Hey, my name is Jennifer. (Please not Jenny, though I do answer to Jen, Jenna etc.) If you’re curious to know a little about me, feel free to read on.
I’m _____ years old – “old enough” not to tell – though it’s really no secret. Ok – Ok. As of the beginning of this blog, I’m 55.
I am the wife of a wonderful (most of the time) man. We’ve been married for 34 years. Over those years God has used him to sharpen and refine me. He pushes me to try new things (like this blog) and encourages me to challenge myself. Our marriage is rich and deep, but that is because God is at work in both of us – two imperfect people.
We have four adult children who range in age from 22 to 29. We also have recently added two more daughters to the family through marriage. We have many, many pets (three dogs, two cats, a couple of horses, chickens, ducks and geese).
I taught for a number of years but have recently left the classroom. In doing so, I was faced with an identity crisis. For most teachers, teaching is part of who we are. We love to explain any number of things and potentially make an impact on those we are teaching. We love the relationships we build with students that allow them to trust us and, therefore, be more receptive to what we are teaching. I miss that part immensely.
I am trying to be patient to see what God has in mind. I know He has given me the gift of teaching, and I don’t want to “bury” it. I want to be faithful to use it for His glory. Those of you who know me can attest that I struggle to turn off the “teaching mode.” (I have some very gracious friends.)
I do love to share what I am learning with others. (Science will tell you that teaching others is a great way to embed what you are learning.) I am a work in progress. And, though I have been a Christian for several decades, I am still growing, and I hope to be growing until I leave this body behind.
An Important Question
This blog is a focus on a relationship with God through Jesus. So, what do I mean when I talk about being a “child of God?”
All of humanity is God’s creation. Each person bears the fingerprints of God and, thus, has value. Each person is, as C.S. Lewis writes, a soul with a body, but each soul is faced with a choice.
According to the Bible, every person is a sinner, imperfect, unholy, therefore separated from God. (Romans 3:23 …for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God)
Our sin demands judgment. (Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord). A wage is something earned. Our sin has earned us God’s righteous judgment.
However, God longs to be merciful. He longs for relationship with each of us. So He provided Jesus, His perfect Son to take our place. Jesus died as the holy replacement for us. (John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him might not perish but have everlasting life. And Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.)
Our only responsibility is to believe that Jesus, as God’s perfect Son, has paid our debt. This is a free gift for the taking. But God will never force it on us. Nor can we EARN this gift by being “pretty good.” (Why would God sacrifice His Son if we could just be good enough?)(Romans 4:5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness….)
We can never be good enough to reach perfection – the standard of holiness. (Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you are saved, through faith , not of works lest anyone should boast.) We, as sinners, are incapable of filling the requirements of perfection apart from Jesus.
Jesus himself says, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me.” (John 14:6)
So when I use the term “child of God,” I am referring to anyone who has accepted this gift – who has acknowledged his or her own sinfulness and asked for the forgiveness God has provided through Christ. (John 1:12 But as many as received Him [Jesus] to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name;…)
If you have not turned to God in recognition of your sinfulness and need of His all encompassing forgiveness, you are not yet His child. He longs for you to choose Him. He gave His Son to stand in your place in judgment. There is no sin bigger than God’s forgiveness. (I John 1:9 If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.)
So the question for you is: will you accept God’s gift of forgiveness through Jesus? Will you allow God to adopt you into His family – to make you His child? There’s much more to discuss, but until you have decided what to do with Jesus and God’s offer, very little else matters.
*All verses here come from the NKJV of the Bible
A Cup of Grace - with a shot of espresso 