I’ve been away for a while. It’s good to be back. Thank you for your encouragement, patience and prayers while I was away.
I’d like to be able to say that I came back just for you … that writing blessings is a pure and unselfish gift … that these words flow out of a deep and abundant inner strength … and that if you leave here encouraged, that’s all that matters. But that wouldn’t be true.
My soul requires a continual inflow and outflow of spiritual nourishment. Writing what I’m learning helps me process and better understand what I read daily in God’s Word. It encourages me to express my faith to our Father and to you with honesty and clarity. It makes me slow down and live. It makes me be still and know … that He is God, and that gives me great peace.
I do pray that what you find here will strengthen your heart … fortify your faith … lighten your load. I know it gets heavy sometimes … and that’s why I’m also back for me. I’ve been living real life for the past three years while this site rested quietly. Real life can be beautiful and brutal … stimulating and stressful … exhilarating and exhausting. The life you live is probably very similar to the life I live … crazy busy, rewarding, frustrating, fast. It reminds us who we are. It reminds us Whose we are.
Jesus … I’ve never had a friend like Him … and I’ve got some stellar friends. But He is everything I’ve ever wanted in a friend, and He is everything I want to be. Trying to become like Him is the most rewarding and challenging thing I’ve ever done. He’s the best friend I’ve ever had, and my goal is to become the best friend He has ever had. I’ve got a long way to go in that pursuit, and I am very grateful that He gives us a lifetime for that journey.
So there it is. I’m back for you … and for me … and for Jesus. And if it is His will, somewhere in the blessings and the prayers, the comments and the exchange of knowledge, the Bible study and the quiet, still listening … spiritual formation will occur. Together, we will draw closer to Jesus and be formed more perfectly in His image. Together, we will become friends to Him just like He is a friend to us. And to me, that makes coming back a great joy. Thank you for joining me.
May you become the best friend Jesus has ever had.
~s
