Sitting in the chair

 This painting of a rustic chair, by Heidi Hafemeister Dagen, now hangs in our dining room.

We want our kids to fall in love with Jesus.  The problem with this is that we cannot see God.  We are asking them to believe in an invisible superhero, who loves them.  How can we demonstrate God's love in a way that they can see?

Imagine that there is an invisible chair.  We might tell others about the chair, but without seeing it, they would not be likely to believe.  We could describe the chair in detail, but they would still not be seeing.

The only way for others to "see" the invisible chair is for us to sit in it.  And put our feet up.  When we are resting all of our weight on the chair, then others are able to see it supporting us.

It is like this with Jesus.  We can talk about Him, describe Him, tell stories of what He has done.  But it is only when we are completely dependent on Him, with nothing else supporting us, that those around us can see Him.  Then, and only then, are they likely to be willing to sit in the chair themselves.

As parents, we often want to shield our children from our fears, our concerns, and our troubles.  But in order for them to see Jesus at work in our lives, we need to pull back the curtain a bit, and let them see our dependence on Him.

When life is full of trouble, sit down and put your feet up.  "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:29

Wish you were here!