A Picture By The Bed

I once rode on a chairlift with a woman who noticed I was with my son, Lennox. As we chatted, she shared her strategy for getting her kids to love skiing. Though they didn’t start until they were two, she put them in ski outfits and skis when they were one and took a picture of them in the snow. Then she framed two prints of the photos and put one on each of their nightstands. And whenever they pointed to the pictures, she told them they were amazing skiers. There was never a time in their lives when they didn’t see themselves as belonging on the snow.

“Did it work?” I asked.

“Yep,” she said, grinning proudly. “All five of my children are now adults, and they all are fantastic skiers who love the sport.”

Tucked in this interaction, I saw some Gospel truth.

God doesn’t call you to get your act together and hope you can rack up enough points to cash in for a halo one day. Instead, He puts a picture by your bed of who you are in Christ and how He sees you. God’s righteousness isn’t based on you but placed on you. The day-to-day goal isn’t to get something by doing the right things but to remember who you already are and then being what He has legally once and for all decreed is true about you.

So, if it’s been a while since you have glanced at the picture by your bedside, allow me to reintroduce you to yourself.

• In Christ, you are the righteousness of God.

• You are more than a conqueror.

• Your testimony and the blood of Jesus overcome the Enemy.

• You are a child of the King.

• You are the temple of the Holy Spirit—the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in you.

• You are chosen, forgiven, called, and equipped.

• You are seated in heavenly places, and your prayers pull down strongholds.

• You are indestructible in the will of God and headed for heaven when you have finished your mission.

So, as far as the pains of life, the disorientation we experience when our world gets rocked, and the crisis we are bound to face? Let me assure you, you have what it takes!

Excerpt from Blessed Are The Sprialing. Order Your Copy!