Dear Rose Park,
This past weekend my brother and his family were in town. Kyle is my middle brother; he’s much smarter and far more talented than my brother Matt and I combined. Kyle and his wife Ashley live in Omaha, NE with their two daughters Hazel and Pearl. On Sunday evening, after playing at the park on 6th street near downtown Holland, we all ventured over to one of my favorite places, City Vu, for dinner.
City Vu, in my humble opinion, has the best happy hour in Holland (everyday from 4-7pm). As we sat around the table and shared chips, dips, pizza, and wings we all shared stories and laughter. Eventually, Pearl, who is only 17 months, decided she needed to stretch her legs. She started to walk back and forth beside our table waving to other guests and sharing a big smile with everyone. As she wobbled back and forth and tripped and stumbled over chair legs, I was reminded of our collective walk with Christ. Sometimes we need to remember that growing with Christ is a process. It doesn’t happen over night and it certainly doesn’t occur with a sense of immediacy. Rather, we wobble back and forth, trip and stumble over chair legs and simply do our best to hold the hand of Jesus as we journey through life.
In this sense, I am reminded of Peter getting out of the boat and walking on water toward Jesus (see Matthew 14). At first, Peter walked with confidence approaching Jesus in the midst of the storm, but when Peter’s eyes ventured away from Jesus and began to focus instead on the wind and the waves, he grew afraid and the water started to creep up to his ankles, then his knees, and eventually his chest until he finally cried out, “Lord save me!” Just like Pearl and Peter, our walk with Christ is filled with ups and downs, trips and stumbles., and winds and waves. But the most important part in our walk with Christ is to keep our eyes focused on Him.
The best way we can do that is by intentionally creating space to put away distractions in order to look and listen to Jesus. For some of you, that might mean reading a devotion every single morning. For others, that might mean listening a meditative podcast as you walk the dog or wait for soccer practice to end. For others, that might mean taking notes during Sunday worship to go over later in the week. And for others still, that might mean attending our monthly bible study. Starting on September 7, we will meet on the first Wednesday of the month in order to intentionally turn our eyes, ears, hearts, and minds towards God’s Word. For these first three studies, we’ll be looking to gain a greater grasp on God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. Whether you’ve been a part of hundreds of bible studies or if there is your very first one, join us in the sanctuary on Wednesday September 7 at 6:30pm as we intentionally set our eyes on Jesus.
So, as you venture through another academic year, another work week, another weekly trip to Target, or even another year around the sun may your eyes always be focused on Christ.
Grace & Peace,
