My Paisley Chair

Ashley was only 2 years old when she became fascinated with Wonder Woman. The T.V. show starring Lynda Carter from the 70’s was one of her favs! A beautiful heroine indeed! In a world of cartoon superheroes, Wonder Woman was someone my 2-year-old could aspire to be like.

Consistent Sunday School lessons, songs, and flannel graph characters that were mostly men and boys, along with teachings about the “Trinity”, left my little one wondering where in the biblical narrative were the women! It was not a stretch for her to come up with a place of prominence for her heroine who stood for Truth & Justice.

On the way home from church after a Sunday School lesson on the Trinity, our darling repeatedly asked David, “Daddy, say God” (long pause awaiting the requested word). “Daddy, say Jesus.” (pause again). “Daddy, say Holy Spirit” (and yet another pause). After several repetitions and a deep sigh, she added, “Daddy, say Wonder Woman!” Obviously, she inserted Wonder Woman where she believed she belonged. Can we expect a 2-year-old to grasp the concept of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit without Wonder Woman? Not mine!

Supporting her love of Wonder Woman, I got her a pair of Wonder Woman “under-roo” underwear for her 3^rd birthday. Little did I realize the transformation this would trigger. My otherwise compliant little toddler, clad in her costume, with cape, lasso and a full head of steam became an assertive, powerful force to be reckoned with. It wasn’t long before she positioned herself in the middle of our kitchen table, arms akimbo and announced “I don’t want to! And you can’t make me!”

Oh Yeah … Let the games begin!

I must confess, this feeling is not foreign to me. More times than can be counted I’ve exhibited the same posture, whether or not I made the announcement. How often have I conformed to the expected external behavior while maintaining the internal determination of “You can’t make me!”? Over the course of time, I’ve found demanding my own way to be counterproductive and adopted patterns of compliance whenever possible. Make no mistake, there are plenty of things I do that I don’t want to, simply because it is the right thing to do. Overall, however, I’ve found I can make myself behave, most of the time!

That being said, there are some issues where I will continue to proclaim long, loud, and unashamedly – I Don’t Want To, AND You Can’t Make Me! I won’t provide an exhaustive list here, but to name a few …

You Can’t Make Me:

1. Bitter: Bitterness is a sign of unforgiveness. I choose to forgive, and you can’t make me hold a grudge. Matt 6:12-14, Luke 17:3-4 Eph 4:31, Heb 12:14-15

2. Angry: My soul, with all its quirky emotions, has been redeemed at great cost and doesn’t belong to me. You didn’t pay for it, and I refuse to release the control of this emotion to you. I choose to be patient, and not to explode on cue or let anger control. (My emotion, my responsibility.) You can’t make me angry.  Eph 4:26, Ps 71:22, Lam 3:55-59

3. Indifferent: Because I care deeply, see amazing potential, and realize this life is short, I won’t EVER stop praying for you, and you can’t make me. Col 1:9-10, Eph 1:16-18

4. Hate: I just can’t! I will never give up or think about quitting on you! I will NEVER stop loving you and you can’t make me! John 13:34, 15:12, 2 Cor 5:13-15

Love Wins!

2 Cor 5:13-15 MSG “I hope you realize how much and deeply we care. We’re not saying this to make ourselves look good to you. We just thought it would make you feel good, proud even, that we’re on your side and not just nice to your face as so many people are. If I acted crazy, I did it for God; if I acted overly serious, I did it for you. Christ’s love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do.

Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own.”

It is love that frequently prompts me do the things I don’t want to do. It is the love of Christ that compels and constrains. Because I have been loved so completely, forgiven so much, pursued with kindness, and am constantly being prayed for by Jesus, I can risk loving anyone and everyone else.