Heavenly Helicopter
“Not a hair of your head shall be lost. By your patience possess your souls” (Luke 21:18-19).
I’m sure most know well-meaning parents who appear overprotective in the lives of their children.
The term is “helicopter parent.” Like helicopters, these mothers and fathers hover overhead, overseeing their child’s every move. First mentioned in a book published more than 40 years ago, the term gained wider recognition as American college administrators began using it. This happened when school officials noticed that parental practices such as calling children each morning to wake them up for class–or complaining to professors about grades–occurred with ever-increasing frequency. Even summer camp counselors experience similar parental behavior.
Recently, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported that helicopter parents continue advocating for their children even at the graduate school level. Believe it or not, as these young adults enter the workforce, some parents even appear in the workplace to negotiate salaries on their adult child’s behalf!
Just hearing these accounts is cringe-worthy, but imagine what it is like for an adult child at work, looking up from the desk and seeing mom wagging a finger in their manager’s face. There comes a time when the apron strings of dependence must be exchanged for the liberating wings of independence.
There is only one true “Helicopter Parent” who shepherds us from cradle to grave–and that is God, our Heavenly Father. From the beginning, our heavenly Father cares for us, cherishes us, and loves us. —www.voicings.com
The Lord’s Church is Distinctive
The overwhelming trend in religion today is toward ecumenism. Worldwide, politically correct culture pressures all religions to come together in unity of faith.
Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Shintoists, Mormons, and Jews are all asked to find a primitive common denominator that will allow them to become one. No one is to say the other is wrong and should change. Each has his own “truth” and it matters not if each contradicts.
Roget’s Thesaurus gives these synonyms for ecumenism: “broadness, looseness, imprecision, inexactness.” While the religious impetus is toward inexactness, truth is fixed, unalterable, and unchangeable. Truth is everlasting and cannot be altered to fit a changing world (Matthew 15:9, 13-14; Ephesians 4:4-6; Hebrews 10:25; James 4:4). We must not add to or subtract from God’s Word (Revelation 20:12; 22:18-19).
This means we will not fit in with culture, so we can expect rejection and even persecution. “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). “You will be hated by all [men] for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved” (Mark 13:13). —Unknown
“I am the way, the truth, the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
When I Find Time
The most valuable commodity you’ll ever have in this world is TIME.
It is a commodity of equal amounts: 168 hours each week. We waste time, and kill time; we say that time flies, we’re short on time, I wish I had more time, it’s time to go, take all the time you need, and we’re running out of time. We even start a story with, “Once upon a time . . .”
Today, time is important. Why? Because time on this earth is running out. We are drawing closer to when time on earth will be no more. Are you ready?
Paul was in Caesarea on trial when he encountered Felix and Drusilla. Their religious discussion was about one of the most important in scripture; they discussed judgment in relation to TIME (Acts 24:24-25). Felix was afraid, but he waited for a convenient time. Paul quoted Isaiah 49:8 when he wrote to the Corinthians; he wanted to give them a sense of urgency (2 Corinthians 6:2). God has an acceptable time for us to work with His grace. God has a day of salvation that will not last forever. Thus, the window of opportunity in regard to salvation will not always be open; it will one day close.
We must devote our time to the pursuit of righteousness. Paul addressed Felix and Drusilla about the need for moral purity. We must pursue righteousness in our homes: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right” (Ephesians 6:1) and in our hearts: “These will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25:46). We will have righteousness in heaven: “We, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13).
We must dedicate our time to the practice of self-control. We practice self-control with our temper. Many people struggle with a quick or fiery temper. Although society often encourages people to express themselves and not hold back, God’s Word teaches that giving in to one’s temper is a sin (cf. James 1:19: swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger). We practice self-control with our tongue. Is there someone you know who seems to be religious but just can’t keep his tongue under control? (cf. James 1:26). We practice self-control with our treasures (Matthew 6:19-21. Let us never forget that earthly treasure is temporary and fading, but heavenly treasure is secure.
We must determine the time necessary to prepare for judgment to come. Paul stresses eternal accountability before God. Judgment is coming and all will stand before the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:10). Notice Luke 16:19-31. The rich man learned many lessons after death, but it was too late. Felix responded two ways: first, he trembled; second, he postponed obeying the gospel. We can only hope that sometime in the future, Felix did find the time to do what was most important – obeying Jesus; however, on this occasion, he failed miserably. Let this never be said of us.
Felix neglected so many wonderful opportunities to be saved; he neglected them to remain lost. Let that never be said of us! Hebrews 2:3 asks, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” —Mark N. Posey
