THE 10+ 1 BUILDING BLOCKS OF RELATIONSHIPS: APPROVAL

Welcome again to my friend, Chris Vonada. He's back with the next in his series on the 10 + 1 Building Blocks of Relationships. Visit him often at ChrisVonada.com.

10 + 1 takes a new twist today...

Approval... it's...

The award of recognition.

Or, unconditionally accepting.

This, to me, is one of the main reasons that we should be very careful about how we choose the people who are closest to us... authentic and meaningful approval comes from like-minded people, those who share our personal beliefs and traits. If we want to keep moving in the right direction, we have to be influenced by the approval of the right people. (click to tweet) It's just that simple.

In a way, when it comes to approval, we're all among the walking wounded... seeking the approval of those who we value their opinion. Having self-confidence is extremely valuable too... but, at some point, I think we would all agree that we yearn for approval.

Looking for the ultimate stamp of approval? Consider this...

"When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife." Matthew 1:24

Our numero uno most important relationship is with God. If we're looking for the ultimate stamp of approval it should be from Him. This verse from the book of Matthew resounds with that... when Mary turned up pregnant with baby Jesus, Joseph had a mind to divorce her quietly. Surely that's probably what his close friends would have told him too... but an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream (yep!!) and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." Matthew 1:20

Sounds like a crazy dream, right? Yea, I would think so too... and so would my close friends, if I were to tell them about it and ask them for approval. Joseph probably knew, though, that all of this fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet Isaiah. Plus his faith in the Lord was so strong that he took the good angel's advice and ran with it. Sounds crazy... Right! I'm thinking Joseph probably didn't talk this one up with his friends... he probably took God's excellent advice... our Heavenly Father's approval, and ran with it.

Well, has God ever asked you to do something crazy? Maybe He is right now? If you're surrounded by good people consulting them would give you some feedback, for sure... but don't ever forget the most important place for us to gain guidance and approval is from our Heavenly Father. Always try to take His advice... and approval, before that from anyone else.

Remember, God made us out of dust... we're nothing without Him... He desires to have a relationship with us.

Seeking approval?

While we may not ever agree with every word or action of someone else, the underlying premise of approval is that our general sense or feeling... the vibe, if you will, that we're giving off in our approval is that the other person is good. We have a favorable opinion of them... I've got your back.

Giving your blessing...

Showing your favor...

10 + 1... Approval... remember, ask God first... and seek the advice of wise counselors...

Are you conscious of who your wise counselors are at this time?

BIBLICAL FATHERS

I love the Bible. It is so real—not only with examples of how to live; but also with examples of how not to live. Some of the Bible’s biggest characters were horrible fathers.

Samuel had no control over his sons who took bribes as leaders of Israel. Lot wanted to give his daughters to the men of the town to rape. Abraham, Isaac and David were all heads of seriously dysfunctional families. Israel showed so much favoritism to his son, Joseph that Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery.  

The point is that even though they made mistakes—lots of them—terrible ones—ultimately they were saved because God loved them and they loved God. 

Fortunately, the Bible also gives us examples of good fathers. One of the greatest examples is Jesus’ earthly stepfather. Joseph married Mary in spite of her being a pregnant, unwed young girl. He gave her and Jesus a home; gave him stepbrothers and a stable family life.  

Jesus would have still been God in human form if Mary had been a single mother. But no doubt, God intended Jesus to be part of an intact family with an earthly father-caregiver for a purpose. And one purpose might have been to show the importance of fathers in children’s lives. As an example to us. 

I had a wonderful earthly father. But not everyone had kind, loving earthly fathers who loved God. Some of us have stumbled our way through life, grasping onto Jesus’ hand when we finally met him in a dark place in our lives. How much better might it have been to have been raised as a Christian, knowing Jesus as a child; led to Him by our earthly mother and father who loved Him, too?

This Sunday, as we celebrate the fathers we had and the legacy they leave through us, we are grateful for the creation of family; for the example of Jesus' earthly family and even more for our Heavenly Father who loves us eternally.

Happy Father's Day to all of you fathers.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for placing us in families and for the legacies you provide through our parents and through us. Thank you for being our eternal Heavenly Father. Help us celebrate Heavenly Father's Day every day for you. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? How will you observe Father's Day this weekend?