Are You F.A.T.?

At Billy Graham’s funeral, his son described him as F.A.T.— faithful, available and teachable. I’m sure I would shock my friends if I announced I wanted to be more FAT, since most women are constantly trying to be LESS fat! But what would it take to be FAT enough that someone would describe us like that at our funeral?

I’d say most people have got the faithfulness part of this acrostic down, at least the concept…maybe not so much the personal application of belief and trust. Then there’s availability—what does it mean to be available? Being available for God means saying no to other things so that you are ready when God puts a task in your path. It may be a little uncomfortable at first and require you to step out of your comfort zone, but after time, it will become more natural.

T is for teachable. To be teachable, you must be open to hearing the word, soaking up all the wisdom and goodness found within. We say that when kids are young, they are like sponges, soaking up all kinds of information which builds their little brains. The one good quality of a sponge is that when it’s soaked up all it can, you squeeze it, and it can go back to work and soak up even more liquid. What if we would soak up all we can…all the things God has taught us, all the promises and truths in His word, and then “squeeze” out all we’ve learned to others who need to know. Then we could go back, learn some more and repeat the process. Titus 2:3-5 says “Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure…” This scripture may refer to women, but it applies to men too, that mature men with wisdom and knowledge could impart what they know to younger generations. Teachable implies also that once we gain knowledge, we continue to seek more knowledge. We should never get to a place where we become unteachable, unable to glean from all God is willing to share with us this side of heaven.

So, my question for you is this…are you F.A.T.?