Keep your eyes on Jesus

Peter found himself in trouble. He saw someone walking on the water towards his boat. 

He thought it was Jesus, but he wasn’t totally sure. And so he questioned Him. And asked Him to prove it. “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.” 

And Jesus said, “come.” 

Peter stepped out of the boat and started walking on the water towards Jesus. He was okay at first. Everything was going exactly as expected. But then he took his eyes off Jesus. 

And everything started going terribly wrong.

He began focusing on the wind. On its strength. On its ability to hurt him. He became afraid. And his fear became bigger than his faith. As he started to doubt, he also started to sink. It was nighttime, so the situation must have felt even more dire. 

Darkness has a way of doing that. Making things seem scarier than they are. 

He cried out to Jesus, “Lord, save me!”

And immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. Jesus didn’t hesitate. It’s important to remember that. Because that means He was watching Peter. That means He had His eye on him. 

You can’t respond immediately if you aren’t paying attention. 

When you’re facing your own doubts. Your own weaknesses. When you’ve lost confidence. And had to quickly adjust from everything going right, to everything going wrong. Remember who to look to. Remember who to call on. 

It doesn’t matter what it looks like. It doesn’t matter how dark it gets. 

Call out to Jesus. Ask Him to save you. Believe that He will respond. 

Believe that He won’t hesitate. 

And believe that, even in the moments you’ve taken your eyes off Him, He’s never taken His eyes off you.

We said we would never forget

We said we would never forget.

We said we would never forget the fear.

We said we would never forget the anguish. 

We said we would never forget the feeling of not knowing what to do.

We said we would let nothing divide us. 

We said we would let nothing come between us.

We said we would let nothing tear us apart. 

Not again. 

We said the unity we felt would carry us.

We said we would help our neighbor.

We said we would volunteer, contribute, make a difference.

We said we would not continue to divide.

We said this tragedy would make us stronger.

We said that hatred wouldn't win.

We said the people we were the next day, would be better people.

We said we turned to God. 

We said our country would honor Him.

We said He would be where we put our faith.

We said a lot of things.

We said we would never forget.

Don't be afraid to share your story

We Can't Change People

    

Dear Lord, let it end with me

Never stop planting good seed

Dear younger me: you will never fit in

Dear Younger Me,

You will never fit in. 

But you will be ok.

I know it's hard. Especially when you're young.

Especially when you want nothing more than to just be "normal".

But let me let you in on a secret. 

No one is normal. Because normal doesn't exist.

It's a made-up word with a made-up definition.

Everyone is different.

Everyone.

So please stop trying so hard to be like everyone else.

Please stop trying to change who you were meant to be, because you want to be like the cool kid.

Because the cool kid has problems too.

You'll learn that as you get older.

That the popular ones. The ones who seem to have it all.

Really don't have it all.

They have insecurities too. 

They have problems.

They have issues that are hidden under false bravado. 

And hiding it will give them even bigger problems as they get older.

Trust me on that one.

So, you keep being you.

You keep trying to do the right thing.

You keep being friends with everyone.

You keep being honest.

You keep believing that good prevails.

You keep shining your light.

Not everyone will like you.

But you can't change that.

And don't you dare go changing you because of it. 

Because you have value that will one day be seen.

You have a gift that will someday be needed.

And all those years of not fitting in, will have given you the strength to share your gift with the world.

The most important thing in your life, will become your faith.

It will develop into your cornerstone. 

You will face hardship.

You will walk away.

But you will find your way back.

And you will never leave it again.

Because God is going to meet you right where you are.

Right as you're telling Him you don't need Him.

Right as you're believing He let you down.

 

You will come to see He never let you down. 

Not once.

So, hold on when the storms come.

Cling to your faith. 

Open your Bible.

Believe His Words.

If you listen to nothing else I'm saying, listen to this.

God is faithful. He is absolutely faithful.

I promise you with everything I am.

And one last thing.

And this may be hard to hear.

But you won't fit in when you get older either.

You just won't.

But by then you'll have figured out that God didn't make you to fit in.

He made you to stand out.

And knowing that, is still hard.

Trust me, I know.

But you will be ok.