When You Grow Up
When you grow up you could be an engineer, a doctor, a hairdresser…
Ezekiel 20:1-49
Reference: “ ‘You say, “We want to be like the nations, like the peoples of the world, who serve wood and stone.” But what you have in mind will never happen. (Ezekiel 20:32 NIV)
Explore: A friend of mine was telling me about her granddaughter. She was 5 years old and quite astute. My friend wanted her to know that she could grow up to be anything that she wanted, if she worked hard for it.
“Sweetie,” my friend told her granddaughter, “when you grow up you could be an engineer, a doctor, a hairdresser or a mechanic. Whatever you want to do, if you put your mind to it, you will be able to achieve.”
“That’s great, Nanny,” said her five year old, “because I want to be a horse.”
Let’s just say that my friend hasn’t given her granddaughter any motivational speeches since!
Application: As we are growing up, we have great ideals of what our future should be like. We all want to do our own thing and don’t consider the ramifications of what these dreams may be.
In one way, this in endearing. It’s a shame when we lose the passion and the creativity to dream big. Yet our ability to understand the consequences of our actions is very important too.
The Israelites seemed to be strong believers in doing whatever they felt like. This often led them towards idols and away from God’s laws. What they didn’t take into consideration was the ramifications. Being separated from God caused greater trials than having the backing of all the other gods.
I must admit, the Israelites are not the only humans in history to act this way. We all selfishly do our own thing, but it is not always beneficial for ourselves or the people around us. God’s way works for the whole community.
His plan is to put Him and others first. It’s not rocket science, but it does get in the way of our selfish desires.
Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we put ourselves first. Help us not to focus on our own desires, but to look to the needs of others. Amen.
What do you want to become when you get older?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.