Hearing the Music

Seeing Christ in Others

Does it ever make you feel awkward to give other people genuine, heartfelt compliments that go beyond surface level? We’re often afraid that it would come across as cheesy, or brown-nosing, or that it might lead the person to become prideful. But what if there was a way to compliment others that actually was glorifying to God?

For the last few weeks I have been taking a continuing education class on pastoral counseling. A recent assignment was to take time to tell others how you see Christ at work in them. This is actually something I’ve been trying to do for a few years (with ebbs and flows in how often I think to do it) ever since I read the book Practicing Affirmation by Sam Crabtree. In it, he argues that praising others is actually a way of affirming the work that God has done and is doing in their lives. For many of us this is a massive paradigm shift that opens the floodgates to seeing Christ in others.

As you begin to go on a grace-hunt in the lives of others, you’ll not only grow in your gratitude for how God is at work, but you can use your words to encourage others who may be so stuck in a difficult season that they don’t see Christ at work in their lives in all the ways that you do. 

Another thing to remember is that it works both ways: instead of starting with something about God and finding it in others, you can start with something you see in others (their creativity, their hospitality, their compassion) and be reminded that those things are reflections of God’s character. You can even encourage people who don’t yet follow Jesus because the common grace things you see in them come from them being image bearers of God.

So give it a try this week! Find someone you know, look for ways you see Christ at work in them (or things about them you appreciate and see how they connect with God’s character and work), and tell them. You can write them a note or tell them in person. You can include Scripture or keep it short and sweet. Just start with “I see Christ at work in you when you _____” or “The way you do ____ reminds me of ____ about God’s character.” And pray that it may even open the door to further conversations!

Sowing

As January turns to February, do you start to think about spring? Some people start perusing seed catalogs about now. Soon the gardeners among us will sprinkle the contents of seed packets into small starter pots with hopes that good things will grow from them. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t.

It’s interesting that Jesus talks about seeds often. In Matthew 13:31 he likens the kingdom of heaven to a tiny mustard seed that grows into a tree. Let’s consider that for a moment. When you cradle a mustard seed in the palm of your hand, nothing much seems to be going on. It looks insignificant, dry and quite frankly, lifeless. Yet, we know that if we sow it, water it and then wait patiently, new life will sprout from that tiny seed. We also realize that the growth had nothing to do with us. The important thing is simply that we nestled it in the dark soil and waited.

Earlier in the same chapter, Jesus tells another parable about seeds: He talks about a sower who planted seeds with varying results. Some of them were eaten by birds, others withered in rocky soil, and still others were choked by thorns. Yet the seeds that fell in good soil grew and multiplied. Again, the sower really had nothing to do with what happened to the seeds, did he? He simply sowed them.

So it is with us at Christ Church. We are given the privilege of sowing the seed—of inviting people into the kingdom of heaven. We cannot control the results. That is what the Holy Spirit alone does in the hidden places of the heart. We plant the seeds and He does the work.

Like the mustard seed, the early church looked insignificant to the Roman world around it. A handful of mostly unimportant people were transformed by the Holy Spirit’s work in their hearts, and wherever they went, they sowed the seed of the Gospel that had awakened them. God’s promise to Abraham of blessing all the nations of the earth (Genesis 22:18) was being carried out by them! It’s still being carried out by us today.

At this moment, Christ Church supports eighteen foreign missionaries. Isn’t that wonderful? Look at their pictures on the wall near the atrium and read their bios.  

As we head into our “Foreign Missions Week”, let’s consider how we can encourage these people who sow the seeds of the Gospel among the nations. There will be many opportunities to do this: On Sunday, our beloved Daniel Eguiluz, missionary to Peru, will be preaching. I can’t wait to hear what he has to say! He will also lead the Adult Sunday School session. Pray that his words will fall on good soil.

Traveling Music

Will you be traveling for the holidays? Don’t forget music. Travel is sometimes sunny, sometimes weary, and music passes time, adjusts the outlook. Every road trip needs a little music—a playlist, perhaps, made up of all the songs you want more of, the songs that will keep you moving in the right direction.

If life is a journey, what songs are you singing along the way? 

Maybe, already as a child, you started collecting songs to travel through life with. I did. Some of my earliest memories include music. One of the first melodies I remember singing was “The Birds Upon the Treetops.” (I sang that one into a tape recorder so my Opa and Oma, so far away, could hear my little voice.) Then there was “They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love.” (That one still comes to mind now and then in the checkout lane at Meijer, or while driving.) Over the years, other favorites emerged: “This Is My Father’s World” while teaching my kids and while hiking. “Praise to the Lord the Almighty” at each of their baptisms. These all are treasures still.

There’s another song that’s accompanied me through life so far. The tune changed a couple of times over the decades, but the words haven’t. They never will. Based on Psalm 118:24, “This Is the Day that the Lord Has Made” first left my lips as a chirpy Sunday school song. Later, gathered with other high schoolers serious about voice, the lyrics repeated, this time as a glorious chorale. We offered “This Is the Day that the Lord Has Made,” a gift floating perfectly over the balcony at a church wedding. Later still, another rendition at another wedding—my wedding.   

What began as that chirpy, childhood song is now the anthem of my life. This is the day that the Lord has made. The truth applies easily to the joy-filled days. But on the weary days—of defeat and disappointment—Psalm 118’s song is a weapon, fighting to fix my gaze on the Handler of my days. The words remind that because He authored today and every day, there is joy to be found in His sovereignty and deep care. Therefore I can sing on as I travel life’s road. He is the God who sees, and He is with me. He is for me. He is with you, and He is for you.

Other melodies have drifted and departed over the years. Some worth singing, many probably not. The ones on repeat are the scripture songs, my faithful travel companions. 

What songs are you carrying along through life? What is your anthem? We’re journeying Home, Christian. Sing on.



Photo by I'M ZION on Unsplash