Today’s Daily Bread ~ Perservere…

1 Peter 1:5-6 – And God, in His mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting Him.  It will be revealed on the last day for all to see.  So be truly glad!  There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while.

I absolutely love being a parent.  I wouldn’t trade a single second of it for anything in the world.  I have to admit though, that there are some parts that terrify me.  “The Talk,” for one.  Last I heard, you have to have “The Talk” before they’re ten, or they’re learning about “things” from less than godly sources.  I plan on having it with both of my children, and I plan to lean on Jesus throughout the whole thing.  I also intend to be as honest as I can be with my kids.  I’ll do it, but that doesn’t mean I’m looking forward to it.

That’s not what I’m most afraid of, though.  Not even close.  What keeps me up at night is the thought of the trials my kids will have to endure on their journey toward adulthood.  Perhaps I’m coming from a bias, though.  Let me explain.

We moved quite a bit when I was growing up, but the most difficult move was in 1987 to Shoreview, MN.  Shoreview was a tough town to crack.  Most of the families up there have always lived there.  Most of my friends had been friends since pre-school, and most of their parents had been high school sweethearts.  They didn’t get a whole lot of newcomers, and it certainly wasn’t easy to be one.  I was never physically bullied, but I felt shut out.  I know very well what it’s like to stand on the fringe, trying desperately to look like you belong.  It’s pretty lonely on the fringe.

I know what it’s like to walk into a crowded lunchroom, look around with a sigh, and decide to go hungry rather than sit by myself.  I know what it’s like to have a group of kids stop talking the second you walk up.  And I know what it’s like to be the butt of everyone’s jokes.

I can look back now and appreciate the way those trials shaped me into the person I am today.  I can’t bear to have anyone feel left out.  I want everyone to have the sense of belonging I spent much of my child and young adulthood without.  I believe that God has used those experiences to lead me into (hopefully) a life of ministry, so I can relate to others with empathy.  I understand why I went through it.  But that doesn’t take away the pain I felt at the time.

I look at my children right now – so innocent at three and four years old.  There isn’t a problem in their little lives that mommy can’t fix.  How I wish that would never change.

I believe that God knows how I feel.  Psalm 139:15-16 – You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.  You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book.  Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

Jesus is with us from the second of conception to our last breath.  He remembers the suffering He went through in order to offer you salvation.   He remembers every lash of the whip, and the feel of the rugged, wooden cross.  He knows pain.
I think about the world we live in today, and pray that my children will remain open with me, and allow me to help them when things get difficult.  I want to beg them not to try to go it alone.  Jesus does the same thing.  “Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me (John 15:4).” 

The day I gave up drinking was a difficult and emotional day.  I spent most of it in tears.  I’ll never forget how my mother drove up the second she got off work.  She held me in her arms and let me cry.  She stroked my hair like I was five years old and told me it would be alright.  “I’m so proud of you,” she whispered.  “And there is nothing on earth we can’t get through.  I will love you through this.”  And she did.

I wish I could’ve seen the look in Jesus’ eyes when He told His disciples’, “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me.  Remain in my love (John 15:9).”  Was His voice choked with emotion?  He knew the fate His beloved companions would meet.  He knew the suffering they would endure.  Did He have tears in His eyes?  “Persevere,” He tells us.  “Stay the course.  Your reward is coming.”

God, we love You so much.  And trials are always more bearable when we remember we are not alone.  Help us to remember that, Father.  Help us to abide in You.  Strengthen us for whatever lies ahead.  Convict us to remain in Your Word and to fellowship with other believers.  Help us to rise up to meet the needs of others.  Place people in our path who need You, and give us the words to minister to them.  Help us to be Your hands and feet.  Give us generous hearts, Father.  Help us to see like You see and love like You love.  Bless us to bless others.  We ask these things in the beautiful, precious name of Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.