My oldest son and I departed for his 9th grade high school orientation earlier this evening. Before we left, I could see the nervousness in his eyes and tried to reassure him that all would be o.k. I believe my words fell on his ears like the WAH-WAH-WAAAH-WAAAAHs of Charlie Brown's teacher. Regardless I pressed on, so I jumped in the car and off we sped to his new school.
Sitting through the intros and briefings he started to warm up to it all, and before we knew it we were on the tour and then out the door. I took the long way home so that I could speak with him on what was to come, expectations, and to try and instill a little bit of encouragement. I told him how important his attitude toward school is to his future, how these four years go by like a day - so make the day count.
So I encouraged him to try new things, "[be bold and do what others won't or discourage you from doing.]" But the one thing I told him that was most important over school itself, was his relationship with God. He could do it all, be the best student, get the best grades, or even be a super jock, but those things won't matter if His relationship with God is non-existent. Continuing I explained how God will get him through the tough times, the hard challenges, and life in general...He will be there when we fall to pick us up.
That of course took me back to my quiet time today in Luke 22:31-32. In this passage, Christ is speaking to Simon (Peter) and he says, 31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." What I found so impressive with this is that Christ knew that Peter would go back to his old ways (so he calls him Simon), and emphasizes that his failure was certain. But that doesn't stop Christ from loving him. No....because he knows Peter's heart and realizes that he will return to him (the relationship), and when he does, he encourages him to strengthen others.
When we fail - he will pick us up too; brush us off; and send us out to help others. But without the relationship, sometimes it can feel like we are all alone in process. So I echo, "Come near to God and he will come near to you..." ~ James 4:8. Draw into him, through the GOOD TIMES as well as the BAD.
I think DC Talk hits it home with these lyrics -
What if I stumble, what if I fall?
What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all?
Will the love continue when my walk becomes a crawl?
What if I stumble, and what if I fall?
...
I hear You whispering my name. You say,
"My love for You will never change".
......
He whispers so that we will quite our souls and LISTEN. He waits for us to draw in to Him, because His Love has and will never change.
Our Prayer:
Lord God, be with my oldest son this coming school year and help guide him in his journey. Most importantly open his eyes to you O'Lord, that he will walk faithfully with you all the days of his life. Be there when he stumbles to strengthen his faith as you raise him up out of it. Be with those that are reading this that have faced similar struggles in their own life or the life of a loved one. Give them ears to hear your voice, the wisdom to discern your ways, and the strength to persevere. In Christ's precious and Holy Name. AMEN!
In Him,
Mitch
4 comments:
Thank you Mitch for sharing that God will always be there for us, even when we fall, stumble and lose our direction, he will gently call our name and draw us to Him, if we but listen. It was a rough week, and I had really stumbled over something and was verbal about it, hurting the person with strong language and anger. I was more destroyed then the person because I knew instantly I wasn't Christ like and I would need to ask forgiveness for what I said. I was so broken that I couldn't even ask the Lord to forgiven me let alone someone else. I have had no comfort in my brokenness until I read what you wrote. Thank you Jesus for speaking to me today thru Mitch.
Thank you very much for your kind comments. Isn't it amazing how God works....He is always there to point us in the right direction at just the time when we need it the most. Whether it is a passage in scripture, kinds words from a brother or sister, or happening upon a website at just the right moment. If we just draw into Him we can hear His still quiet voice and be comforted. I pray that He is providing that to you right now. Thanks for stopping by and we hope to hear from you again!
i love this, Mitch! I love the advice you told your son about his relationship with God. It's so very true. No other accomplishments matter if you have no relationship with God.
I also know that sometimes God will let us stumble and have hard times. It's how we grow and learn and how we also learn to become closer to Him. He does not leave us. He lets us learn and then helps us heal.
Hugs to you!
Erin
Thanks Erin, you are quite the encourager yourself. It is a blessing to hear such kind words and to know that their are folks out their being reached through this ministry. Take care and continue the great comments!!!
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