Would you want to be in Peter’s shoes when he realizes Jesus’ prophetic prediction of his denial has just come true? Peter’s famous last words to Jesus, as we read them in the book of Mark, were, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you” (The Bible, ESV Study Bible. English Standard Version. Mark 14:31, emphasis added). Jesus had just told Peter that he would deny Him not just once but thrice that night before the rooster crowed twice (Mark 14:30). Jesus predicted Peter’s denial of Him.
Peter boasted of his loyalty before danger struck. Still, sure enough, when push came to shove, Peter felt fear sweep over him as he warmed himself by the fire. While Jesus was being questioned, spit on, and beaten – he denied knowing Jesus. Just then, a rooster crowed, and then again, he denied it, and the third time, he swore that he did not know Jesus. Each denial is more intense, but he recoiled when the rooster crowed for the second time. Saddened, Peter remembered the words of Jesus at that moment and wept bitterly when he realized what he had done (Mark 14:66-72). His betrayal probably made him think of himself as another Judas. We must remember that his treachery had happened just moments before. Peter may fear that he cannot be forgiven considering what Jesus said: whoever denies Him, He will deny before the Father (Matt. 10:33).
Nevertheless, as we read in the book of John, after Jesus’ resurrection, upon finishing breakfast, Jesus takes Peter aside for a private conversation. He asks him three times if he loves Him, each more intensely. Does that sound familiar? Peter gets frustrated and hurt by Jesus’ questioning, but each time, we see Jesus asking Peter to feed and tend to His lambs and sheep (John 21:15-17 emphasis added). Through everything, Jesus knows Peter needs restoration. He offers grace, letting Peter know He has forgiven him and that God can still use him for Kingdom work (Osborne 291).
Today, we can all say we have fallen short and sometimes betrayed or denied Jesus. Still, in His grace, God offers restoration and opportunities to use us to further the Kingdom by feeding His sheep, although He does not need us to complete His mission. What a blessing that He chooses to use us. I pray we turn to Him in repentance when we fail so our fellowship with Christ can be restored.
A few years ago, traveling on my first mission trip to Harlem with a group from church, I boarded our connecting flight in Atlanta to see a woman sitting in the front row who seemed slightly rattled. Putting her hands over her face, she sighed deeply and glanced at the boarding passengers as she let out a huge exhale.
I had just finished reading the book, Praying for Strangers by River Jordan, and I instantly knew I had to pray for her. But that wasn’t all; I needed to tell her. After all, that is what happened to the author in the book on several occasions. She felt the person needed to know someone was praying for them.
So, just as I passed by her seat, I leaned in and whispered in her ear, “I’m praying for you.”
The look she shot me sent arrows through my body, and I straightened and quickly found my seat. I told God as I sat down that I had done my part; I prayed for her and told her. The rest was up to Him. I didn’t know what was happening in her life, but God did.
I settled in and forgot all about the encounter. When we landed, and I went through the airport, I saw my group huddled in a circle peering into their phones. As I walked up, one girl asked me if I had seen her.
“See who?” I asked.
“Octavia Spencer!” She reported excitedly.
“Where was she?” I asked, almost knowing but wanting to be sure.
“On the front row. I asked her if she was trying not to be noticed,” The girl said.
“Which side?” I continued to question.
“On the right.” She turned her phone to show me the image.
“Yes, I saw her and whispered in her ear that I was praying for her,” I told the group nervously.
They cackled with laughter, and one of the guys said, “I love it!” All the church groups competed on who could see the biggest star. I think we had just beat them with my whisper.
I kept watching for her on talk shows, imagining that she would tell everyone about the crazy lady on the plane. Now, I have a closer connection, and when I watch her in movies, that memory makes me laugh. I still pray for strangers, but this has been my only celebrity encounter…so far.
As a child, I was terrified of thunderstorms, as most kids are. I knew someone a little older than me who loved to see a storm brewing in the midst. With nose pressed to the pane, he delighted in watching the strikes pierce the night as they danced across the moonless sky. But not me. I buried my head as deep underneath the covers as I could, no matter how hot. Mom hung blankets over the windows to block out the lighting, but that didn’t keep the thunder from penetrating my ears.
These days, I am more drawn to the window to see God’s handiwork. I welcome the storms, in a strange turn of events, especially at night. The flashes and rolling thunder remind me that God is in control, which comforts me. I no longer need to cover the windows. If I were the one in control, there would be reason to bury my head.
We can respond the same way when life’s storms come. Even as Christ-followers, we are not exempt from the pains in this life. Sometimes we want to bury our heads. But we can rely on God to see us through the storms because He is still in control no matter what happens. That brings comfort, even through fearful times.
He is a good Father who provides shelter, but He also disciplines us for our good and supplies us with a way back when we stumble. God is not watching and waiting for us to mess up so He can waggle His finger at us or punish us. He wants the best for us. He longs for us to come to Him.
He is our Rock, Fortress, and Deliverer (2 Sam. 22:2, ESV; Col. 1:13), Way-maker and Way-forward, Strength, Shield (Ps. 28:7), Rescuer (Acts 12:11), Shepherd (Ps. 23:1), Promise Keeper (2 Cor. 1:20), Redeemer (Job 19:25), Lord and Savior (2 Peter 1:11), Steadfast Anchor (Heb. 6:19), Hope in the dark (Rom. 15:13), Safe Haven (Ps. 36:7), and the Giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:12) and that is just the beginning. His arms are wide open, waiting for us to run into them with childlike wonder. It is there that we find complete rest.
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28, NLT, emphasis added).
After I became an unattached woman for the first time in my adult life, I realized I needed to figure out what I wanted to do and who I was instead of riding on the coattails of others. I was never good at making decisions, but being single forced me to change. My relationship with God plays a huge role in the decisions I make, along with knowing who I am and whose I am – as a child of God.
Since my bucket list became more prominent after my accident, I began to take trips alone to check them off. This season in my life was empowering and eventful. I did more in a couple of years than in my lifetime. Things I once feared and thought I would never be able to do by myself. One of those things was fly fishing in a creek – with waders – I was too excited about the waders. I have written about my experience before, but a recent writing class assignment brought back one detail of that trip that made a big impression—the mayfly.
While in the creek, I listened closely to my guide, and I remember his making a point to show me a mayfly that landed gracefully on his arm as I caught fish. He seemed honored to witness its presence, explaining that their lifespan is so short that they only make it a few hours to a day at most. It made an impression at the time, but I had recently researched the elusive creature in Encyclopedia Britannica when I was tasked with writing a poem and needed fresh inspiration.
Living their one short life fully with one task – laying thousands of eggs for the next generation – stood out to me as a purposeful mission we can learn from. They also indicate a clean water supply as they cannot survive in polluted waters. They begin their lives as larvae at the bottom of the creek bed and go through as many as twenty life stages before emerging above the surface to spread their wings for a day, lay eggs, and die.
The slippery rocks in the stream I was navigating represent how easy it is to fall back into the same patterns and pitfalls the enemy tries to trap us. Just as I had a guide leading me through the creek, God guides us and provides us with sure-footed steps to hold us up through treacherous waters. The mayfly represents living in the moment. What if, in our lives, we lived a purpose-filled life for Christ with our one life as intended?
(A time when conditions are right for accomplishing a crucial action: the opportune and decisive moment – Merriam-Webster)
I can look back over my life and see times when I was at a crossroads. These Kairos moments were critical. I could choose life or death. I didn’t realize they were such desperate choices then, but they were. There were two pivotal moments in my life when I could pinpoint where a decision had to be made – for the first one – the devil was in my ear. Newsflash – the devil is a liar! It coincides with the beginning of the year I had dreaded since childhood. Maybe God was trying to warn me, but I chose the wrong path and dove deeper into darkness: keeping secrets, telling half-truths (which are a lie), and panic attacks that took my breath in the middle of the night; I cried myself to sleep more times than I can count. Bottom line: I was miserable, and it only got worse.
I often chose the wrong path, which I now know led to a type of death – loss of self-worth, my identity, and self-control, and I took on lots of fear and shame because of it. It led to my darkest moments when I put a man in the seat only God is to hold in my life and heart. I now know my identity is only found in Christ as a daughter of the King. I have no reason to fear – perfect love casts out fear (I John 4:18, ESV).
I wasn’t rooted in God’s Word and steeped in His love then. But when I hit rock bottom – broken in every sense of the word – a broken heart, bones, mind, and spirit. That is when Crossroads # 2 presented itself, only this time – I chose God! It was the first time I asked God what He wanted. I surrendered to His will and went all in. It is the best decision I have ever made. I have repeatedly had to tell the devil to take a hike since. There is spiritual warfare and a battle that can only be fought with the help of spiritual weapons (armor of God), the Holy Spirit, and the mighty name of Jesus. I had to renounce soul ties, destroy strongholds, and claim my inheritance as God’s child. In the words of David, God’s Word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path (Ps. 119:105).
Have you ever thought about the crossroads you met over the years? Maybe you are at one now.
What are three things you would tell yourself if you could? I would say to myself:
The devil is a liar (John 8:44, ESV).
Don’t settle for anything less than God’s best.
You can have a relationship with God and learn to put Him first.
Let’s take a moment to unpack those. First, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6, emphasis added). He tells the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32, emphasis added). They question him about being a slave. In verses 34-36, he explains that everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin, but the Son (Jesus Christ) can free you. The devil would like us to think the opposite. He can twist the truth to appeal to the flesh and make us feel free to do as we please with our bodies, which leads me to number two.
Not settling for anything less than God’s best means not compromising integrity for momentary pleasure. It is not worth it, and it leads to death. The Cambridge Dictionary defines integrity as the quality of being honest with strong moral principles. God always wants the best for us. God must be our biggest desire, which leads me to number three.
I always believed in God, even as a child. But I didn’t know how to have a relationship with God or understand how my little heart could love Him more than my family. Learning to put God first in my life was life-changing and improved all my other relationships. Because of my love for the Father and His love for me, I can love others better. When we align our hearts’ desires with God’s desires for us and not only believe but accept Christ as God’s Son and our Savior, everything else falls into place. There will still be pain and heartache (John 16:33), but Jesus Christ will be with us to help us through those times (Matt. 28:20). He sends the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts to comfort and guide us, a gift from God (Acts 2:38).
These two verses (Ps. 37:4; Matt. 6:33) go hand in hand: If we can learn to seek the kingdom of God first and foremost, our biggest desire is God, and our hearts are filled with His love, which leads to unspeakable joy. Even when this broken world delivers terrible news and death, there is always life-sustaining Good News that leads to eternal life as we wait expectantly for Christ to return.
When we seek God will all our heart, we will find Him (Jere. 29:13). Just as the Good News of Jesus is like cold water to a thirsty soul, a righteous person who chooses sin muddies a spring – evil pollutes a person’s way (Prov. 25:25-26).
We cannot keep beating our drums to the world’s rhythm and expect a new song to form in our hearts.
Next time you find yourself at a crossroads, I encourage you to choose the life Christ offers. It is worth it. You are worth it. Christ died so we could live.
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4, ESV, Emphasis mine.)
“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt. 6:33, ESV, Emphasis mine.)
I recently saw a flock of geese in full-on V formation flying overhead. There were about twenty of them. But, instead of continuing their current path, they managed to do a complete 180 and head in the direction they had just come from; they made a U-turn. I started thinking about the leader. Did he make a mistake in which direction he was taking them? As the rest of the clan followed the leader, how would they know they were on the right path?
This reminded me of my dad. When we went on car rides as a family, we quickly realized that he panicked easily if he thought he missed his turn. The first time we saw this in action, we were headed to the farm after supper, and Mom made a plate for our neighbor, Mr. Hall, something she often did. She told Dad to stop on our way so she could drop off the plate of food. His house was just around the curve from ours, but Dad had already forgotten. So, just as we began to pass up the driveway, Mom yelled that he missed his turn. Dad slammed on the brakes, and we were rear-ended. This is the first time I recall hearing the term whiplash after my sister Donna’s neck began to hurt.
My siblings and I were sitting in the backseat of our turquoise 1966 Chevy Impala, and with Mom in the front seat, we didn’t get the benefits of her instinctive arm that naturally came across the waists of anyone sitting in the front seat when she was driving. Mr. Hall’s supper ended up all over the inside of the car and us.
After that, Mom learned not to yell when Dad missed turns. The next time we were riding along, and he passed up our turn-off, I remember her calmly turning to him in a monotone voice, saying something like – I think we were supposed to turn there. Panic still ensued, but at least he didn’t slam on the brakes; instead, he began nervously looking for a place to make a U-turn.
As I meandered around the neighborhood, continuing my run that morning, I saw a neighbor walking their dog. When the dog saw me, it wanted to run with me, but the owner, not so much. She guided the dog back to their path with a slight leash tug.
We all go down the wrong path occasionally and make poor decisions, sometimes running off on a whim without consulting God about which direction to take. We may even panic when we realize we are on the wrong path and have made a mess of our lives and caused damage to ourselves and others.
God’s grace not only gives us the space to make a U-turn but helps us clean up the mess and offers complete restoration to heal any damage that occurred while on our hiatus from the path God intended. Thankfully, God is patient with us. We, too, need to be tethered to Christ and let the Holy Spirit guide our hearts instead of allowing our hearts to lead us. The ultimate healing is only found in a relationship with Christ. It is not too late to make a U-turn.
“The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9, ESV, emphasis added)
It’s not the back of the truck, but another fond memory on the farm with Dad. On the back: my cousin Debbie, sister Donna, and brother David (JD).
One of my fondest childhood memories is riding in the back of my dad’s truck. I remember being a lookout for a crop of tobacco I had spotted earlier that day, thinking Dad would like to see this field of tobacco. So, when he got in from work, I used my super girl skills to convince him to let me show him. The only problem was I couldn’t find it.
At the time, I was disappointed that something I thought I could connect with my dad was gone. But, looking back, I now have fond memories of riding in his truck, looking for the lustrous tobacco crop I could no longer locate. I now see that Dad took time away from resting after a long day’s work to appease my childhood whimsy.
He saw it as a time to spend with his kids.
My dad got up before dawn every day for 30+ years to drive an hour each way to work at IBM in Lexington. When he got home, he went to the farm to feed, water, and count the cows, besides whatever other chores I did not know about, such as mowing or grading the road with his tractor. And if we happened to be living at the farm (we had spent our summers there since I was nine), he still had to haul water down from our other house every evening because we didn’t have running water at the time. (We thought this was a big adventure – not seeing all the work Dad did to make it happen). I spent many days brushing my teeth with a cup of water and spitting off the side of the porch.
He wasn’t the only one who got up that early; for years, Mom got up with him to prepare a full breakfast before he left for work – at least until they changed their diet to heart-healthy oatmeal. I remember waking up many mornings to the sound of their not-so-quiet whispers in the kitchen. Perhaps the smell of homemade biscuits and gravy, sausage, and eggs awoke my senses to their breakfast chatter; either way, I see how they made time to spend a few minutes alone before we got up.
He did not have to get up that early. He could have grabbed something on the go and spent a few extra minutes in slumber, but he chose to connect with Mom during those early mornings, and she chose to get up with him and make breakfast and sip coffee from saucers in the wee hours of the morning. They found time to spend together in a five-room house full of kids. (Talk about tiny house living – we had no idea it would become popular).
It is those precious memories that aren’t soon forgotten. I think that is the most important thing God asks of us – to spend time with our heavenly Father. All He wants is to spend time with His kids – and we are better off for taking the intentional time to connect. Sometimes, that may mean getting up a little earlier and being still before the hustle and bustle of our day begins. It is allowing His whispers to seep into our heart and mind awakening us to the sweet aroma of the bread of life that feeds our hungry souls.
“Jesus replied, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty’ ” (John 6:35, NLT, emphasis added).
“Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10, Emphasis added).
Everyone can use a dose of encouragement regardless of age or how far we are on our journey.
One morning as I approached the mailboxes on the main street leading into my neighborhood, a gentleman stopped to make a deposit.
As I ran past, he kindly said, “Great job! Keep up the good work.”
I thanked him and gave a thumbs up. But, as most things do, this reminded me that whether it is running, another sport, or our faith walk with Christ, at the beginning of our training, or a seasoned vet, we can all use inspiration to keep on going, press on, don’t give up.
As I ventured further, I met two other women running in the opposite direction. As my route winds back around, our paths crossed again, only this time they were walking.
As if to justify themselves, one girl said, “It’s hot! We’re from Ohio.”
Oh well, that explains it all…buckeyes. Only kidding. I paid the encouragement forward. But this reminded me of my trip to Austria a while ago. Climate change can make you uncomfortable and disconnected when in unfamiliar territory. I was out of my comfort zone on that trip, so many miles away from home, unable to have my usual quiet time and space. I was trying to find my rhythm on a new route, with new people to meet and work alongside.
Before I left, God gave me a few images: a sundial and Russian nesting dolls. Strange right? It didn’t make sense until I struggled to find peace and saw these images in Vienna. In those moments, I knew God was still with me and that He knew I would need these reminders.
Another time, on a church summer camp excursion with middle school girls, I desperately needed some time away from the chaos to reconnect with God. So, every chance I got, I stole a few minutes away on the other side of the lake to reset, recharge, and refresh my spirit to tackle another night. We all need these times to give us the strength to pour into the lives of others and not get burnt out.
“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength” (Is. 30:15, ESV, emphasis added).
“Encourage one another and build one another up” (I Thes. 5:11, emphasis added).
The platypus swam into my dreams a few years ago, leading me to research the creature. The design itself intrigues me. I decided to dig deeper into this bottom feeder and get insight into this remarkable mammal. Interestingly, according to LiveScience, their characteristics resemble that of many different species. Their bill and feet are like a duck, their tail is like a beaver, their feet, body, and fur resemble an otter, and their lizard legs sprawl out to the side of the body when they walk.
In addition, to this extravagant list, they are amphibious. When they are not using their webbed feet in the water to swim, they can retract the web exposing individual nails that allows them to run on land. They also lay eggs, one of only two mammals that do.
Although they do not have teeth and use their cheek pouches to hold food until they can mash it up and swallow it, they have sharp stingers on the heels of their rear feet to defend themselves, with a toxic venom that is quite effective when needed. They are non-life threatening but powerful enough to damage their victim significantly.
This hodgepodge creature has many features of other animals, but oddly enough, the familiar qualities make it unique and distinctly different from the rest. It can undoubtedly relate to the duck by how it uses its bill and webbed feet and the beaver by using its tail to maneuver through the water gracefully, and the otter and lizard by how it uses its feet to swim and run, awkward as it may be.
As children of God, we are given many distinctive qualities, although we can relate to one another because we are made in the image of our Creator. Each of us has gifts given especially to us. We have many of the same characteristics, and all of us, like sheep, have strayed away (Isaiah 53.6). God made us exactly how we are on purpose and saved us by His grace. We can accept everything just as it is – flaws and all. We see the blemishes through our eyes and want to make changes or compare ourselves with others. But if we could see ourselves as God sees us – through His love –we would be content with ourselves and thank God for each unique quality that makes us stand out from the rest.
Post a reminder on your mirror: God profoundly loves you as you are. No matter how we see ourselves, we can be confident in what God is doing in and through us. Obedience is key. We are protected by the armor of faith and love when we wear salvation’s confidence as our helmet (I Thes. 5:8, ESV).
My professor recently sent out a video titled, “You will probably fail,” and began his introduction by saying the same. He explained that he would put an image up on the video, and when we saw it, we were not to think about it but say the first thing that came to mind.
He counted down…1, 2, 3, go!
The image I saw was a shirt, so I said, ‘shirt’ out loud, as instructed. But, then my first reaction was that I was not supposed to get this right, so I looked for my failure and decided that since the image was clearly on a circle that looked like a decal, I automatically assumed that I should have said sticker. Lastly, I noticed the words across the shirt’s image read “pants” and continued to listen to the rest of the video.
He explained that most people will shout out pants instead of shirt, and the lesson was that we tend to read people without seeing the image behind them. Wait a sec, what? I just got that right, but I found a way to assume my failure because I was told I would probably fail.
Words are powerful. We can choose terms of affirmation to encourage one another, or we can choose to tell others they are not good enough, they can’t do something, instead of encouraging them to try. One way we can watch them fall, get up and try again. The other way, we can watch them fall flat on their face and give up, assuming failure is inevitable.
I may have received a different lesson from this than he intended, but I’ll take it. We all need encouragement sometimes, but kids especially need it from their parents. I would say that employees may do better if bosses do the same thing. Let us be intentional about speaking life-giving words to those around us.
“Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them” (Eph. 4:29, NLT emphasis added).
Faith Walk Ministries, Inc. 