Christian Robots

I'm reading the story of Saul's conversion in Acts 9 and I'm struck at how God takes the intense personality of Saul and uses it for His own purpose and glory. He doesn't change Saul, or soften him, or mold him into the "good Christian man." He picks him up, cleans him off, repurposes him, and lets him loose. The same zeal that brought him into Christian homes to kill them brought him into non-Christian homes to save them.

I think about this a lot as a parent. I have four kids with four very different personalities - personalities that simultaneously drive me crazy and bring great joy to my heart. I don't want them changed - I love who they are - I want their minds transformed so that these wonderful personalities can be infused with the Spirit and used for God's good and perfect will. (Romans 12)

I see too many parents / churches / schools spend all their time quenching the spirit out of kids and trying to create a race of Christian robots, where all thoughts, mannerisms and personalities are the same. Look this way. Think this way. Act this way. And heaven forbid if anyone steps out of the church box - panic ensues among parents and church leadership. They love the safety of the conformity.

I love the personalities of my kids - and I hope the Christian world doesn't snuff out their uniqueness. What a boring Christian world we have when we do this.