altar

Have you ever been abandoned, left alone, hurt, or forgotten by someone you trusted?  Abandonment manifests in a countless relationships.

A Facebook friend recently shared an article entitled "Day Care Centers Adapt to Round the Clock Demand". Sadly, it told the lonely truth for children that, "Day care is slowly becoming night care in today’s economy, as parents work ever longer days, take on second jobs, and accept odd shifts to make ends meet." After reading the article, I wasn't sure if I felt more empathetic toward the parents or the children.

I knew there was a blog post embedded in this concept, but what did it have to do with living a life with Jesus?

About that same time, I was reading The Father Heart of God by Floyd McClung Jr. On page 100 he says,

We made the mistake of "adopting out" our converts to churches and leaders who were not their spiritual fathers and mothers. It just didn't work. They didn't fit into traditional church culture, and the leaders didn't have the same heart for the young people that we did. We realized God was giving us spiritual children to disciple, and it was not right to ask others to take care of them.  

The connection! We aren't to farm out the new believers in our lives.  

Our main job as Jesus' beloved sons and daughters is to live a life with Him. When we experience life with him, we naturally fall into the realm of discipleship as our lives mirror His. 

Discipleship isn't a scary word. As our pastor frequently puts it, "Discipleship simply says, 'Let's do life together as we follow Jesus.'" What it doesn't mean is that we have a theological degree, know the seven pillars of faith, or never fall prey to sin. 

At the same time, we are not to use what we don't know or understand to bury our heads in the sand.

God has placed specific people in our lives during specific seasons -- coworkers, parents of children on the same sports teams, classmates, teachers, or people in th places our feet take us throughout each day. 

Of course, there are periphery people we can bless simply by coupling a smile with a kind word, but there's a closer circle we have been called to. These are our people. The ones God has given specifically to us because He knows they need to walk with us as we walk with Jesus. Did you catch what McClung said earlier? Adopting out the ones God has called us to doesn't work. Others don' t have the heart for them that we have. Why do we have a heart for them? Supernatural love from God specifically for them. 

It's always better together!

While our culture has crumbled into an economy that yields round the clock day care for the youngest and most precious generation, it doesn't have to be so for newborns in Christ.

As spiritual mothers and fathers, we have the amazing blessing and privilege of caring for babies, toddlers, and children in Jesus. They are tender, green shoots that require being watered and fed with the utmost unconditional love as they seek to imitate a life with Christ. May we be a people who, like Mary of Bethany, joyfully pour the expensive perfume of who we are onto Jesus until our lives are abundantly full of His fragrance and essence -- His existence becoming our existence. This experience blooms into the fruit of our lives that spills over, helps, and feeds the young in Christ. The result -- another generation of believers who grow strong and feed others.

People will naturally be along our journey as we make being with Jesus our focus. Include them. Don't abandon them at the alter. It's not a works-based endeavor. Its seed originates in a heart of freedom and gratitude for all we've been given in Christ Jesus. Our lives touch and intertwine down life's winding, and often times, messy, path. Isn't it better to intertwine and endure life's messiness together? 

Who are you asking to join you as you join with Jesus? Who can you include in the activities of your life? Ponder this in an effort to reach others in your day to day life. Our Father's heart is not one would be abandoned after reaching the alter, but that all would know the saving grace of Jesus (2 Peter 3:9). Who can we make room for today? Sadly, if we don't allow them room there will always be plenty of vacancy in the round the clock day care center operated by Satan and the world.