What Kind of Plate Are You?

I can vividly remember as a teenager, rolling my eyes when I would come into the house and find my mother watching reruns of Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Leave it to Beaver, Father Knows Best, My Three Sons and I Love Lucy. I simply didn't understand with all the great new shows on the networks, how she could spend all of her time watching those tired, old shows on our newly acquired cable television.

If you were a teenager in the 70's and 80's, you remember the ones I'm talking about: Happy Days, MacGyver, The Facts of Life, MASH, Family Ties, Knight Rider, Who's the Boss and Fame! (just to name a few). My idea of a classic were the old shows that I had watched with my grandfather when I was a child (You know, still in Elementary school!): The Six Million Dollar Man, Wonder Woman, The Bionic Woman, Emergency, Police Woman, The Rockford Files and Quincy, ME.

Earlier this week, my friend Wanda came by the house in the late afternoon. As she came in, she glanced at the television and said "Oooo, I love MASH" And then I saw it. The exchange of glances and the rolled eyes of her 15 year old daughter and 17 year old son. I had to laugh when I realized that in many ways: I have become my mother. Yes, I can now proudly hold my head up and say that I'm a rerun junkie!

It's pretty typical to come in and find me watching Law and Order marathons, NCIS episodes when Kate was still alive, and even my old 70's and 80's favorites when I can catch them on TVLand, Hallmark or Nik @ Nite. But I'm finding more and more that the message I get from them are much different than they were 5, 10 and even 20 years ago. I am no longer looking for just a laugh to brighten my afternoon, though I do find that as well. I'm getting life lessons. I see God showing me things about my Christian walk from the most unlikely places.

Yesterday, I was watching an episode of Reba. Reba McEntire's character on the show is far from what we would describe as "the perfect mother". Her kids are at times bratty, opinionated, loud mouthed, and often in trouble. Wait...that sounds like MY kids too. In this episode, Reba has insisted that her oldest daughter Cheyenne work for a down payment on a new car, and offers to let her do some things around the house to pay it off.

She comes home from work and starts to unload the dishwasher. The first plate she pulls out is solid white. "Where did these come from?" she inquires.
"Oh, those were on the shelves in the dining room, and I started to dust them, but it seemed simpler to put them in the dishwasher and do them all at once." came the answer

"YOU put my grandmothers hand-painted china in the dishwasher?" uh-oh
"Well, yeah. It didn't say they weren't dishwasher safe". came Cheyenne's reply

"They didn't have dishwashers in 1912!"

I've seen the episode a dozen times, and a dozen times I've laughed: Until yesterday. Yesterday, a whole different concept hit my heart. I was like that plate.
As a child of God, I'm special. I'm different. I'm supposed to be set apart. To be used by God in this world, but not to become like this world.

Romans 12:2 says "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

When I start researching verses for a thought that God has given me for a devotion, I always go to biblecc.com which is an online parallel bible. Because many times, I will use the verse of one translation, but the words of another may really drive the point home to my heart. This was the case with Romans 12:2. The New Living Translation quotes the verse this way
"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

In other words, I need to be that 1912 hand-painted china plate. One of a kind, fragile, valuable, yet still available to be used to feed the world; not just physically but emotionally and spiritually as well. I need to make a conscious effort not to become an every day stoneware plate. One who, if broken or lost, can simply be replaced by one just like me without blinking an eye. Or worse yet, one made of paper or Styrofoam; who is simply tossed away and forgotten.