I was recently standing in the yard visiting with a good friend after a walk through the neighborhood when my daughter and one of her friends drove up. They joined us and as we laughed and talked about our need to exercise (which my daughter knows is not on my high priority list), and I had a moment of silliness.
Have you seen the dab? I wasn’t 100% sure what it meant but I’ve seen all the kids do it and it seemed innocent enough, so I “dabbed” in response to my daughter’s surprise that I actually went walking.
Now, granted, I did it wrong (the dab, that is). Apparently, I needed a quicker head motion. The dab is basically one arm straight out to the side like superman, with the parallel arm bent at the elbow, and then a quick sneeze-like motion toward the bent arm. That’s it.
But my silly attempt at the dab caused a great laughing fit among the girls. They looked at each other in surprise like, “Did my mom (your mom) just do the dab?!” And then they laughed hysterically as I thought, “Uh oh, what if it means something bad…?” But of course, it didn’t. The girls were just laughing at me– and I laughed with them.
But I remember times in my past, especially as a teenager, when being laughed at would have crushed my insecure heart. Nobody likes to be laughed at. But I realized the other night after I walked back in the house that it was my reaction that changed the outcome of that moment. Instead of withdrawing and keeping negative, accusing, thoughts to myself, like: “Why are they laughing?… What did I do wrong?… I’m such an idiot…” I pulled on the confidence of knowing who I am in Christ, and said, “What? Did I do it wrong?” And I laughed with them at my own silliness.
“And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and blameless, and above reproach in His sight” (Colossians 1:21-22).
It took me a long time to learn this truth, but we often disqualify ourselves, alienating ourselves, by our thoughts. But when we learn how God sees us as “holy and blameless and above reproach,” it corrects the negative thoughts that would otherwise have dominion over us.
The Bible says Jesus paid the price of death in order to present us to God. This word means we were given the right to stand. I love this because the definition of righteousness is right-standing with God, including the ability to stand before Him without guilt or inferiority as if you had never sinned. In other words, righteousness is the right to stand.
But here’s the kicker: “You must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News” (Colossians 1:23, NLT).
In moments of possible insecurity, that’s when you and I have to kick in and hold tight to what we know about who we are in Christ. It’s so important to remain “grounded and steadfast” (NKJV). No matter how old you are, the devil will always want to push those self-conscious buttons and pull you backwards if he finds the opportunity. Don’t let him.
I could’ve given in to that trigger the other night on my lawn. But instead, I tapped into the knowledge of who I am in Christ and laughed (at the devil), I mean with them.
You can do the same.
