That's What It's All About

If you've never done the Hokey Pokey, you've been deprived.

I mean, really!  It's classic!  Other than singing "Father Abraham" in Bible Hour (or youth group...), what other song can make perfectly sane people shake their arms, legs, heads, and entire selves while turning in circles?  It's great!

And it simplifies life.  Because it ends with a declaration of certainty: "That's what it's all about!"

Then some comedian with too much time on their hands posts on facebook, "What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about?"

It's not, of course.  But it begs the question..."What IS it all about?"

Jesus Christ.

I know that.  You probably do, too.  If you don't, I hope you come to know it.

But what does that look like manifested in the everyday life of a human being?  How do we live in a way that shows it's all about Him?

I've come to a conclusion to which He's been leading me for a long time.  I've known it, even lived it, though most of the time not very well.  But this weekend, He emblazoned it on my mind.

Children.

You don't have to look very hard to see that children were clearly at the top of His priority list.

Matthew 25:40,45
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me...whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.'"

Matthew 18:1-6,
"At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?'
He called a little child and had him stand among them.  And He said: 'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
'And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me.  But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.'"

Matthew 19:13-15,
"Then little children were brought to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'  When He had placed His hands on them, He went on from there." 

Mark 10:13-16,
"People were bringing little children to Jesus to have Him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.  When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to them, 'Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.'  And He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them."

James 1:27,
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

As I've looked these up to post on here, I've noticed some things either for the first time or in a new light.

• Not only is what we do for them unto Him, what we don't do for them is unto Him, as well.
• When Jesus "went on from there", it wasn't until after "He had placed His hands on them".
• Jesus wasn't just mildly unhappy that the disciples were keeping the children from Him; He was indignant.  That's some seriously strong feeling.
• The word "religion" basically means our external expression of worship.  We worship by taking care of the children.

So what's it all about?  Is it about showing up every Sunday and Wednesday?  No.  Is it about showing up for every other activity, VBS, community outreach event, Bible study, and service opportunity?  No.  Is it about volunteering in any and every area you can find?  No.  Is it about going on every mission trip and attending every camp?  No.

What's it all about?  The children.

Maybe you think this is an extreme view.  Maybe you think I'm taking this whole caring-for-the-children thing too far.  Maybe you think I'm making light of whatever ministry you're currently involved in.

I'm not.

It's not an extreme view and I'm not taking it too far, because it's what He said.  You just read it in the italicized words up there.  Verse after verse of Him declaring, "The children are important to Me!!!"

And I'm not attacking your ministries, because I'm sure you're involved in some incredible ones.  That's not the point.  The point isn't the ministries that we are doing.  The point is the one we've left undone for far too long.  The children need Him.  And what are we?  We are His body on this earth.  They need Him.  In us.

He knocked me upside the head with that this weekend.  I was sitting on the floor of the shed that's being built in our backyard, but so far it's just a platform.  But I wasn't there alone.

My parents were there.
Three of my four siblings were there.
My three foster siblings were there.
My two exchange-student siblings were there.
Two of my former foster siblings, back for a visit, were there.
And our three weekend guests from the children's shelter were there.

As I sat with all fifteen of them, eating pizza and drinking grape koolaid, I felt the Lord saying it to me.  It was a whisper in my soul, and yet a shout through my entire being:

"This is what it's all about."

I don't do it well.  Most of the time I'm selfish, wanting to keep my time and space and stuff to myself.  But He keeps pushing me.  He keeps giving me moments of clarity like that when I realize it's not about me.  That's a really hard thing to live.  Because as my grandmother once said, "A sacrifice is not a sacrifice unless it's a sacrifice."  It requires the giving up of something treasured.

That's the thing about the Hokey Pokey.

You have to put your whole self in.

That's what it's all about.