A Brief Interlude

I have a friend who writes for the Ossian Journal, a small paper from a town just south of Fort Wayne. She contributes under a column entitled "A View from the Cross-Road" and through it, she regularly has the opportunity to share her faith. I'm always intrigued by this, because for all of the joys that I experienced growing up in New Jersey (the Boss, the beach, the bagels), let me just say for the record--this sort of thing would never fly there. Got to love Indiana.

I'm always touched by what Peggy writes, but something about this latest piece really resonated with me. Perhaps I sensed she was speaking for me, or, maybe the simplicity of it all just hit me like a ton of bricks. Either way, I felt it was worth repeating here, as a brief interlude away from my wandering, rambling chapters.

I hope it blesses you as it did me.

A View From The Cross-Road
by Peggy Barnell

These Things I Know

The Christmas holiday always seems to put me in a reflective state of mind. In the middle of the hustle and bustle that comes with the season, there is for me, the desire to slow down and take stock, to assess the direction my life is headed and the person I have become. It's a natural thing, I think, as one year draws to a close and another begins. And it's a time to appreciate the basics that we sometimes take for granted - like family and friends and God's presence in our lives.

As I look back on twenty years of being a Christ-follower, I am thankful for the truths that He has illuminated for me, and for the tender mercy He has shown to me through the years. My hope is to never stop growing and maturing. But for the moment, I pause to consider a few of the things I have learned on my journey thus far.

I know that typically it is much easier to see God at work in our lives in hindsight, than it is to recognize His hand in our present circumstances. And He is too good to be interested in anything less than the entire and eternal perspective of our lives.

I know the Jesus of the bible is real. Life is no picnic. Following Jesus is sometimes difficult and painful, at other times it is pure joy - but it works for me, as well as for countless others. And I would not trade His presence in my life with anything else I could wish for.

I know God loves all people. He is not white or black or red or Baptist or Catholic or Republican or Democrat, or even American. We all study God through the eyes of our individual intellect, heritage and circumstance, but He is bigger than any of those factors. At times when I have believed I may have a little piece of God figured out, He rocks my world and reminds me in the process that He will blow the walls out of any boxed-in thinking that I might try to confine Him with.

I know Christmas is not merely a warm, fuzzy fable. The babe in the manger did not stay a baby. He grew into a strong man whose perfect life became the way for us to know God - and whose death and resurrection paved the way for our future in heaven.

I know that in nearly every situation, I have a choice in how I respond. And I know God is faithful to me even when I fail Him. I am so thankful for the mercy and patience He has shown to me throughout my life. I know that without Him, I would be lost.

Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year. I pray that you know the peace that Jesus brings.

Isaiah 9: 6-7 For a child has been born - for us! The gift of a son - for us! He'll take over the running of the world. His name will be Amazing Counselor, Strong God, Eternal Father, Prince of Wholeness. His ruling authority will grow, and there'll be no limits to the wholeness he brings.