To become an Eagle scout you have to earn 21 badges. There are 16 badges that are required plus five electives. (I earned 23, thank you very much.) In actuality you really only need a small percentage of what is available. But some scouts were really into the badges and kept on going.
Badges? We don't need no stink'n badges.
OK. I got that out of my system. There are a lot of awards and badges that are handed out these days, Some like the scouts have a set of requirements that must be completed. Others are given out just for showing up. It is really common in children's competitions for every child to get some type of an award, no matter what the level of success.
But this type of need to recognize isn't restricted to children's activities. As an adult it is not uncommon to be given certificates at the end of training seminars for the distinct accomplishment of staying awake through almost all of it. I remember after one day long workshop being given a certificate IN A FRAME. No kidding. Did someone there really think that we were going to want to display it? There is a lot more to our experiences than the badges that we earn.
As a Christian, life isn't about badges. The walk with Christ isn't about checking off certain things on our to do list. We can't meet requirements 1 through 8 then be done with the process. It is about changing everything. To follow Christ is to change our entire perspective, to see the world from a new point of view, to consider things in a new way, to totally transform our heart.
We are incapable of loving the world around us in the way that God loves. He loves unconditionally and perfectly. We are just not wired in a way that makes that possible. But if we accept the grace of God and allow ourselves to be redeemed through Jesus Christ, then our hearts can be transformed and the love of God can flow through us.
It is not a badge to be earned, but rather a gift to be received.
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