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| A SPECIAL FEATURE BY LINDA RONDEAU |
Luke 22:19 - And he took bread, gave thanks, and broke it, and gave it to them,
saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
I laughed out loud as I watched the video of my grandson’s first attempt to walk.
He stood like a soldier, arm stretched across his abdomen and foot extended in perfect
march formation as he readied to take his first step. He struck out a few feet. Kaboom.
He sat for a moments to catch his breath. Then he crawled back to the point where he’d
taken that first step and tried again. This time, he walked a little farther before he
crashed to the floor. With each attempt and subsequent fall, he journeyed back to the
origin of his desires to regain the will to keep trying. Within fifteen minutes, he was
walking the whole of the apartment.
Jamal instinctively knew what many Christians fail to remember. We hear God’s call to
move forward. We strike out in confidence only to fall flat shortly after we begin. Some
of us stay curled in a ball and crying in defeat. Instead of seeking God’s counsel, we seep
in our failures. God wants us to come back to Him. It is at the place where Love began
that our spirits are renewed and our courage restored.
I found salvation as a young teenager. But sin and willfulness blotted my walk, and I
journeyed for many years in a path opposite God’s will. Poor decisions and a displeasing
lifestyle made God seem far away and unreachable. I tried to pray, but my words
bounced back to me from the ceiling.
But one day, in the darkest hour of my rebellion, God reached down through the mire of
disobedience and reminded me how much He loved me. He showed me a picture of what my
life deserved to be and how His Grace had been given me, though I had done nothing to
merit it. When I realized the depth and breadth of Christ’s love, I repented and started
my journey back home.
There are stumbles in my righted path. But when I fall, I let my heart journey to the
place where Love began. He never fails to pick me up, point me in the right direction, and
help me teeter a little further. With each experience, my spiritual legs strengthen.
God wants us to move forward. But when, we feel unsure of our footing, let us return to
that place where we first fell in love with Him, at the foot of the Cross, where our spirits
are renewed and our confidence restored.
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-23).
saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
I laughed out loud as I watched the video of my grandson’s first attempt to walk.
He stood like a soldier, arm stretched across his abdomen and foot extended in perfect
march formation as he readied to take his first step. He struck out a few feet. Kaboom.
He sat for a moments to catch his breath. Then he crawled back to the point where he’d
taken that first step and tried again. This time, he walked a little farther before he
crashed to the floor. With each attempt and subsequent fall, he journeyed back to the
origin of his desires to regain the will to keep trying. Within fifteen minutes, he was
walking the whole of the apartment.
Jamal instinctively knew what many Christians fail to remember. We hear God’s call to
move forward. We strike out in confidence only to fall flat shortly after we begin. Some
of us stay curled in a ball and crying in defeat. Instead of seeking God’s counsel, we seep
in our failures. God wants us to come back to Him. It is at the place where Love began
that our spirits are renewed and our courage restored.
I found salvation as a young teenager. But sin and willfulness blotted my walk, and I
journeyed for many years in a path opposite God’s will. Poor decisions and a displeasing
lifestyle made God seem far away and unreachable. I tried to pray, but my words
bounced back to me from the ceiling.
But one day, in the darkest hour of my rebellion, God reached down through the mire of
disobedience and reminded me how much He loved me. He showed me a picture of what my
life deserved to be and how His Grace had been given me, though I had done nothing to
merit it. When I realized the depth and breadth of Christ’s love, I repented and started
my journey back home.
There are stumbles in my righted path. But when I fall, I let my heart journey to the
place where Love began. He never fails to pick me up, point me in the right direction, and
help me teeter a little further. With each experience, my spiritual legs strengthen.
God wants us to move forward. But when, we feel unsure of our footing, let us return to
that place where we first fell in love with Him, at the foot of the Cross, where our spirits
are renewed and our confidence restored.
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-23).
