I love all 90's sitcoms but definitely one of my favorites is Full House. Except for the hunky Uncle and the comical Joey and the fact that I have a Dad and Mom, the show really mirrored my life. Much like the show I had two sisters and just like Stephanie Tanner, I too was the middle child.
Whenever I meet people I share that I have two sisters, one older and one younger. The immediate response is usually 'Oh, middle-child?' as if to say, "oh are you needy and starved for attention?" I never saw myself as one that struggled with "middle child syndrome" (MCS) Thank God I had very attentive parents who were always border line obsessed with me and my sisters, that I can honestly say I never felt less loved by my parents.
I am sure we all have found ourselves in the same place as Stephanie Tanner in this clip. Maybe not dealing with the MCS but dealing with feeling left out or maybe just overlooked. We have all been at one time not invited or forgotten. Many of us have watched as people less talented have received position we knew we would be better for. We have all had a Stephanie Tanner moment "Excuse me, did any one hear me say I WENT TO MARS."
In these times we feel undervalued and invisible, we have all been there.
I have been learning in this season it is not so much about me feeling left out as much as it is about me not leaving Jesus out.
Am I involving Jesus in my day to day? Am I bringing Jesus up in my conversations? Am I telling others about Jesus? Am I leaving Jesus out?
Do not get me wrong, Jesus is not a Stephanie Tanner, He is not starved for attention and He is definitely not trying to rub anything in our face for the times we have not involved Him. What I am saying is my focus needs to change from worrying about my own involvement to exploring ways of involving Jesus.
The story of Jesus must be told, who better than us to share it? Who can share our story better than us? Who is tell about what Jesus did for me better than me?
Let's read John 15...
John 15
English Standard Version (ESV)
I Am the True Vine
15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants,[a] for the servant[b] does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
The Hatred of the World
18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin,[c] but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’
26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
You see our identity is not found in our birth order, job, or even our accomplishments. Our identity is found in that fact the fact that we are a branch a part of the True Vine.
Our identity or role is now being 'involved' with the Vine (God).
Our role is sharing with others what Vine we are a branch of.
Our role as disciples is talking and sharing with others about our Rabbi, our Leader.
The less we focus on ourselves, the more we focus on the Vine, the more fruit we will bear. The more fruit we bear the more opportunity Jesus has to be involved, and the more we involve Him. The more we involve Him, the less we worry about not feeling involved, hello Stephanie Tanner.
We were chosen by God and loved by Him.
We have a beautiful invitation to abide in Him. There is a beautiful promise of abiding in Him, that He will abide with us.
All of a sudden we are the awkward middle schooler that gets invited to the popular table for lunch.
If we change our mindset and our dreams to be focused on His glory and His kingdom we find another promise 'ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you."
"16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another."
My favorite ending verse "26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning."
We have a Helper in the Holy Spirit!!
I pray today for all those struggling with feeling left out or unimportant that you will speak over yourself today the truth given in John 15
-I will abide in Him, because He desires to abide with me
-I am chosen by God
-I am loved by God
-I will love because He has loved me
-Because He loves me, He prunes me, so I can bear fruit
-I have the Holy Spirit as a Helper, I am not alone, I am not left out
-I am not Stephanie Tanner (this last one is a joke)
Thankful this is not us, we are our own branch a part of the True Vine.
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