At age two and a half * our oldest son, Timothy, is a marvel to behold. Like most children his age, he is growing and learning at an incredible rate. Even if he is unable to grasp all the details of a given situation, he readily picks up on the main points. One of his favorite television shows is "Clifford the Big Red Dog." If you know anything about this animated children's television show, you know that it teaches some good, moral lessons as it follows Clifford and his friends through one adventure after another.

The theme song tells the story of Clifford, a very BIG dog who started out as a very small puppy. He was adopted by Emily Elizabeth Howard, whose love made him grow so big that her family had to leave their home in the city and move onto an island. The theme song opens with: "Clifford needed Emily, so she chose him for her own. And her love made Clifford grow so big that the Howards had to leave their home. ... " What I find most interesting about these simple words is the extent to which they parallel the Christian life.

First, notice what the song does not say. It does not say that Clifford chose Emily; rather, he was chosen by her. Nor does it say that Emily needed Clifford; rather, it was because of his need for her that she decided to choose him. Having been chosen by Emily, Clifford then experiences a love so powerful that it transforms him beyond belief.

I see here four themes that relate to the Christian life: need, choice, love, and transformation.

NEED. To be in "need" is to be in "a condition requiring supply or relief" (Webster). While we living in affluent America often confuse wants with needs, every person is born with a real, deep, and abiding need for God -- a hole in our soul, as it were, that only God can fill. At the same time, we are born sinful and self-centered. The combination of our God-given need for the Master and our sinful desire to master everyone and everything drives most people to spend their lives in an endless quest for that one special person who can satisfy their every need, oblivious to the fact that only Jesus Christ can fill that role.

CHOICE. Despite our deep and abiding need for him, none of us naturally choose God. The popularity of anything "spiritual" (except orthodox, biblical Christianity) translates into the desire to serve God on our terms rather than his. This point was driven home to me recently during an e-mail dialogue with a non-Christian who was highly offended at the very thought of God becoming a man in Jesus Christ. Here is part of what he wrote (reproduced exactly):

God becoming a man and then dying for our sins. That does indeed seem like a ludicrous, even blasphemous, idea. The very fact that it is so offensive, however, goes a long way toward proving that it must be true, since no one would make up such a story (and certainly not the first followers of Jesus, strict monotheists that they were). While some people may choose to follow Jesus the teacher or Jesus the miracle worker, no one naturally chooses to follow the crucified Christ.

God's glorious good news in Jesus Christ is that because of our need and despite our refusal to choose him, God chose us. How incredible is that? Well, imagine President George Bush adopting Saddam Hussein and then having him take up residence in the White House. Outrageous! Yes, it is. And that is something like what God does for us.

But why? What in the world would prompt God to choose us very needy, very rebellious creatures? Answer: Love.

LOVE. True -- i.e., biblical -- love goes far beyond a warm feeling or even a strong desire for intimacy. True love always involves self-sacrificial service on behalf of another. True love is radical: it sees a need and then acts to meet that need, regardless of the cost. The ultimate example of such love is, of course, Jesus Christ. Giving up the splendors of heaven, Jesus came to earth to willingly suffer and die for the sins of the world.

It amazes me that Jesus would go through what he did for a world of people the majority of whom continue to despise and reject him. I don't mind helping someone who is appreciative. But to go far out of my way to provide a person with something they desperately need but never would have gotten on their own and then have them spit in my face and turn their back on me never to be seen again, and to do that over and over and over -- I cannot imagine such a thing. But in a very real sense that is what Jesus did (and does). That is truly amazing love.

Needless to say, that is not the end of the story. For one thing, God's inspired, authoritative Word, the Bible, informs us that there will be a day of reckoning for those who reject Jesus. But for now we have the opportunity to experience God's merciful love, a love that seeks our ultimate good.

TRANSFORMATION. In Romans 12:2, the apostle Paul urged the believers in Rome to avoid being conformed to the world around them and, instead, to "be transformed by the renewing of your mind" and thus able to discern God's will. As one paraphrase puts it: "Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you" (The Message).

How do we renew our minds? Through repeated exposure to God's truth over time. A good blueprint to follow is the three basic building blocks of the Christian life: prayer (talking to God), Bible study (listening to God), and fellowship (talking about God). As these three spiritual disciplines become an integral part of our daily life, we will become more like God's Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

We need God. God chose us. God's love is transforming us. And one day we will outgrow this place and be transported to our real home, where we and our forever family will spend all of eternity basking in the glow of God's marvelous love.

* At this time (April 2006) Timothy is five years old. He still enjoys watching Clifford, along with his younger brother Daniel (who is now two and a half).