And suddenly a voice  came  from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:17 NKJV

By Andre Daley

A high five, the chest bump, a pat on the back and the fist pound, all examples of modern-day affirmations. Everyone needs affirmation. Psychologists tell us that affirmation is essential for successful living. Affirmation helps us to feel valuable and confident when facing challenging situations. It gives us hope when we are down.

It builds self-esteem.

Children especially need affirmation. In the early 1970s, a poem by Dorothy Law Note titled Children Learn What They Live was set to music in a popular song.  The poem reminds us that children learn to appreciate themselves and others when they are praised. They learn to love when they are accepted. They learn to like themselves when they are affirmed.

If children live with praise,

               They learn to appreciate.

          If children live with acceptance,

               They learn to love.

          If children live with approval,

               They learn to like themselves.

These observations hold true for all of us, as well as our children. But sadly, not everyone or even every child experiences the kind of affirmation that psychologists tell us we all need to thrive.

Fortunately the Bible gives us a clear example of how we can affirm the children and others in our lives. In Matthew 3:17, God the Father gives his son Jesus a very public, three-pronged blessing of affirmation.

Belonging. God begins by reminding Jesus of who he is and whose he is. God proclaimed to all that Jesus belonged to him and said, “This is my son.”  Knowing that we belong and someone claims us as their own is important affirmation that builds our sense of identity. It reminds us that we are a part of a family, a connection, a community.

We belong.

Beloved. Not only does God claim Jesus as his son, he also calls him beloved. God describes the quality of the relationship with his son. Jesus is not just a son, but a beloved son. God’s love affirms the son even before he has started his work and his ministry. God’s unconditional love for his son is a powerful example  of how much God loves all of his children including you and me. As the lyrics of the song by Michael W. Smith say, we have never been unloved.

One of the most significant ways to affirm a child or any person is letting them know they are loved unconditionally.

Blessed. Finally, God publically expresses his pleasure with his son Jesus as he is baptized. This is the final leg of this three-legged affirmation.  This final blessing of affirmation in response to Jesus’ actions is God’s example of how a few words of approval can go a long way.

As the poem suggests, when children and all people are affirmed, we grow in our self-confidence and self-esteem.

God shows us by example three concrete ways to affirm others every day. As pastors, Christian leaders, parents, and gatherings of hope, we can follow His example in affirming our children and others.

Let’s let them know they belong; let them know they are beloved and blessed unconditionally. Let us remember that children learn what they live, and people live what they learn.

Then they will come to believe what God already knows: that they can become anything they set their minds to.

Many times I have wanted to gather your people together. I have wanted to be like a hen who gathers her chicks under her wings. (Luke 13:34 NIRV)

By Andre Daley

If you have ever seen a mother duck guiding her chicks across a busy pathway, or watched a mother walk a toddler across the street at the crossing, this scripture from Luke will make sense to you.  Mothers have an innate desire to guide their children through life’s challenges and crossings, so the children can get to the other side.

Getting to the other side means reaching their potential as productive, successful adults.

Jesus communicates God’s desire to guide us to our greatest potential, just like a mother.  Just as a hen gathers her chickens and guides them with her wing, God’s desire is to guide his people, to guide us to our highest possibility. Just as  a mother wants her children to get as far as they can in life, God’s desire is to see his children reach the other side and their potential. Mothers spend a lifetime guiding a child.

They never really stop being a mother.

They are often there to guide and advise their children even as they grow older.

Similarly, God’s desire to guide us to great heights never ends.  This isn’t easy, because children don’t always think they need guidance. Sometimes they don’t receive it when it is offered. Still, the guidance of a mother and God’s guidance is an invaluable factor on the path to success. Without the guidance of mother and heavenly Father, we may not be able to meet those challenges and life crossings and get to our greatest potential on the other side.

This Mother’s Day, and in the days that follow, support a mother as she guides a child as God desires to guide all of us.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

By Andre Daley

A few weeks ago the basketball world, the National Basketball Association and NY Knicks fans were going Linnsane.

No, that is not a typo. Basketball folks were all abuzz with talk about an unlikely new star. Jeremey Linn, an undrafted Harvard grad, became an overnight super star exceeding all expectations.  It was easy to get caught up in the Linnsanity.  It’s possible that Linn read the verse from Philippians and recognized that God believed in his potential, even if others did not.

Linn defied the conventional wisdom.

Paul says in the verse that you and I can do all things… not some things.

All things through Christ.

Is that believable? Perhaps not, if we have only our belief to rely on.

Believing in ourselves is important, but knowing that God believes in us and our unlimited potential is even more important. Paul reminds us when we believe in ourselves and recognize that God believes in us, then together with Christ who strengthens us we have unlimited potential. Christ strengthens us because God believes in our potential and wants us to reach and exceed expectations.

This is a message of hope.

This message of hope is one of the core tenets of the Believe 2 Become initiative. It is a message of hope for our churches, our families, our students. Communicating that message of hope is a major intention of Gatherings of Hope.

We can help students and families in our community and churches discover that with God’s strength they can do not some things, but all things. When we help people believe in this message of hope, then God’s belief in our unlimited potential makes nothing impossible.

For with God nothing will be impossible. (Luke 1:37 NKJV)

I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

By Andre Daley

Last week, the president of the United States hosted the teacher of the year: Rebecca Mieliwocki, a seventh grade teacher from California.

In her speech, she challenged other teachers to have the highest expectations for their students. She added that teachers should have even higher expectations for themselves.

Teachers, parents, community and others have expectations of us. The expectations of others can be a huge factor influencing behavior. High expectations can motivate, inspire, and give us confidence. Low expectations can lead to low achievement and limited success.

God has high expectations for us. Jesus’ teachings reflect those expectations.

According to the passage from Matthew, Jesus told his first followers that he had high expectations for them. He told them that with faith he expected them to be able to move mountains.

Jesus has great, mountain-moving expectations for us today.

According to Jesus, nothing would be impossible for us. Not even moving mountains. Whether you understand Jesus’ words to mean that we are expected to literally move mountains , or to symbolically move what seems immovable… it is clear that God has high expectations for his people.

As pastors, church leaders and maturing followers of Jesus, we can pass this message of great expectations along to our families and community, especially our students.

Jesus tells us that even the smallest amount of faith and effort can lead to great things. High expectations can motivate.

Jesus tells us that we can move what seems immovable. Expectations can inspire.

Jesus tells his disciples that if they believe, they can do even greater things than he did: Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. (John 14:12 NIV)

Now those are great expectations.

God’s message is powerful and clear: God believes in us, and expects that we can do great things. Greater things than Jesus himself did! That should boost our confidence. High expectations can give confidence.

Without any expectations we will often just settle. The message for our children, students and families is that God does not expect us to settle.

God expects us to do great things!