Today, I'm going to do something a bit different.  There are several topics that I'm eager to write about, but I'm going to wait on them.  Yesterday, my oldest daughter, Hannah, wrote a post on her blog Random Musings that I thought was amazing.  I chatted with her a bit and asked if I could repost her article on vessels over her.  I've got her permission, and now you too, will be able to get a glimpse into her heart.

Remember when Jesus told the disciples to let the children come to Him?  I really believe that children, or in my case my young adult/almost teenager daughter Hannah, have wisdom in them.  Their view of the world isn't jaded like ours, and because of that their connection with our Father can be deeper, without all the hang-ups that we adults add.  What's sad for me is that I don't take enough time to listen to them.  So often, when I really listen and try to understand, I am amazed at the nuggets of truth that comes from their hearts.

Enjoy Hannah's article.  I love that she took "being a vessel of Christ" and switched it up a bit.  And, if you'd be so kind, would you pop over to her blog Random Musings and post her a comment of encouragement?  I know she'd appreciate your words.  Oh, one more thing...Hannah...I am really proud of you, and proud to be your mom.

Blessings,

Rachel

Hannah ~ Winter 2009

Vessels of Christ~~by Hannah

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Vessels of Christ

An interesting thought appeared to me the other day, I pondered it for awhile and felt that it would make a good blog post...

If we are to be Vessels of Christ, then what are we going to carry on our ship? And who's going to steer?

Today's world is immersed in a culture of ungodliness and sin. We are surrounded by temptations and evil thoughts and desires. The world strives to make us like it, to make us enjoy sinning, and to sin often.

Picture the world as a giant ocean, and everyone who lives in it [the world, now a giant ocean] as a boat. There are all sorts of boats, large ones, small ones, ornate ones and disheveled ones. They all run their courses, they are all unique. But some are dirtier than others. Some carry rotten cargo; others carry filthiness and disease. And some of those boat's crew's are unskilled; they are beginners and they do their ship more harm than good.

Is that the kind of cargo and crew you want on your ship?

That analogy seems to fit for all human beings. We are all different, yet sometimes we carry bad cargo.

When I speak of an unskilled crew, then I am talking about all of our different emotions. We may not always have control over them, and therefore we let our "crew" (our emotions) tamper with our boat and harm it. Our rotten cargo could be things that we see, ungodly thoughts, or something we say. The slightest hint of rottoness will turn other boats' away from yours. The slightest perversity and vulgarity will seek to dirty your soul.

So how do we clean up our cargo and crew? How do we make our vessel pure again? How do we purify ourselves as human beings?

To begin with, reading God's word is an absolute must. Proverbs 2:1-5 says:

"My son, if you recieve my words

and treasure up my commandments with you,

2 making your ear attentive to wisdom

and inclining your heart to understanding;

3 yes, if you call out for insight

and raise your voice for understanding,

4 if you seek it like silver

and search for it as for hidden treasures

5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God."

How true...how very true. If you truly try to learn from reading the Bible, then you will learn. Maybe not as fast as you'd like, but still.

Also, it's important to watch what you do, say, see, hear and speak. The song "Slow Fade" comes to mind as I type these words. It really is important for us as Christians to watch what we are doing and what sort of life we are living. If you recognize a pattern of iniquity after you do or hang out with someone, then stop. In the long run, our faith is much more important. We need to be careful, we need to watch out for traps set by the world.

One last thought; we've talked about our "crew" and "cargo" but, who's steering? I think it only appropriate to link to one of my mom's posts about this, she voices it perfectly. To read it, click HERE.

I hope that from now on, all of you *gestures to anyone reading this* will watch what's going on with your "cargo" and "crew" and especially who's steering.

Adios & Blessings,

Hannah

Posted by Hannah at 3 comments

Labels: Ponderings, Vessels of Christ