God Circles Around Us

“Christ circle round us, Christ may your light surround us”

-- Dan Schutte’s song “Christ, Circle Round Us”

When I taught at my church’s Vacation Bible School, I was the Faith Station leader. Our first day, we discussed putting Jesus at the center of our lives (the next few days would focus on the ten commandments and the beatitudes, otherwise ways to keep Jesus at the center).

I had three posters that were taped to the wall behind me, and I took my time to walk through each poster.

The first poster had a large circle, and inside the circle were symbols to represent material things in our lives such as books, sports, video games, and money and non-material things like friendships and jobs. Outside the circle, there was a picture of Jesus. I explained to the kids how the circle represented someone’s life, and told them to notice how Jesus isn’t in this person’s life.

The second poster had almost the same image, except the image of Jesus was placed on the circle, not yet inside of it. I told the kids that this person had Jesus as a part of their life, but not at the center. This person probably prayed every once in a while, and went to mass on Sundays, but that was it.

Lastly, I showed the third poster. In this one, the little stick figure in the center of the circle had moved aside to let Jesus be the center. I pointed this out to the kids. We even have to put Jesus before ourselves. I asked them if they thought this person loved Jesus with their whole selves.

Once I had unveiled all three posters, I told them to think to themselves; which poster were they? Was Jesus at the center of their lives, or was he outside of the circle?

Something I didn’t tell them, however, is that God shouldn’t be at the center of the circle, he should be the circle. I heard it said once that God doesn’t want to be number one on your list of priorities, he wants to be your entire list of priorities.

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 RSVCE)

It’s called the spirit of excellence, to give your whole self to something, to please God with your work, whether you’re teaching Sunday school or making a sandwich.

There are ways to glorify God in everything you do. Do you sing? Join your church choir (or start one)! Are you a sports player? Share your faith with your team by praying before each game, and inviting anyone to join you. Look at Tim Tebow, NFL player. He wrote John 3:16 in his eye black at the 2009 Championship game and some 92 million people looked up the verse because of this one man. Whatever your talent or skill, find a way to glorify God through your works, because you are His work.

Even in trying times, you can give your suffering up to Him. Hungry during mass? Give your suffering up to those who go without food for days. Have you recently failed a test or exam? Give that up for those who can’t receive education and wish that they could.

This isn’t supposed to make you feel guilty, but it is supposed to be something you give to God so that he can bless those people and know that you care for them.

God created everything. He’s the reason you are where you are, He’s the reason you have the skills that you have. We can repay him by using our God-given talents to praise him and spread his grace.

YOUR CHALLENGE TODAY:What are you skilled at? Is it sports? The arts? Being a good friend? In what way can you take those skills today and do them for the glory of God? How can you praise God with your actions and talents?