I’ve been looking forward to October 2022 for a few years. Ever since my mom sent me my baby scrapbook and I found the handwritten October 1972 note saying that I had accepted Jesus as my savior that month.
So this month marks 50 years with Jesus.
What do I have to say from the perspective of half a century in faith? A few things, actually.
- First, stay curious. I sent that a couple weeks ago. Curiosity fuels learning and learning can drive growth.
- Second, plug into church. That is God’s design and the plan. You need to surround yourself with fellow believers and plug into the growth opportunities there.
Thats solid advice, and I hope you’ve taken it to heart.
This week I’ve got a shocking confession to make.
Fifty years has not all been one continuous progression upward.
Surprise (not)! During this period my faith has ebbed and flowed. There have been some distinct dry spells. Times when I was not paying any attention to God and to what I needed to do to keep that fresh.
In particular, the time after college, when the world was open before me, I didn’t pay nearly as close attention to my faith as I had done in the years prior.
I had a lot of choices to make about how I would live my life, where I would go, who my friends would be, what activities I would do… And not all my decisions were good ones.
That period actually lasted several years before I settled down and really got back on track. Since then I haven’t had a deviation nearly the size and magnitude of that period.
But even then, until last year, I had all but abandoned daily reading my Bible – and that lasted a long while (longer that I really care to admit in black and white).
It would be very easy to get frustrated by these movements in my life. To say internally “if I can’t keep it up, then maybe there is something wrong with me.”
But that would be wrong. Very wrong indeed.
The problem is that I’m human and I have a sin nature that I still fight with. And sometimes it wins.
That doesn’t mean I give up or I throw in the towel.
God is faithful. And He does not base His love for me in any aspect of my performance. He loved me when I was in unrestrained rebellion toward Him.
One of my favorite movies has the line “Never give up! Never surrender!”
I think a better line is “Never give up! Always surrender!!”
Always surrender to God’s faithfulness and love. Always come back to Him. Just like the prodigal son, He waits with open arms to receive us back when we stray – no matter how far or how long we’re gone.
This is a key factor in having a long life with Jesus.
Hard times will come. They take many shapes and forms. But when we stumble and fall, we can always get up and run back to God. He doesn’t judge us, He loves us.
I don’t know where this email finds you in your spiritual journey. Hopefully doing well and growing. But if not, let it be an encouragement that you are not disqualified. You are not unloveable. You are not unforgivable.
Keep on keeping on. That’s my biggest lesson from 50 years with Jesus. That’s how God works and I simply need to accept it, lean into it, take advantage of it.
And you can too.
Until next time,
Dennis
