Be of Good Courage - I Am!

We have been on our "Journey of Hope for the Future" for a month. When we first began the journey, I was excited to watch how the Lord was going to work in our boy's life.

I still am....

...but I began to feel overwhelmed by the weight of it all.

I began to feel as if I was drowning with trying to accomplish everything I had been called to do.  The road ahead was long and the day-to-day was becoming arduous.

Then the Lord reminded me of how much I am like Peter and had to take me across the Sea of Galilee to get me to see what I had been missing about this journey on which He has sent us.

To help, let me refresh you on what Scripture tells us in Matthew 14

22 Immediately [after feeding the 5,000] He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. 

23 After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. 

24 But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. 

25 And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. 

26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. 

27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

28 Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 

29 And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 

30 But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 

32 When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. 

33 And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!”

I have always loved this passage of Scripture.  I guess you could say it would be one I could talk about so easily because it was a favorite.  I could "claim" it for others to give them encouragement when they are in storms of life because I know how the Lord is there for us.

One little thing - I was Peter here.
I knew the path that the Lord had us on was His plan. I saw Him perform the miracles of having every step of this process fall into place, just as Peter saw Jesus feed 5,000 + people on five loaves of bread and two fish preceding this passage of Scripture.

I was Peter when Jesus put the disciples in the boat while He finished up what He was doing with the 5,000 +.

Peter was a fisherman.  He knew what it was like to handle a boat! I am a teacher - I know what it is like to work with children and help them succeed!

I was Peter when he said "If it is really you, call me out of this boat to come to you."  I was Peter in that I GOT OUT OF THE BOAT - and began walking towards Jesus when He made it clear for us to COME along this path to help our son.

But then.....I was Peter in that I began to take my eyes off of the One Who had called me to this journey and began to pay attention to the wind and the waves around me.  I began to drown. I began to cry out for the Lord to save me....I was trying to do it all just as He had called me to do!  Only, I was Peter and I forgot to listen to the precious words spoken just minutes before Jesus called Peter to "come" out of the boat and walk toward Him.

I was Peter in that I forgot that Jesus said "Be of good courage.  It is I.  Be not afraid."

I learned in the last week that the translation for "It is I." should actually be rendered "I AM." When I learned that, this whole truth from God's Word began to take on deeper meaning and the Lord spoke to me as if immediately pulling me from the drowning waves asking me "Why are you of so little faith....why did you doubt?"

"Be of good courage, Kellie."

"I AM. "

"Do not be afraid of this journey and let the waves of what is ahead drown you. I never sent you on this journey alone. I knew all along what would be ahead of you.  I knew all along that you would need to keep your eyes on me with every step."

I AM.

He is not  "I Was."  "I Might."  "I Will Think About It." "I Could."

No.

I AM.

He is with me.  He is with our son. The Lord is with all circumstances He has placed in my family's lives right now because He IS!

He sent us on the boat for our son's future knowing full well what this journey was going to entail. He came to me when I was drowning in work expectations, home expectations, mom/wife expectations. He calmed my fears in the midst of this storm. He will see us to the end of this long journey.

He taught me also while grasping this passage that the "fourth watch of the night" is between 3 and 6 in the morning - exactly when I get up each day to head to school.  This is when I must call on Him and keep myself focused for that DAY.

Little did I realize that I needed to learn this deep spiritual truth because our son was battling the same overwhelming waves.  Within a couple of days, he came to me with tears in his eyes and said, "But what if this doesn't fix it?  What if nothing changes after you have gone to all of this for me?"

Be of good courage, our Son.

I AM is with us.

I could confidently tell Him what the Lord had just shown me to help him understand that the Lord had sent us on this journey and it WILL work because He is there giving us courage, picking us up when we fall, getting into the boat, and calming all of our fears.

He will see us to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.....our Journey of Hope for His Future.

So.... Be of Good Courage...

I AM.

This song has replayed in my mind over and over since the Lord deepened my understanding of His truths. May it bless you as it has me.

A Journey of Hope for the Future

When I took this photograph many years ago I never realized just how true this picture represented our son's future.  He wanted to be a farmer when he was a little guy, but things one might enjoy as a little child may not be what is still enjoyed in the older years.

For our now almost 18 year old young man, farming is still top priority, and the love for it has stayed steady and grown through the years.

There has just been one problem.

One major problem we have dealt with for years.

He hates school.  He has done poorly in school.  College was looking bleak.

We realize that farming does not require the same amount of schooling that a doctor or lawyer needs, but there is still an important aspect to education for farming.

For years we have worked with him.  We have tried to help him stay organized, keep him focused, give him study skills, etc...  He has struggled since his first year of Kindergarten.  He got a little better when we tried some medication to help him focus, but nothing has seemed to work since the 6th grade - and he is now in 11th grade.  The road to his future was not looking hopeful. 

For years we have prayed.  For years we have worked with him.  For years we have asked the Lord to help him get better.

For years. 

Years of feeling that the definition of insanity (wanting a different result but nothing changing) was our life with him.  Years of seeing our son see himself as, well, stupid.

After meeting with teachers and administrators at school we determined we would get him tested to see what we can do to help him.  He has always thought deeply, yet his attention would never let him stay on task.  We knew if we were to get him tested that would allow him to have interventions to help him where he is.

I began the process.  I printed off the 5,000 page (felt like it... it was probably just 20) packet that I needed to fill out to get him tested through the public system.

I struggled with this.  I struggled that I had not "helped" him with this years before.  I struggled with the fact it was SO much to fill out in the paperwork.  I struggled with the fact that it may not even work.  I struggled with the knowledge I learned that certain interventions had to already be in place for an extended time before the public system would even think to begin the testing process.

I struggled with the timing of it all.

I never really filled out all of the paperwork.

School began again in the fall. I felt like there was no hope - we would just have to push through and he would have to study harder.  He would have to put more effort into school.  He was just going to have to do it!

I accepted that school was not his thing.  I tried to cheer him on - only to have him come home and say that he was struggling yet again even though he was studying. We were at our wits end - we had no idea what to do.

Then came October - and the Lord used an event in my own life as the beginning of a Journey of Hope.  Through "chance", some might say, I was able to earn a free testing/consultation with a brain training company in our area.  What is so coincidental is that this was the same company I had written on a sticky note some years ago when he was struggling.  I was going to check them out - but money was the only obstacle. The testing was not through a public system so we would have to pay for it out of pocket.  Now, because of this surprise, I could schedule the testing.  I was just glad he would now have something to help his teachers give him more time to think in class and understand his focus issues.

We had him tested in late December. We were able to get the results at the very beginning of January.

What we learned blew us away.

Our son was not being "lazy" all of those years.  It was not just a case of Attention Deficit Disorder.    He was struggling - big time.  Our son was especially thankful for the testing - because he said now he was not crazy - or stupid - there really was a reason he had struggled for so long.

We knew the Lord had opened this door for him to be tested - now what?  We began to pray and ask the Lord what He would have us to do to help our son.

As we began to pray, the Lord began FLINGING open doors for him to begin his training. The Lord made it clear to me that I would have to be a part of this training process - meaning, I would be spending four hours each week training him at home, while he also had three hours a week with his trainer. This would last for nine months. This was certainly going to be a journey.

I cannot adequately express just how many ways the Lord directed our steps with this process for him. I look back now and am blown away by how He moved and worked in a seemingly quick time. However, we have been praying for his needs for years!

In God's timing, not ours, the needs of our son were being met.

Now I look to this journey - this "Journey of Hope for the Future" - and my son now actually sees HOPE.

This journey will not have its hardships - there is a lot of time that will be spent helping him. It will be hard.  I almost have the feeling you get in college when you look at the syllabus for a semester and get that knot in your stomach because you do not know how you are going to do everything.  I have been trying to wrap my mind around the fact that life for the next nine months will be totally different than any other. It is going to be challenging in so many ways. I have found myself wanting to rush through it just to get to the end.  I want it "over already."

But then the Lord began to bring this to my mind and heart:

The first nine months I carried him, along with his twin sister, was a new journey - and one I did not know how I was going to handle.  There were challenges along the way that I did not know how I was going to get through.  There were times I wanted it "over already" but I had to wait.  The Lord was there with me each step of the journey, just like He is now.  The Lord has put this journey before us to enable our son to have a HOPE and a FUTURE.

I just have to WAIT - and see what the Lord is going to do through this journey.  Meanwhile, I get to watch His plan unfold with a front row seat.  How awesome is that?

These are some verses the Lord has given to me in the last couple of weeks.  I have clung to them as I have been trying to figure out how I am going to get everything done.  I can trust that my Heavenly Father will walk with me every step of the way.

Isaiah 64:4

For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear,

Nor has the eye seen a God besides You,

Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

...and finally, the "theme" verse for my son and me as we train together.  Truth from the Lord for this Journey...

Ephesians 3:20-21a

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,  

to Him be glory

This Journey of Hope was not chance.  This journey was hand-directed by our Heavenly Father who knew the needs of our son when he was still in my womb 18 years ago.  In HIS timing, all of the plans He has for him are coming together.

To God be the glory - great things He has done - and will continue to do. 

He is to be praised.

When God Is Silent

Have you ever looked up to the heavens and wondered if God was really listening because it seemed as if He has been silent for so long?

You have prayed and prayed for something to change or be taken away. In the times of trying to listen to His voice, He has remained silent.

I must first admit that this has been the case for me with this blog post.

I have had a long silence without something from the Lord with which to share on here.  I love to write - but have felt very dry and without words.  I have felt the Lord has been silent to me.

It has been a very busy fall.  Once school started it has been difficult for me to really find a great amount of time to be still before the Lord.  That frustrated me.... I love to just sit at His feet but I felt I was being Martha so much more than Mary.  In that, I felt that sometimes God was silent.

However, what the Lord has been showing me collectively over the past few months has now come together in a culmination of how He has NOT been silent. He never really is...

Back in the summer we decided to be more up-to-date in the TV world and purchased an Amazon Fire Stick.  You might wonder why that has anything to do with what I am writing.. bear with me.  I had recently stumbled upon documentaries on my Kindle Fire.  Now, with the Fire Stick, I could watch them on the regular TV as well.  I began to open up the world of historical learning for this always learning brain of mine. Most of my friends and family thought I was crazy - and still do for the most part. :)  I realize documentaries are not on most people's list of wonderful things to do, but I desired to learn more about ancient history so I could understand more of what was happening in the background as I read God's Word.

I learned about ancient Greece and Rome in ways that I failed to do in high school and college.  Partly because I usually fell asleep in class. I am being honest here!

I also began to make connections with what really was going on historically and it helped me understand more deeply of what I was reading in God's Word.

As the past semester of school began to get crazier, and my time with the Lord began to be more sporadic, my feeling of God's silence became overwhelming at times. I felt the need to go searching more deeply in the history of it all.

That led me to what I am writing about now - when God is silent. I began to dig more deeply into the history of what happened "between the Testaments".  Meaning - what happened between the Old and New Testaments when God was silent to His people.  I was curious as to why He was so silent.

From what I am understanding in my research, there were no Prophets to the Jewish nation after the book of Malachi was written. There was silence from God for four hundred years.

However, God's Presence is so evident in what happened in those four hundred years.  Prophecies were fulfilled from Daniel where Greek and Roman Empires would burst upon the world scene and make everything that was revealed in the Old Testament of the coming Messiah to fall into place. The Greeks made a way for all people to understand a language.  The Romans built more sophisticated systems and roads so that eventually, followers of Christ could travel and share with the known world how Jesus, the Messiah, gave His life for us on the cross and rose again.

All of those systems had to fall into place and arranged in such a way for the perfect timing of God's Son coming to earth. It was time for Emmanuel - God WITH us.

This set of verses has taken on deeper meaning to me this Christmas:

Galatians 4:4,5 

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 

to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

I am continuing to learn that God's timing is everything.

When I feel God is silent and not listening.

When I wonder if He really cares.

He is always there working even when I cannot see it.

One thing is for certain, during this dry season I have found that I have been searching for Him more. I have desired to seek Him and find Him with my whole heart to find out why He has been so silent.

In that seeking, He has revealed Himself to me through ways I did not fully grasp at the time.  I now have a deeper understanding of Him because of the silence. He used the "things of the world" to draw me to Him in ways I never would have if He had not been silent.  He used the nations of this world to fulfill His plans to bring His Son into this world at just the exact time, and the Lord continues to show me that sometimes He uses the world I see today, or events in my life from this world, to draw me closer to Him. 

During those silent times from God, one has two choices.  One can either choose to believe and trust even when the silence is deafening.  Or, one can reject that He cares and live life as if He doesn't exist.  

There were both of those examples represented when Luke 2 happened. 

I desire to be one that chooses to believe even when the silence is deafening. Christmas is about God breaking the silence to proclaim His Good News and Truth.  

Long ago the Shepherds were going about their normal routine that night on the hillside of Bethlehem. God broke the silence and shared the Good News of His Son, the Savior, being born. The same is true for us all. We need only seek Him and trust Him as we wait for the silence to be broken.  He is working all things for our good and His glory.

Luke 2:1-14

1  In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 
2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 
3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 
to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 
6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 
7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.


8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 
9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 
10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 
12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Do you trust me?..... I DON'T KNOW

This word.

Many times we use that word without really thinking about what it means.

Sometimes people have lost that word and do not know where to find it.

I experienced a spin on this yesterday at school that caused me to muse over the word and dig a little deeper.

I have actually written about something similar a few years ago, but what happened yesterday took it further.

As I have begun my new school year with new little ones I know that trust is a huge thing they are learning about me.

Some of my precious ones have never met me before.

Some knew me from the hallways but did not know exactly who I am.

Yesterday we went outside and I went through areas on the playground that I know can be difficult for the children.

There is actually FEAR in some little hearts about playing on some of the playground equipment.

Because I know this, I want to help my precious ones overcome some of their fears so that they will be able to enjoy outside time even more.  They will be able to accomplish things that will grow them physically, but also grow their confidence.

One such area is a climbing apparatus we call "the volcano".  This is basically a climbing wall that is shaped kind of like a volcano.  Climbing is hard stuff.  For a second grader, sometimes climbing this wall can be as big as someone telling me to climb a mountain with no safety leads.

I continue to tell my precious ones that I will be there if they need me.  Many of them scaled up one side with no problem and handled going down the opposite side in the same way.  They were successful immediately.

Others did well with climbing up, but coming down was a different matter.  There was a need of reassurance.  There was a need of knowing I was there on the other side cheering them onward.

Then there were the ones who were just looking at that "mountain" and did not see how they were going to even begin the climb.  Such a small piece of equipment in my eyes was Mount Everest to their little hearts.

My last precious one was like this last description.  She was petrified.

As I stood beside her on the ground looking up I told her I was right there with her.  I would never leave her and would be there to support her.  She could do it!  She was finally convinced enough to begin the climb, with me holding her underneath, and successfully placed both feet on the top landing.

SUCCESS!

Now for the downward climb.  I raced around the equipment to meet her on the other side.

Only, this time it was not a simple task to convince her she would be fine on the descent.

Let's stop and think.... going down is a backward maneuver. There is no way for you to correctly grasp the climbing hold if you are facing outward.  You also need to be able to place your feet on each hold as you go down.

That means you are going down "blind" in a way.  You are not able to really see the next hold - you have to trust that it is there.

This terrified my precious one. While she saw she made it to the top,  she could not see how she would get down the other side.  The ladder on the side of the equipment was her easy solution - and one she was convinced was the only way down for her.

The teacher in me knew that learning this new skill would benefit her more than she would ever know. I also knew I was right there and would help her down so she did not need to fear.

I stood on the holds of the side of that climbing wall for a long time talking with this precious one.  She was convinced that she couldn't do it.  She was tearful because of the fear she was facing.

I was there, holding her, telling her she could do it.  I was going to hold her the whole way.

I asked her "Do you trust me?".....

"I DON'T KNOW!" was her answer.

As I am holding her tightly, this precious one still could not understand I would not let her fall.  I would be right below her guiding every step she took on those holds.  She was so afraid of what might happen she couldn't feel my tight arms around her waiting to bring her down the other side.

No matter what I said, how I said it, or God's truths I shared, there was no convincing this sweet one that she could trust me.

I asked the Lord to help me know a way to get her down.  I knew the ladder was the easy way, but the confidence she needed to gain would be lost.

He then gave me an idea.

"How about we go down together?  You face me, hold me tight, and I will carry you down."

"OK...." replied that gentle, sweet voice.

Immediately the tears changed to more of trust when she turned to face me and held my neck.  I told her to hold on tight and I would do the same.

The next minute, she was over the edge.  She was coming down the other side with me holding her while she held my neck.

After the first step she said "I CAN DO IT!".... and she certainly did.  She turned backward at this point and began to make her descent.  And I was there the whole time making sure her feet met the holds.

When she got down there was a beam of light radiating from her face because she realized she had done something she never thought she would do.  I picked her up and twirled her around.  I kissed her head.  I felt a surge of love for this precious one that she would never know.

She did what she thought she could not.

And she learned to trust me in the process.

This whole scene revealed to me a deeper knowledge of how the Lord sees me when He is challenging me or pushing me to do something that is hard.  I am unsure of how to trust Him to find the first step.

I am going down "blind" in this hard circumstance.

The Heavenly Father knows that facing this new challenge would benefit me more than I would ever know. He also knows He is right there and will help me down so I never need to fear.

He is there holding me and asking me "Do you trust me?" and many times I shout out to Him, "I DON'T KNOW!"

But He never gives up.  He continues to give me His truths.

Then He tells me to hang on and He will carry me through it.

My confidence in HIM changes everything.  Not only has He showed me how I could walk through a hard time I did not think I could handle, but HE HELD ME through it all.  He brought me down the other side of the rock wall of my circumstance.

When I did not think He was there, He always was.

He taught me to trust Him more. The hard times are worth it because my trust in Him strengthens.



Are you facing a backward descent of a "rock wall" circumstance?

Remember, God is there holding you as you begin - and carrying you if needed.  The way may be hard and uncertain, but the finish is more rewarding than you could ever dream possible.

TRUST HIM.

He is waiting to twirl you around, kiss your head, and show you a love you would never have known if you had not learned to trust Him alone.

"What's So Bad About a Pop-Tart!?"

The great American Pop-Tart.

What's so bad about them!?

When I was younger it was rare that I was actually able to bite into these delicious breakfast treats.  I could eat a whole box at one sitting if I had been allowed.  My sweet tooth has been a force of reckoning throughout my life!

When I got married, and didn't have to abide by the food rules of my family, I began to feel excited at the prospect of purchasing these scrumptious pastries to add to my breakfast.  I can remember the moment of realizing that I didn't have to tell myself NO.  I put them in my cart.  I bought them and brought them home with a "winner" mentality.

Then came the hard truth that I didn't realize until later in my life.  They did not fill me as I had hoped.  In fact, I would be quite hungry later after eating them.  I began to realize they were not filled with the wonderful goodness I had thought.

After years of trying to find the best breakfast that would leave me feeling satisfied and not causing me to get quite grumpy from unstable blood sugar, I can now look back on the Pop-Tart and realize they aren't so good.   

In fact, I recently was asked the question "What's so bad about a Pop-Tart!?" when I had been discussing having egg, sausage and toast for breakfast one morning with someone else.  Having had the experience of WHY the Pop-Tart is bad, I began to go through the facts in my head:

Cheap food.

Imitation.

Empty Calories.

High sugar.

High sugar leads to high insulin in your body.

High insulin leads to increased hunger.

Increased hunger causes you to crave the high sugar.

The cycle repeats.

Bad eating produces bad results.

Diabetes, heart disease, obesity.

And you wonder why you feel tired, listless, and in a "brain fog."

Well, you ARE what you eat.

I have experienced the cheap food breakfast and the real food breakfast.  I can see such a difference it makes in my entire day.  In the last year I have been going to a Nutritionist and what she has taught me has brought all things full circle.  She has helped me see why the Pop-Tart is not healthy in any part.

As I "chewed" on what is so bad about a Pop-Tart after having that conversation, the Lord led me to apply that to my spiritual life.

I have lived off the "Pop-Tart" walk with the Lord and found my soul was not being nourished.  I lived like this for years thinking I was being a steadfast Christian.  I was "feeding" through reading a My Daily Bread or other type of devotional booklet.  I would read a few verses from the Bible in between Sundays when I would go to church.  I thought I was doing my spiritual body good!  What's so bad about Pop-Tart Christianity!?

Little did I realize that the cheap food of quick devotions and a verse or two was causing me to become irritable, craving the wrong things to satisfy, dealing with spiritual heart disease, and becoming obese in my pride.  The "empty calories" were fooling me into thinking I was growing because I had "fed" myself spiritually.  I just didn't realize that the cheaper food, while still food, was not making me spiritually healthy.

It wasn't until my Nutritionist - Jesus Christ - the Bread of Life and the Living Water - began to speak to my soul, shake up my world in spiritual checkups, and help me to see I needed to stop eating the "Pop-Tart" Christianity of quick devotions.  I began eating a healthy, balanced diet of His Word. I learned how to devour His truths and saw how He alone filled me.

My spiritual health began to strengthen.  I no longer became irritable at the slightest thing.  My cravings began to be less and less of the world and more of my Savior who fills me.  My heart disease began to take a turn for the better. Through exercise of reading God's Word, and walking closely with my Savior, my obesity of pride was reduced.

Just as eating healthy for me physically is a challenge every day, so are the spiritual aspects of eating healthy.  There are days I think it might be OK to grab that "Pop-Tart" Christianity and go on with my day.  However, I begin to remember how I felt - spiritually unhealthy and left wanting - and I go back to the deeper feeding in God's Word.


"What's so bad about a Pop-Tart?"  - or "Pop-Tart Christianity?"

Well... they are just empty calories that actually do more harm than good, will never fill you, and will leave you wanting.

Feed on God's Word and you will never hunger and never thirst.  Your spiritual life will be stronger and you will be able to run the race the Lord has placed before you.

I AM PETER.....

It is Easter.

In preparing my heart for Easter, the Lord has reminded me of who I am.

He has reminded me that I am Peter.  Maybe you see yourself here, as well.  Scriptures have been placed by each area - I challenge you to read them for yourself.

Here is how the Lord has shown me I am Peter:

I am Peter because I have been like a rock - hardened. (John 1:42)

I am Peter because I went about doing my job to the best of my ability and doubted the Lord when He called me to work in His way. (Luke 5:5)

I am Peter because I was called by Him even though He knew how weak I really was. (Luke 6:14)

I am Peter because I declared Him my Messiah. ( Mark 8:27-30)

I am Peter because I let the storms of life around me take my gaze off of Christ and I begin to sink. (Matthew 14:29-31)

I am Peter because I thought I knew what the Word meant but still could not see the Truth right in front of me. (Matthew 15:13-16)

I am Peter because I think I can tell the Lord what is better than what He already knows has to happen. (Mark 8:31-33)

I am Peter because I have thought I had figured out all things spiritual. (Luke 9:32-33)

I am Peter because even when I do not realize it, the Lord is teaching me. (Matthew 17:24-27)

I am Peter because I feel self-righteous when I make high spiritual comments that sound good to me, but fall short of what the Lord is really trying to show me. (Matthew 18:21-22)

I am Peter because even though my sin causes me to wander away from Him, I still think I would NEVER wander away and would always stand for what is right.  (Mark 14:27-31)

I am Peter because even though the Lord knew I would wander away, HE HAS PRAYED FOR ME. (Luke 22:31-34)

I am Peter because when the Lord desires to do something for me I want to argue and, again, think I know what is better. I speak before I think. (John 13:3-9)

I am Peter because when the Lord calls me to be close to Him, I fall asleep. (Matthew 26:36-46)

I am Peter because I want to handle a crisis in my own way. (John 18:10-11)

I am Peter because I deny Him in my words and actions - even when I said I never would. (Mark 14:66-72)

I am Peter because I have seen the Lord and His love by remembering His Word while fully realizing my failures.  (Luke 22:61)

I am Peter because I have felt so guilty of what I said I would not do, I hid and wept bitterly.  (Matthew 26:75)

I am Peter because in my shame I have hidden and not come to the cross - where I needed to be. (Peter is never mentioned in Scripture of being at the Crucifixion.)

I am Peter because Christ died for me, too. (John 19:30)

I am Peter because the Lord remembered me by name when He conquered sin and death.  (Mark 16:6-7)

I am Peter because I am trying to fully grasp that my Lord died for me and truly has risen and conquered death. (John 20:2-10)

I am Peter because I think that even though Christ conquered my sin - my failures will define my future and I cannot be used by Him. (John 21:3)

I am Peter because the Lord reminds me, again, to do as He has said. (John 21:6)

I am Peter because the Lord still loves me despite my failures. (John 21:15-19)

I am Peter because the Lord grows me and makes me become bold in telling others about Him. (Acts 2:14-41)

I am Peter because, as I age, I see more and more of what Christ did for me on the cross and how I desire to be a true follower of Him. (I Peter and II Peter)

Because I am Peter, I know the following is so true:

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but all should come to repentance.  - II Peter 3:9

But the God of all grace who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.  To him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. - I Peter 5:10-11

Come Running Like a Prodigal

The parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 came alive to me a few years ago.  I was at a Chris Tomlin concert where Louie Giglio, a pastor from Atlanta, Georgia, gave a mini sermon and explained that passage of Scripture in a way I had never grasped:  The picture of the father running to meet his wayward son.

Since then, that has been a beautiful passage to me and I view it with different eyes.  Recently, I was listening to a sermon that used that passage of Scripture and it brought it to light again. 

The Lord allowed me to use that same passage with one of my own children recently and he continued to teach me His truths as I read the passage to my own.

Being a teenager is hard in this world.  

Being  an adult is hard in this world.

No matter what age we are in life, we can be just like that Prodigal Son from Luke 15.  For those of you not as familiar, I shall recap the story for you:

There was a man who had two sons.  The younger of the two sons decided he wanted his inheritance right then so he could go live his life the way he wanted.  The father graciously allowed this - and gave both of his sons their inheritance while he was still living.  The younger son goes out and parties - hard.  He lives life to the fullest - or so he thinks.  Once his money runs out, so does his "friends" and the great lifestyle he thought had given him joy.  Then, there is a famine in the land.  He becomes so desperate for food that he becomes a servant to a local man, and was willing to eat the husks he was feeding the pigs.  He finally comes to his senses, when he is at the end of himself, and decides to go back home to be a servant for his father.  He felt he was not worthy to be called his son anymore but he would be treated better by doing so.  As the young man is coming home, the Scripture tells us the father, who had been constantly looking for his son, runs to meet him.  He wraps his arms around the son and calls for his servants to bring him clothing, kill a calf, and get ready for a celebration.  His son was back home.  His son was still loved.

The Prodigal Son looked at what the world offered and thought it was worth going after.  We are no different because many times we go after the same emptiness. Satan likes to make the world look so inviting - and then he likes to tell us how bad we are by degrading us as we wallow in the pig sty of our own doing.

Notice what the Lord showed in this parable of what has to happen when we finally realize we need to come back HOME.

1.  When the Prodigal Son had spent all of his money, there came a famine - he was in want.

When we realize the world doesn't satisfy we begin to find we are in "want."  Want for what?  We begin searching.... and sometimes that searching is all about what WE think will fix the emptiness and the satisfaction.

2.  The Prodigal Son then went to a man in the country where he was living at the time and searched for his own way of getting his emptiness filled.  In his desperation to become filled he was willing to eat the food given to the pigs.  He found out that didn't satisfy either.  

We also begin looking for other ways to fill our emptiness.  We fill it with activities, music, movies, hobbies, or just the "fix-it-myself" mentality.  Those never satisfy the famine in our souls that the world leaves behind.

3.  The Prodigal Son comes to his senses.  He thought that even though he felt he was not worthy to be called his father's son any longer, he would at least serve his father.  It would be better than live in the life of emptiness he was facing then.  Nothing HE tried was working.

The Lord draws us back to Him from our own pig sty.  He reminds us through different ways that what WE try to do to fix the problem never works.  The only way to be filled again is in His love and care.  The Lord may use parents, other family, friends, circumstances, or hitting rock bottom to bring us to that reality.

4.  The Prodigal Son comes home - and as he is coming he sees his father running TO him.  His father never once stopped looking for him to come back home.  His father never once stopped loving him. The father clothes him, puts shoes on his feet, a ring on his finger, and kills a fatted calf in his honor - something that was only reserved for highly special occasions.  The prodigal son had nothing left of himself - but he was never hungry again.  His father filled him with all he would ever need.

The same can be said of our Heavenly Father.  There is no distance too far that He is not searching for us to come back to Him.  He runs TO us.  We have to finally have nothing left of ourselves so that our Heavenly Father can clothe us in His righteousness and fill us with the "fatted calf" of His truths, love, and grace.  When we are safe in our Father's arms we are able to be filled completely.

You are never too far gone.

You are never too low.

You are never rejected.

God's love reaches farther than we can imagine.

This world never satisfies.

When the famine from this world comes - come running like a Prodigal to our Heavenly Father.  

There is a fatted calf waiting for you.