One of the benefits of being a stay-at-home mom so many
years was access to resources and materials. My brain was ready to learn and
grow even while my body was spent.
Book after book, page by page, with no particular
destination or goal, I devoured thought-provoking, otherwise difficult reading.
Hour after hour I listened to Christian radio and speakers. Thoughts,
questions, and applications stirred in my mind as I scrubbed floors, folded
laundry, tended to children and country chores.
J.I. Packer's, A Quest for Godliness, was one of the most
impactful. Of the words and thoughts which escape me, the message I still carry
is: keep it simple. The more common and everyday our speech, the more effective
we are in communicating the truth of the gospel. This was Paul's example:
And when I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come
as someone superior in speaking ability or wisdom, as I proclaimed to you the
testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus
Christ, and Him crucified. I also was with you in weakness and fear, and in
great trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words
of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith
would not rest on the wisdom of mankind, but on the power of God. (1
Corinthians 2:1-5)
Ironically, J.I. Packer is not known for his simple
presentation; in today's society Puritans aren't either. But that was their
focus and goal--to preach Christ simply, with purity and grace.
That was my goal as I wrote, Sanctuary: Hope and Help for
Victims of Domestic Abuse. With a background in elementary education and a
heart for individuals who struggle to learn and read, my goal is other's
learning. Teaching is evidenced, not by one who teaches, but what is learned.
As future educators, we were taught that the measure of our effectiveness was
the success of our students.
When individuals use code words, acronyms, high vocabulary,
or share a complex/confused presentation, it confuses the listener. That is
when one must assess the goal--Is it to be thought of as important,
intellectual, and knowledgeable? Or is the goal effective, accessible
information? With God's help, our goal should be the simplicity of Jesus Christ
and His finished work.
Our value, worth, and identity are not measured by our
teaching, words, or following, but by Christ Himself. May He guide and bless
the sincerity of our words and interactions with others for the sake of the
gospel--and their very lives.
For though I am free from all people, I have made myself a
slave to all, so that I may gain more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I
might gain Jews; to those who are under the Law, I became as one under the Law,
though not being under the Law myself, so that I might gain those who are under
the Law; to those who are without the Law, I became as one without the Law,
though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I
might gain those who are without the Law. To the weak I became weak, that I
might gain the weak; I have become all things to all people, so that I may by
all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may
become a fellow partaker of it.
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but
only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who
competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. So they do it to
obtain a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a
way as not to run aimlessly; I box in such a way, as to avoid hitting air; but
I strictly discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have
preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. (1 Corinthians 9:19-27)
