Hello
Emmanuel,
As
I walk with you in a faith-filled journey, I have the unique perspective of
watching your stories unfold, even when few others see what is happening. I see it as an honor and am humbled by it. I also don’t take for granted the trust that
is involved in allowing me the privilege of walking with you.
I
get to see your joys. One of the little
rewards of my Call is to see your authentic smiles when they appear. The birth of a child; a baptism; a
graduation; a bill of good health; a thank-you—these are moments that fuel me
and help me have a glad day. Some of you
are having good days right now. Cherish
them. I believe God sends them to us for
reasons beyond just the reasons themselves.
He helps us build momentum to get over the next mountain. Take full advantage.
I
also get to see your sadness. The story
of Emmanuel is never one-sided. I know
many of the struggles some of you are having on this very day. At times it even goes beyond sadness to angst….
Or a sort of a deep heartache that seemingly no one can fix. Perhaps worse are those moments that could be
fixed, but perhaps will not be. I pray
for you today.
I
also see your anger, comfort, frustration, relief, hope, embarrassment and
love. I know I don’t see it all, but I
am still honored when you trust me and let me be a part of your faith
journey. And while I, too, have my
various events in life, I am content to continue walking with you. For me, that is the essence of community for
which we were all made.
So
whether you are happy or sad today, consider the big picture and now that you
are loved. No single event in a person’s
day defines them, even if it feels like it at the time. What defines us is how we walk our journey
and with whom we walk. Over the course
of time, that is how we are defined.
May
God walk with you.
God
is Good,
Pastor
Joe
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