The Most Useful Question

Dear Keith and Marisa, 

and Daniela:

There is nothing more precious 

than watching a family become a family.

As Daniela continues to grow and develop, 

and as you continue to learn about each other 

and understand each other, 

your home will be a place of love.

There's no question about it, 

because you two are two of the biggest hearted people I know.

Last weekend you demonstrated
your love for your child by bringing her into Love.

In front of all of the people who love you
and support you, you said:

'We want this child to belong to the Lord,
to love Him, and to know Him.'

And we said it with you.

Now, as she grows, she will face many questions
in her journey to understand her place as His child.
It will feel, at times, nearly impossible
to understand the Love that He has for her,
and it may be nearly impossible to trust
that this world will not convince her it isn't True.

And so you will need a useful question
as you walk out this journey with her,
a question that counters what the world
will try to do to steal her away from Truth.

Truth is the Love of God, but it seems like these days I can't turn around without talking about the Love of God vs. Religion, with Christians and non-Christians alike.  So I thought about that Love vs. Religion, sitting in your beautiful church building, singing glory to God and calling on Christ, watching your loved child be baptized in His Name.

I thought about how that Love asks us for our love,

and how He does not ask us for our Religion.

When I think about the complexity of the rules we write for ourselves within our religious rites, I begin to see quite clearly and quite quickly that we can't follow them.  We will never get them all right, and our neighbor across the aisle will never get them all right.

(Of course, they might think they're getting them right, but chances are good that they won't be getting them right according to us. And we probably shouldn't ask them what they think about our success--I'm sure they've got some eyebrows just waiting to be raised.)

When I look a little further into it, I realize that our Religion is more likely based on our own preconceived notions, the social and cultural norms and expectations that we have accepted as true, than it is on God's Love.

Which results in a sad truth:  

When we look to serve our Religion, 

we only end up worshiping ourselves.

But, the Good News?

When we look for the Heart of God, we find Him.

We find Him, because His heart says:

Give me your heart.

That's it.

That's all I want.

He says:

I am not Religion;

I am living, breathing, active Word and Spirit,

and I can breathe anywhere there is a heart that recognizes Me.

He says:

What is the position of your heart before Me?

So here, dear Keith, beautiful Marisa, and sweet Daniela, 

is your most useful question.

As you raise this child to know and love the Lord,

come back to this question over and over again.

In every minute of every day, in every situation that seems full of difficulty and every one that is full of joy.

Ask it,
because it is the only question that answers with Truth.

Teach it to her, remind her to ask it too.


He is looking for your heart, he is looking for hers.
And, with a heart that belongs to Him?
He can do marvelous, wonderful, powerful things,
beyond your asking or imagining,
and to the glory due His Name.


Trust in the Lord with all your heart, 
and lean not on your own understanding.  
In all your ways acknowledge Him, 
and He will direct your paths.

With so much love--
and a promise,
as a member of your support system,
to ask it of myself--
Lauren