You shall not do as they do

I now have a daughter who is going to be 1 year old this March. When she was about 7 months old, I was moving my head side by side following the music of one of her toys. She was just watching. A week later, as I picked her up from her crib, she looked at me, and with a smile, she did what I had done for her some time ago. It is amazing to see how kids can watch and imitate what we do and even what we say. Better watch you say or do in front of a kid!

Imitation is a very natural thing. That's how we all learned to do what we're doing. However, the way life is perceived today is that you cannot just be yourself. You have to assimilate or be like everybody else. This is our culture and has unfortunately come into the church. Do you remember the story in 1 Samuel 8 when Israel demanded a king? Here are the words the Israelites shared with Samuel, the last judge in Israel: "Appoint for us a king to govern us, like other nations."

Aren't we not in the same situation? Are we not trying our best to be like our neighbors or like other churches? Worse even, do we not want to govern and lead ourselves and our churches as they (Institutions in our secular world) do? non church based Institutions do things following principles and rules that humans establish. The church follows guidelines that God, the Creator has established. Most organizations seek their own interests even when they seem to be serving the people around them. And that is not what we expect to see in Christians and churches.

How bad it is now that we want to govern our lives as they do. This does not only affect our spirituality, but reduces the level of our dependence in God. It makes us, humans, be the leaders of ourselves and our churches, and thus prevents our Maker from getting involved into our lives. It is more about we rather than God.

I would like you to ponder the following questions. How do you live your life? Is God's word the guiding book for your everyday life? In time of trouble or challenge, who do you go to first: God or People? Who leads your life?

Be blessed and always of good courage!

Emmanuel