behaving

I now have to think quite awhile back to remember my children being born. How exciting it all seemed have never done anything like this before. It was, of course, all very new and for us back in 1976 you could have your children born at home. You needed to have your bed raised up on blocks so the midwives didn’t have to bend over much and a 150 watt bulb in the light socket so, I presume, we could all see what was going on very clearly. So armed with ham sandwiches I waited for our first daughter. (I don’t think my wife was too impressed with my ham sandwiches!)

And so, in the next five years four babies turned up, girl boy, girl boy. And my peaceful ordered world was shattered – ok, not so ordered! They were hugely welcomed and they definitely belonged. As they grew they knew and believed that they were our children, were Lawtons and loved. But it seemed to take some time for them to learn to behave real well. When there was an incident and the question asked, “Who did it, who made the mess?” one would blame the second would blame the third, who blamed the fourth who blamed Duffy the dog! I knew I was in trouble.

The dog took a bit of training as well. You see, I didn’t want it to disgrace itself when visitors called. Many a time, I think, he was better behaved than the children. Being a border collie he certainly knew how to round them all up.

Our behaviour always seems to catch up more slowly than our sense of belonging and believing. We can easily believe things which never affect the way that we live. And we can belong to the church family and continue to be grumpy and miserable. When I came to Christ some things in my life changed instantly and dramatically. It was such a shock to the Christian Union at my college that I was requested to make a public appearance to prove it. Since then I have been in a life long learning school as I become, hopefully, more like my Saviour. It is my destiny which I embrace and hopefully you do as well. In Romans 8 v29 it says ‘For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son ….. How wonderful that God has always known us and has this wonderful destiny for us of becoming like Jesus. Let us encourage one another to press on and embrace our destinies.