“You’re doing a good job!”

When our oldest son Andy was six we were sitting in church and being the first Sunday of the month Pastor Bob gave an explanation of communion and asked everyone to “examine” him or herself before partaking of the elements. Liz leaned over to explain to Andy what all that meant. “This is a time when you ask Jesus to show you anything you’ve done wrong.” Liz was so hoping the Lord would tell Andy to stop picking on Jeffrey, age 4. So Andy bowed his head, closed his eyes and partook of the bread and grape juice.

Driving home from church Liz turned to Andy and asked if he had talked to the Lord and what the Lord may have said. Andy answered, “Well Mom…I prayed and asked Jesus if I was doing anything wrong and I heard this voice going around in my head saying, “Andy…you’re doing a good job!”

Well, that wasn’t the message we wanted Jesus tell Andy but apparently it was the message Jesus wanted to communicate. Upon years of reflection (Andy’s now 33 and serving God with his family in China) we realize it is the exact right message Jesus has.

There are two occasions when God the Father spoke audible words of affirmation to Jesus (Mark 1:11 & Matthew 17:5). Here’s what he said:

• “You are my son”—relational connection…we are connected together for life
• “whom I love”—unconditional, unreserved love
• “with whom I am well-pleased”—sheer delight–“I’m so happy with you!”

Why don’t we hear those kinds of words when we are in God’s presence? Look at the way application questions are structured. Most are structured around betterment and where we fall short:

• Is there a sin to confess?
• Is there a command to obey?
• Is there a promise to claim?
• Is there an error to avoid?
• Is there a truth to believe?
• Is there an example to follow?

Is that what good fathers ask? I don’t know about you but I light up when I see my kids and grandkids. I let them know how proud I am of them and how much I love them and I love being with them. I assume if every time we were together I focused on where they were lacking, less than, or falling short, they wouldn’t want to be around me for very long. Little wonder so few people are interested in hearing from God on a regular basis.

What if when we met with God we heard him say, “I’m so glad you’re here” and when we heard him speak it was words of affirmation:

• “You are the light of the world”—Matthew 5:14 (kind of makes us uncomfortable, huh?)
• “You are the salt of the earth”—Matthew 5:13
• “You are a new creation”—2 Corinthians 5:17
• “You have been reconciled to God”—2 Corinthians 5:18
• “You are worth more than many sparrows”—Matthew 10:31
• “You are chosen”—John 15:16
• “You are branches that bear fruit”—John 15:6
• “You are saved”—Ephesians 2:8-9
• “You have a great purpose in life” Ephesians 2:10
• “You’re doing a good job”

Wouldn’t that be something?