FAMILY IT! — Wednesday Family Devotional — “Street Hero”

I was talking with a mother last week about a recent special trip with her daughter to an American Girl Store.  (Gents, think Lego or Hot Wheels.)  The mom followed her little girl as she bounced from one display to the next, smiling at her ooooh’s and aaaah’s.  She noted which items really drew her daughter’s attention, which ones elicited an, “Oh, I wish I could have that!”  After the child had moved on to the next display, Mom would do a quick price check to see if she could squeeze it into the budget.  As she did, though, her smile began to fade.  She wasn’t saddened by the cost, although money was tight and most of the prices were…pricey.  The mother was willing to make a small sacrifice for a special treasure like this, but she realized that it would, in the end, be a waste.  Her daughter rarely played with the few American Girl items she had now.  While the little girls was caught up in the excitement from the store, Mom knew it would be short-lived once she got back to everyday, normal life.

That’s the way it is with a lot of us.  We find it really easy to get excited about the “new” or the “special.”  The thought of “getting something” winds us up and old interests that haven’t been interesting lately become passionate wants.  We “must have” the newest Lego set, the newest Disney movie, the newest beauty trend (hello, hair chalk), or the latest hover-wheelie-gizmo whatever.  We beg and plead and stand in line…while at home, the last Lego set sits untouched in a bin.  The last Disney movie is lost under the couch, unwatched.  The hair chalk is in the trash, and the last gizmo is collecting dust in the garage.  We love fads, but they lose their excitement pretty quickly.

What’s the last fad you got caught up in?  What were you sure you needed, only to find out you really didn’t care once you had it?

When people first met Jesus, they found it easy to get caught up in the excitement.  After all, He was an exciting guy doing exciting things.  Read how the disciple Nathanael reacted when he first met Jesus in John 1:43-51.  Can you imagine that?  You meet some guy for the first time and he can tell you what you were doing yesterday?  It would either be really creepy or really cool!  If my brother was trying to convince me this was the Messiah, I think I may be convinced!

But these guys learned quickly that Jesus was not a fad.  He wasn’t just the newest prophet saying funky things about God.  He was sharing hard, challenging, amazing truths that turned these guys heads upside down.  They learned that to be a true disciple, they couldn’t just be along for the ride.  Being a disciple was more than just recognizing that Jesus was the Messiah—being a disciple meant following Him everywhere in every way.

What kind of disciple are you right now?  Is your family still caught up in the initial excitement and hype of this amazing Savior?  Are you really committed one week, but kind of “eh, whatever” the next week?  Have you made the decision as a family to be fully committed disciples, following Jesus everywhere He leads you in every way?  What changes do you need to make as a family to be a family of disciples?  What are you already doing as a family that you need to keep doing?

Decide on one thing your family can do this week to be true disciples of Christ.  Pray together that Jesus would help you be more than fad followers.  Ask Him to make you genuine disciples.