I love to ride my bike! I have  an adorable light blue beach bike equipped with a cup holder, a wicker basket on the handlebars  and a bell.  Apparently, I am not the only one who loves to ride my bike!

There was a house being built next door, and before construction started they delivered a 20 foot high mound of dirt to help build up the foundation. The mound sat there for several days beckoning my sons to find something fun to do with it, and boy did they ever. They got a great idea to try to ride a bike down from the top. Logan was the stunt man and Alex was the videographer.

They were so excited to show me their video. I sat stunned as I watched my beach bike careening down the side of this dirt mountain.  The hill was so steep that when the bike reached the bottom the back tire went straight up causing my bike to land on the wicker basket attached to the front.  They didn’t do this just once, there are several attempts ending with the same results.

I was so angry I started to crying. Up until that moment, they hadn’t even considered they were doing anything wrong. I asked them “What made you think it was OK to do this with my bike?” They said they didn’t think about it they just did it.  Their burning desire to do something fun with that dirt pile caused them to act impulsively.

The word impulsive is defined as: acting or done without forethought. Often times impulsiveness is thought to be a negative character trait. The apostle Peter was impulsive, and yes, he did some foolish, sinful things because of it.  For instance in Mark 9:2-8  when he was invited to witness Jesus’ transfiguration where Elijah and Moses also appeared with the transfigured Jesus, Peter responded “let us build you three tents.” What! Jesus just became radiant with glory, Peter heard the voice of God the Father and that’s what he comes up with? In another instance of  impulsiveness gone awry, in Matthew 16:22, Jesus said He would suffer terrible things, die and be resurrected, and Peter rebuked him, saying that Jesus should never suffer these things.

But there is a beautiful side to Peter’s impulsiveness that is driven by his love and devotion to Jesus. For instance, in John 20:3-9 after hearing the report from Mary that the tomb was empty, Peter ran with the apostle John to see for themselves. John outran Peter and looked into the tomb.  But when Peter arrived he went into the tomb. For Jewish people, graves were off limits; to touch one meant you were made unclean.  And that is why John only looked in at first, but impulsive Peter, in pursuit of Jesus, walked right into the tomb.

And in Matthew 14 in the middle of a raging storm, Peter stepped out of a boat and walked on water to Jesus. Can you imagine what that must have been like to step out of that boat and feel the water like solid ground under your feet? Peter’s impulsiveness got him to take that first step. 

I want that kind of godly impulsiveness. I want my desire to love and follow Jesus to cause me to do things that seem rash to man, but to my Lord look beautifully devoted. This is where the fun stuff happens. This is where we see miracles. This is where we learn to trust and where our faith grows. This is where we will find the the adventure the Lord is calling us to. ​

I recently visited my two sons living in Ohio. One of the pleasures of visiting my adult children is helping with projects around their homes. So, on this bright and beautiful spring sunny day, I was clearing dead branches out of my son’s flower bed. I was busily snipping away branches when I heard a man’s voice, “May I help you?”
 
I looked up to see my son’s next-door neighbor engaging me in conversation. He was trying to figure out whether or not I belonged on his neighbor’s property. I stood up and heard him ask, “Oh, are you his mom?”
 
“Yes,” I replied. He told me he was just checking on things and then walked toward me with his right hand extended as we introduced ourselves. Such a small gesture. But it has been over a year since COVID-19 restrictions began and people began staying at home and wearing masks and NOT shaking hands with their neighbors.
 
After a few words, he left, and I realized just how pleasant meeting a neighbor and shaking a hand had been. That small human connection was as life-giving as spring itself. My heart swelled with happiness.  We need human connection, even human touch like a handshake with a neighbor.
 
God knows this; it is the way he created us. Jesus knew this; that’s why he came to earth, to give us a God/human connection. Jesus touched people while he lived here and he allowed people to touch him. Jesus held children in his arms; he placed his hands on their heads to bless them. Jesus touched the eyes of blind men, the atrophied arms and legs of the sick, even the coffin of a dead man whose funeral procession Jesus interrupted at Nain, right before he brought the man back to life and returned him to his mother. Jesus was touched in a crowded street by a desperate woman seeking healing. His feet were touched and kissed by a sinful woman who anointed him with her tears of repentance and gratitude for his saving grace and mercy.
 
Those deemed sinners and reprobates by the religious leaders were touched by Jesus. Even those deemed unclean by the Mosaic Law because they had leprosy were touched and healed by God’s Messiah. I imagine that when Jesus spoke to his disciples or invited himself to the home of the crooked tax collector, Zacchaeus, that maybe Jesus put a hand on their shoulders or took them by their arms. Jesus didn’t stand or sit apart from the people he came to teach about his Heavenly Father. He stood close to them; he sat next to them; he touched them.
 
One of my favorite scenes in Scripture is found in John’s gospel. In John 13, the Apostle John describes what happened at the last meal the disciples would share with Jesus before his crucifixion. And the writer describes himself leaning against Jesus. Perhaps John could hear Jesus’ heartbeat as he leaned close, listening to Jesus’ words about what was about to take place.  Jesus never told John to stop leaning on him. He will never tell us that either. Jesus appreciates the power held within a human touch. That’s why he came to be near us.

Do you ever wonder what the disciples did during the days between Jesus’ death and resurrection?  Yes, we know they went into hiding, but can you really blame them?  They just watched their best friend be brutally murdered by a group of jealous religious leaders.  Of course, they were scared in the midst of their grief.  But what did they do while they were waiting?  In the quiet moments of their fear, grief, and remembrance. 

The same question can be asked of us.  What do we do in the waiting?  While we are waiting for Jesus to answer our prayers, to speak clearly to us, to deliver us through a situation.  For me, the waiting period can be very excruciating.  I struggle with wanting everything right now, but recently, God has been working on my heart in this area.  As He gently does with me, He whispered to my heart one day, “Sarah, while you wait, praise Me.  While you wait, seek Me.  While you wait, trust Me.”

Praise…
Praising God takes the focus off self and puts it back on Him.  With God as the focal point of my thoughts, the waiting becomes easier.  Why?  Because my self-centered agenda has been pushed back to allow His greatness to shine through.  And oh, how my heart becomes settled as I praise His mighty Name, as I recall all of the ways He has been faithful to me in the past.  Psalm 150 tells us to “praise Him for His powerful acts; praise Him for His abundant greatness…Let everything that breathes praise the Lord.”  We can praise Him in the waiting because He is still God no matter the circumstance and giving Him praise aligns our hearts with His.  Praise Him with your words, praise Him through your song, praise Him through your dance…just praise Him!

Seek…
“So I say to you, keep asking, and it will be given to you.  Keep searching, and you will find.  Keep knocking, and the door will be open to you.” (Luke 11:9) Did you catch that repetition?  Keep asking, keep searching, keep knocking.  Seeking God is not a one-time deal.  To fully seek Him, we must continuously do so.  Dive into His word.  Ask Him to reveal to your heart the things of His heart.  Ask boldly for the desires of your heart to align with His.  As you do so, the waiting becomes about connecting with the heart of the Father, seeking His will above our own.  There is comfort here.  Sitting, seeking, being intentional in finding out what His plan is.  Jeremiah 29:12-13 says, “You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”  Jesus is there with you in the waiting, seek Him.

​Trust…
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5) Waiting does not always make sense to our finite human minds, and that is okay.  There are many things we will not understand this side of heaven, which is why Proverbs 3:5 is so comforting.  I know that I cannot always rely on my own understanding, and this is where trusting the Lord comes into play.  I can trust Jesus because He is trustworthy.  It is who He is and always will be.  He does not change.  He is constant.  Here my heart can be firmly planted.  Here my waiting begins to make a little more sense because I know the lover of my soul has me in the palm of His hand.  I can trust Him because His word tells me to cast all my cares, my anxieties on Jesus because He cares for me (1 Peter 5:7).  The Creator of the Universe cares for me and He cares for you.  Let that truth take root in your heart and mind.
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As you wait, praise God.  “My heart is confident, God, my heart is confident.  I will sing; I will sing praise.” (Psalm 57:7).  As you wait, seek Him.  “For I know the plans I have for you – this is the Lord’s declaration – plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11) As you wait, trust Jesus. “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. (Isaiah 26:3)

 I vividly recall being in the shoe department of a retail store when I heard a child call out, “Mommy, where are you?” In a peaceful, reassuring voice the child’s mom replied, “I’m right here, follow my voice.” The mom continued to guide the child with encouragement until the reunion was obvious to those within earshot. “Mommmmmy!”, said it all.
I have replayed this scene, in my mind, many times. It always makes me think of my relationship with the heavenly Father. As His child, I desire to hear His voice speak to my heart and guide me.

One of the first verses I memorized was James 4:8, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (ESV). Some translations say to “Come near to God.” My desire is to come running into my Father’s outstretched hands, but I must be honest, I don’t always do that. Even this morning, as I sat down to read my Bible, my mind was all over the place. The rapid, random thoughts brought me to the point of  anxiousness. I was trying in my flesh to make order of my thoughts. Finally, I drew near...

I followed the example the Lord made known to the prophet, Jeremiah, “Call to Me and I will answer you” (Jeremiah 33:3, ESV). I called out in prayer for Him to help me concentrate. As I started praying, He quieted my soul. Was there something magical about it? No! But, by faith, I chose to believe He would do what He said He would do. I called. He answered! The author, Evelyn Christenson, of “What Happens When Women Pray”, would have called my prayer an “SOS” prayer. I definitely needed help!

Thankfully, with my mind quieted by the Lord, I could now draw near by approaching Him in The Word. It is here that He speaks to our hearts. I have heard some people say, “I wish He would speak to me when I read my Bible!”Our Lord longs to speak to each one of us through His Word...even more than we want to hear from Him!
On the inside cover of my Bible, I have written a few quotes from Andrew Murray’s book, “ The Inner Chamber and the Inner Life.” These words are a wonderful reminder to me as I open the Word of God.
“The Word of God is a living Word. It carries a divine quickening power in it.”“These words are full of the life of God. God is in them, and makes His presence and power known to them who seek Him in them.”
Lord, today, may we each choose to draw near to You. And may we hear You speak to our hearts through Your living Word.

​Our grandson has never required much sleep. He is an early riser and nap-taking isn’t a favorite activity. He doesn’t particularly like bedtime either. But now, at three years old, he and his mommy and daddy have a bedtime routine which works for him, though it wasn’t easy getting to this point.
 
Once when he was two, his mom was beyond worn out trying to get him to sleep. They had read several stories together; they had said bedtime prayers.  She had stayed with him in his room for a time until she decided that he would have to get to sleep on his own. He didn’t like this idea and fussed about it. His whimpering turned into full blown wails. My daughter thought he would tire himself out with all of the crying and sat downstairs listening to his cries. She had made up her mind; he would just have to cry himself to sleep.
 
After a while, she noticed a pause in his sobbing. A shaky little voice uttered, “Mommy, I’m sad!” My daughter jumped off the sofa and bounded up the stairs, grabbing her son in her arms to soothe and comfort him. What the constant crying could not provoke, those simple words produced in her mother’s heart a need to ease his self-inflicted trauma and console her “sad” little boy.
 
What is it about a hurting heart’s cry and expression of sadness that can grip our emotions and ignite our desire to help? If we as imperfect parents, and human beings for that matter, can feel such compassion, why do we doubt the compassion of God?
 
We may question, doubt or suspect our Heavenly Father of not caring. Our whimpers of not trusting turn into wails of unbelief. We see this in Jesus’ disciples when they faced a physical storm on the Sea of Galilee (Luke 8:22-25; Matthew 8:23-27). They were fighting for their lives as waves tumbled over the sides of their boat, threatening to topple them and throw them into the sea. Where was their companion, Jesus? He was sleeping peacefully in the midst of the tumult. They awoke him with shouts that they were about to die.
 
In my imagination, the thoughts of the terrified disciples went something like this: “Jesus, Jesus, don’t you even care that we are about to perish? Why aren’t you doing something?” Their fear beckoned answers. Jesus woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves and the storm stopped.
“Where is your faith?” Jesus asked them. And they marveled that even the wind and the waves obeyed Jesus.
 
Their fears of harm had compelled them to wake their Master. He quickly came to the rescue; He calmed the storm. The water was again peaceful, as were the disciples’ hearts.
 
When we call out, God always hears us. When we feel afraid or sad or overwhelmed, we need to remember that we are not alone. We are the children of the God who can calm any storm and who rushes to take us into His arms.

My son woke up one morning in a cranky mood.  He was having one of those “I woke up on the wrong side of the bed” kind of days.  Nothing was satisfying him.  I tried everything to appease my little human.  I put on his favorite TV show and provided him with his favorite snack, Cheetos, even though it was nine o’clock in the morning.  I was desperate to say the least.  When those things did not work, I tried to ignore the behavior.  I acted like it was any other “normal” day when he had woken up in a good mood, ready to conquer the day with a smile on his face.  Needless to say, that method did not work either.  I was nearly at my wits end.  Could I really endure an entire day like this? 
Finally, I scooped him up in my arms and set him on the counter so that we were eye to eye and said, “Look, I am in this thing with you.  I am committed to you.  Whatever today holds, I am here.  I got this.” I would love to report that this exchange completely changed my little man’s heart and mind, but it did not.  He continued to have an off day, but I remained committed to him.  Whatever he needed to get through the day, I was going to do it.  I love him without conditions.  This is my job as his mom.

After tucking my little one into bed that night, I began to think about the day’s events.  I realized that I am not much different from my son.  I wake up some days in a foul mood.  My heart is unsettled, and I would just rather throw myself on the floor and throw a fit than to face the day.  That’s when Jesus comes in, scoops me up and looks into my eyes and says, “Sarah, I am committed to you.  I love you unconditionally.  I’ve got this.”

If you are a child of God, He does the same for you.  You may be facing a huge trial right now.  You or your husband may have lost your job.  Your child might be rebelling.  You might be overwhelmed with depression or anxiety.  Maybe your parents have gotten sick, and you are now the fulltime caregiver.  Whatever the circumstance that is troubling your heart, know that God is committed to you.  He is right there with you.  Hebrews 13:5 reminds us of this truth, “Never will I leave you.  Never will I forsake you.”  It does not matter what you are going through.  At this very moment, God is with you.  He is not going anywhere. 

Isaiah 41:10 says, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand.”  During the unsettling times in life, fall back on these incredible words of God.  We do not have to be afraid because the Creator of the Universe is our God.  He will strengthen us when we want to give up.  Not with feeble human strength, but with His strength that does not grow tired or weary.  He will hold onto us with His hands when we feel unsteady or uncertain.  God loves us with an everlasting love.  He is committed to us; He is for us.  You can rest in this truth knowing He is committed to you.

Recently, we had a bad thunderstorm come through our city in the middle of the night. I was awakened by the rain hitting the side of our house and then I heard the loud thunder. The first thing I thought about was whether or not the thunder was going to wake up our three sleeping children. After a couple more rumbles of thunder, I could hear my 4 year old son’s footsteps coming down the stairs and straight towards our bedroom. He has a huge fear of thunder, so I knew he was upset to be awakened by it. The first thing he did when he got into our room was come to my side of the bed and wrap his arms tightly around my neck. He stood there for almost a minute, holding on for dear life. He then scooted onto the bed, never letting go of his grip. After a couple minutes, the thunder stopped and we journeyed back up to his bed, where he quickly fell back to sleep.

My husband, who is the worship pastor at our church, told this story to our congregation, during our time of worship a couple of weeks ago. He said that as he thought about how our son didn’t hesitate to run to us in his time of great fear, he realized how many times he doesn’t run to God when he deals with fear or trials. That is something that I know to be true in my life as well. When I get upset, become filled with fear, or feel out of control, I know my first steps are not always headed towards God. Rather than run straight to Him, sometimes my first instinct is to call my husband, vent to my mom, or even to look on Google for an answer to my problem; which, by the way, can actually be a very bad idea that fills me with more fear.

Talking to our friends and family, when we’re going through a difficult time, is not a bad thing, but it can become an unhealthy habit when it is what we depend on most for help. We should be looking to God and His Word for our main source of comfort and wisdom. He should be the first one we run to! Psalm 46:1 reminds us of this beautiful truth: “God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.” I am so thankful that no matter what our circumstance may be, God is always there. We should not just be going to Him as our last ditch effort, we should be sprinting with everything we have straight into His arms, holding on as tight as we can and never letting go.