“Never throughout history has a man who lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering.”
JOURNAL
There are days when things seem so clear. There are days and moments when everything seems to go right and just be easy. I love those days and those moments...but that's just part of the story. To live in this world also means struggle, heartache and really tough moments. Growing up in the church while wonderful in many ways...it also was a source of confusion. The problem was that I didn't see people openly struggle. It was mostly all smiles, sunshine and rainbows. The subtle and often overt message was...struggle was a result of sin and if you were struggling then something was wrong and you weren't "right with God". As I got older and the trials of life became bigger I often doubted and wondered why I was always struggling in my relationship with God. My life wasn't always sunshine and rainbows and I felt that there must be something wrong with me or that my experience of God and my life must be flawed.
Ultimately I realized that behind those smiles was struggle, heartache and real pain. It caused me to really question everything. I felt deceived...duped and the thought crept in that maybe this whole Christianity thing was all just a big hoax. It was during this time that I first began to really read the Bible...I wanted to know the truth, I wanted to get to the bottom of all my questions.
What I found were real people...struggling, sinning and failing. I read about murderers and adulterers. I read about liars and thieves. I read about those that were immensely rich and those that were destitute. They all struggled, they all hurt and none of them ever really escaped this world unscathed. Heartache, struggle and pain were the commonalities among them all.
Ultimately I realized that behind those smiles was struggle, heartache and real pain. It caused me to really question everything. I felt deceived...duped and the thought crept in that maybe this whole Christianity thing was all just a big hoax. It was during this time that I first began to really read the Bible...I wanted to know the truth, I wanted to get to the bottom of all my questions.
What I found were real people...struggling, sinning and failing. I read about murderers and adulterers. I read about liars and thieves. I read about those that were immensely rich and those that were destitute. They all struggled, they all hurt and none of them ever really escaped this world unscathed. Heartache, struggle and pain were the commonalities among them all.
I wasn't alone! I wasn't crazy! Then what really stuck out was that there was something that was different for those with whom God had become their God. Although they struggled they had a hope that sustained them in ways that was inspiring. They experienced joy in the midst of heartache, they gave though they had little to give, they loved those that hated them and forgave without demanding retribution.
A while back I had a conversation with someone on why I follow God. As I dug into this question honestly, I realized that my faith is because of the authentic mess of the lives of those in the Bible. It is because of their contradictions and struggles that I am able to identify and have hope. It is because their lives are laid open and I am able to really see the mess that allows me to really believe in the joy. It is because I am able to see the struggle that allows me to have faith in their redemption. These stories have become a source of hope, an outpost, an authentic portal to the hope and redemption of God.
As I come back around to these verses...I can better understand Peter's letter. He has struggled, he has failed, he has betrayed...he has been there and experienced it and come out the other side. He is not writing this from a pompous position of ease and comfort, he is writing this as one who is struggling and will continue to struggle. It is here that I find true comfort, that I find hope and that I also can experience the warmth and joy of my savior.
I believe this is the true purpose of our time here on earth. To have our lives become outposts of the kingdom of God. Flawed and broken, yet still a light on a hill...shining through the storms, darkness and heartache.
A while back I had a conversation with someone on why I follow God. As I dug into this question honestly, I realized that my faith is because of the authentic mess of the lives of those in the Bible. It is because of their contradictions and struggles that I am able to identify and have hope. It is because their lives are laid open and I am able to really see the mess that allows me to really believe in the joy. It is because I am able to see the struggle that allows me to have faith in their redemption. These stories have become a source of hope, an outpost, an authentic portal to the hope and redemption of God.
As I come back around to these verses...I can better understand Peter's letter. He has struggled, he has failed, he has betrayed...he has been there and experienced it and come out the other side. He is not writing this from a pompous position of ease and comfort, he is writing this as one who is struggling and will continue to struggle. It is here that I find true comfort, that I find hope and that I also can experience the warmth and joy of my savior.
I believe this is the true purpose of our time here on earth. To have our lives become outposts of the kingdom of God. Flawed and broken, yet still a light on a hill...shining through the storms, darkness and heartache.
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