Amelia’s courage grew as she reached for the handholds on the rock wall. She gripped tightly to the blue and yellow holds while moving her feet onto the green and red. My husband and I built the playground to last so I had boarded off two open rail sections to keep the babies from falling. Now that Amelia was mastering the climb, I took the barricade away. She hesitated only a minute before grabbing for the handholds and pulling herself up to the platform to slide. Her smile spoke volumes.
As a young mother I remember afternoons at the local park with my three small children. Pulling things together for snacks and getting everyone dressed and in the car for an outing when I was sleep deprived and sorely outnumbered was often exhausting. Factor in mobile diaper changes, other people’s big kids running rampant, whines to be pushed in the swings, taking turns, skinned knees and having only two hands. I could easily persuade myself to stay home.
Every once in awhile however I chanced to meet a kindred spirit. Our children played happily together while we swapped stories. I breathed a little easier just knowing that there were others in my little corner of the world answering the call to motherhood to the glory of God. Being reminded that someone else shared my experience and understood the challenges of being a young mom was such a welcomed relief. I wasn’t alone. The worry lines eased from my brow and my smile lingered long after returning home.
If you are a long time reader of my blog, how well do you feel you know me? Do you feel we could sit down face to face and chat like old friends? If you’re new to my little spot on the internet, do you feel as I do, that we are kindred spirits? If we happened upon one another, which questions would you ask me? What stories would you share as we conversed? What stories would you want to hear? Which of my shared experiences offer you hope, comfort or encouragement? How might I draw encouragement from you as we shared our stories?
If you have been a long time reader of my blog, how well do you know Jesus? Do you feel you know him better from our acquaintance? One mark of a true disciple is obedience to the great commission. It is a goal of every believer to know the Lord and to make Him known. Does my life, my story, point you continually to Jesus? Sometimes, wouldn’t it just be nice to have someone sitting next to you, reminding you of what you already know to be true? I want to be that voice, helping you to remember God’s character and His promises. I pray you learn to rely on them every minute of your day as you walk in obedience to His Word.
You and I have the Spirit of God teaching and reminding us just as Jesus promised His first disciples. We have the Word of God and so many tools and resources to aid our study. We also need the body of Christ. Hebrews twelve points back to chapter eleven to a great cloud of witnesses who heard God’s well done because of their faith. We are still encouraged by their testimonies though they did not receive all that was promised in their day. The body and bride of Christ are one, all the parts functioning as a whole until the day of our Lord’s return.
“Not one of these people, even though their lives of faith were exemplary, got their hands on what was promised.
God had a better plan for us: that their faith and our faith would come together to make one completed whole, their lives of faith not complete apart from ours.”
Hebrews 11:39-40 MSG
https://bible.com/bible/97/heb.11.39-40.MSG
My faith and my call have grown since I first believed. Looking back across four decades I see that teaching was always an integral part but I have held varying roles at different times along the way. I have been mentored by my elders while mentoring others younger than me and I have had the opportunity to lead my elders while learning from my juniors. I’ve led girls and ladies missions, I’ve discipled my own children and grandchildren as well as the children and grandchildren of others.
I’ve led in college ministry both as a student and as a surrogate parent. I’ve taught children and adults of every age group and I’ve sat under excellent teachers and preachers. In God’s kingdom there is no retirement plan. I may pass the torch but I pick up another baton and keep running. I follow Christ as He leads because my heart belongs to Him.
“This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ.
I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have.
This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior.
May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.
By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life.
We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.
And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises.
These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises.
Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.
The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.
So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen.
Do these things, and you will never fall away.
Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Therefore, I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught.
And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live.”
2 Peter 1:1-13 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/2pe.1.1-13.NLT
“Since these virtues are already planted deep within, and you possess them in abundant supply, they will keep you from being inactive or fruitless in your pursuit of knowing Jesus Christ more intimately.”
2 Peter 1:8 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/2pe.1.8.TPT
“And I have been made a servant of the church by God, who gave me this task to perform for your good.
It is the task of fully proclaiming his message, which is the secret he hid through all past ages from all human beings but has now revealed to his people.
God’s plan is to make known his secret to his people, this rich and glorious secret which he has for all peoples.
And the secret is that Christ is in you, which means that you will share in the glory of God.
So we preach Christ to everyone.
With all possible wisdom we warn and teach them in order to bring each one into God’s presence as a mature individual in union with Christ.
To get this done I toil and struggle, using the mighty strength which Christ supplies and which is at work in me.”
Colossians 1:25-29 GNT
https://bible.com/bible/68/col.1.25-29.GNT
God’s Spirit in me and in you is a sacred trust, a literal powerhouse with which we are sealed for eternity. This same Spirit that raised Jesus from death enables faith, growth, obedience, and ministry. We are not wound up and left on our own to figure out God’s will. His Word makes it plain.
“Truth’s shining light guides me in my choices and decisions; the revelation of your Word makes my pathway clear.”
Psalms 119:105 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/psa.119.105.TPT
“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
Galatians 5:25 NIRV
https://bible.com/bible/110/gal.5.25.NIRV
“Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives.
That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse.
We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.”
Galatians 5:25-26 MSG
https://bible.com/bible/97/gal.5.25-26.MSG
“Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that.
Don’t be impressed with yourself.
Don’t compare yourself with others.
Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.”
Galatians 6:4-5 MSG
https://bible.com/bible/97/gal.6.4-5.MSG
“So take courage!
For I believe God.
It will be just as he said.”
Acts of the Apostles 27:25 NLT
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