NAME THE ANIMAL by lane greenleaf-perez

Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.

 Genesis 2:19-20

Lately, a lot of my spiritual insight has been coming to me through the journey of fatherhood. I feel that I am learning more and more about God’s heart for us through the way I experience my love for my son.

My most recent thoughts have been impacted by decision making. If I’m a good father, I won’t be making decisions for my son for the rest of his life. By the time he is an adult, I won’t be deciding things for him that I am deciding for him now. What should he eat for breakfast? What friends should he spend time with? What movies should he be watching? How many pairs of underwear should he pack on a vacation? I should be raising a man that can confidently make his own decisions. If his mother and I have helped to instill good character in him, we should feel at peace about the decisions he makes as a man. 

He won’t be perfect, but he will be set up for success in the leading of his own life.

This week I had coffee with a high school student from our youth worship team. This young woman was very solid in her faith, confident in herself, and carried herself in maturity beyond her years. We were talking about what she wanted to do after college. She mentioned that she wanted to hear from God where she should go and what she should do. She said she had been praying and waiting on God for a response, but wasn’t getting anything.

In the same way a great mentor of mine once challenged me, I presented her with a different perspective: 

“Do you feel like you and God are close?” I asked her.

She said, “Yes, I feel like I’m in a really good place with God right now.” 

 “Well," I offered, "what if God is taking a step back to let you choose your next  step? I think that Jesus is sometimes less concerned with what we specifically  do and is more concerned with the heart in which we do it.”

Now, I obviously encouraged her to continue to pray and to seek the Lord’s voice in this matter. However, I have seen so many Christians become paralyzed when it comes to seeking the will of God for his or her life. Yes, I believe hat God sometimes breaks through and gives us specific directions for our lives. 

But I also think that a lot of the time, he just wants us to name the animals.

When Adam was tasked with naming the animals, he didn’t bring each one to God and say, “What should I name this one?” No, he named it whatever he wanted, and God was like, “Okay, cool.” Okay, maybe YHWH the creator of the universe didn’t say that, but you get where I'm coming from. Sometimes God just wants us to play. He sets out a garden of life before us and entrusts us with it.

The Kingdom of Heaven is within us as Christians. Wherever we go, whatever we do, if we do so for the sake of Christ, the kingdom will advance. Yes, listen to the voice of the Lord. Press in and ask that His Kingdom come and His will be done, but if he doesn’t give you something specific, name the animal. Sometimes there are several great options in front of us that carry out the will of God, and we have the freedom to choose.

And doesn’t it make sense that If we are truly pressing into God’s voice, listening for His will, that He will make his voice heard if we decide to do something outside of His will? Our God chooses to relate to us like a Father, shaping us and guiding us. Let's in turn become ambassadors for His kingdom, representing him to the world as we walk in confidence with him. 

Lane

lanegp@b4church.org