By Brenda Groves
The Post Newspaper Contributing Writer
I have spoken many times about the small farm I grew up on where we raised your typical barnyard animals. But on occasion we would take in unusual offspring like the orphaned raccoon I was given when I was a teenager.
The ‘coon was just a few days old when he came to our home, and immediately my heart went out to this little fella. “Boonie”would sleep tightly curled up around my wrist at night as if he were hugging a tree limb or his mother. And like a surrogate mom, I loved and nurtured him until he was a full-grown adult.
Now, my father had warned me that this was still a wild raccoon by nature, and to respect that and not trust him.
But I didn’t see any such behavior in Boonie, so I chose to ignore my dad’s warning. I thought my love could keep him tame, so I treated him as a close friend. Oh, he would get into some mischief from time to time by going through cabinets, pulling things off the shelf, and other typical teenage mischief.
But then, I started to notice a change taking place as he approached adulthood. He was becoming more aggressive towards people.
And then one day, it happened: Boonie turned on me, and almost bit me. My dad said,“that’s it!” He released Boonie in the back of our land. I was sad for a while, but it opened up a lot of questions in my mind. Questions about our origins and about the true nature inside mankind. What caused this behavior in a creature I showed kindness to?
Why did I navigate toward the wrong things? Why was it so easy to do wrong instead of right? Why was I so rebellious towards my own parents who showed me love and kindness?
The Bible teaches that, “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked …” and “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil.” (Jer. 13: 23,, 17:9)
Obviously, this column is not about conservation, but rather transformation. The sinful human nature that we are born with is what separates us from God and pulls us in the opposite direction. It is a heart condition. Even though we can modify our behavior if we choose to, it will not change the true fallen nature inside.
There is a huge difference between animals and people. Animals cannot choose to change their true nature.
We can dress them up, call them our “fur babies,” and treat them like people, but the truth is, the heart of a dog is to be a dog, a bear will be a bear and a raccoon….well, will still be a raccoon.
Animals were created by God, but animals were NOT created in the “image of God.” People were created in the image of God. (Gen. 1:26)
You know, I used to have a sinful nature, but, praise God, I CHOSE to be reborn by putting FAITH in God’s grace and RECEIVED mercy through Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection for ALL mankind. I’m no longer a sinner by nature, or even a sinner saved by grace and holding on by a thread (LOL).
Though I can still sin, that is no longer my true nature. I no longer naturally gravitate toward it. I hate sin and the destructive nature of it.
But now my born again Spirit is perfect (Holy Spirit living in me), and my mind is still being renewed through the word of God and my body has yet to be redeemed.
It has taken a period of time to erase wrong teachings/philosophy in my mind, and replace them with the correct teaching/knowledge of the true nature of God, so I could have faith to grow closer to Him and enjoy intimacy with my Heavenly Father.
Because, when I was first born again, I knew I was forgiven of all my past sins but I still had a sin consciousness. Therefore, I thought that deep inside I still had a sin nature. I was acting out this belief, constantly coming to God and asking Him to forgive me of my sins. But instead of this mindset bringing me closer to God, it actually caused me to build MY own wall of separations between He and I.
I quit putting my faith in Jesus’ saving grace; instead, I kept identifying with my old nature. But late one night, the Lord woke me up and quite plainly, He spoke to my heart, “You are free to love me!” Wow! It is His idea! I just agreed with Him and said, “yes and amen.”
All sin has been dealt with at the cross, past, present and future. This has caused me to love Him even more and to release this love toward others time and again.
Born again believers do not have to wait until we get to Heaven to experience all the fullness and goodness of God. But I still rejoice in Him every day revisiting the joy of my salvation.)
When I get up in the morning, many times I will profess out loud something like this: “Thank you, Father God for making a way for me to know You. Thank you, Jesus, I am clothed in Your righteousness. Thank you, Lord, that I am Yours. I am a true child of God. I am so grateful You exchanged my heart of stone for a heart of flesh. You are faithful! Thank You for Your unconditional love!!”
I am not boastful, or proud, or full of myself but I am filled with His Holy Spirit and confident in who I am in Christ and Christ living in me.
We may have been born to be wild, according to satan’s plan of destruction.
But God has another plan for us: to be reborn in Christ and change our DNA. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Gal. 5:22-23
It is our choice. “Choose life.”
(The book of Galatians and Ephesians is rich in understanding who we are in Christ as born again believers. Also the book of Roma and Hebrews).
Contact Brenda Groves at: bkgroves1996@yahoo.com
