Read Luke 9:1-36

By: Ruth Jones

“You can’t really love other people well unless you are at home in your own soul. You will simply be too afraid.”

– Paula Rinehart

It doesn’t take a lot of strength to hang on. It takes a lot of strength to let go.

–  J C Watts.

One of the secrets of life is that all that is really worth doing is what we do for others. –Lewis Carroll.

It was a beautiful spring day. The sky was crystal blue with a few lazy clouds dancing across the horizon gently embracing the soft, warm rays of the sun that are seeking to wake the earth from its slumber.

A young girl is out exploring the freshness of the spring creation around her. There is a giggle as the breeze causes her hair to tickle the back of her neck. Her toes wiggle in the cool soft grass and she breathes in the sweet aroma of new growth and the brighter summer days ahead. Her ears pick up the gurgling sound of the nearby brook and she feels a comforting peace.

As the adventure continues she is drawn towards a white, fluffy ball that is just inviting her to pluck it out of the ground. She has been taught that this is a dandelion seed and you should close your eyes and make a wish as you blow the seeds away. She takes a breath and gently puffs resulting in a few of the seeds being caught by the breeze and floating away. A couple more times and all the seeds are gone. Did her dreams land in a place in her heart that would produce growth?

She leaves the field with sights, sounds, smells, and feelings that will influence her life. One of the wishes she made was to be loved, to give and receive true love. She remembered the sun and how it touched her and began to explore how the true Son felt. He didn’t play peek a boo from behind clouds but His warmth was inviting. As she grew, there was a time she knew, like Peter, she needed to make a decision. Who is this great man that calls Himself Jesus? He is the Christ the Son of the Living God.

Acknowledging that this man is Jesus was just the beginning of a lifetime of adventure. Would she remember all those childhood dreams and, if she did, were they just dreams that died over time?

Through struggles, Jesus would remind her of the sound of the bubbling book and how he wants to be a place of refreshing and peace when the world is trying to create storms around her. He gives her himself when she is thirsty which results in a new vision and hope.

Her dream to live a life of purpose was far beyond the way she viewed it for herself. Jesus wanted to influence the whole world through her to show others His love and glory. Only He can take us to those amazing mountain tops. We clamber and slip but He holds us on the path and gives us strength for the journey.

Laying down in the cool sweet grass, lost in a moment of peace, she knows again that there is nothing in her life that is beyond the healing touch of Jesus. His love for her is so great, His desire for her is so pure, His purpose for her is most glorious. Her response to him is so inadequate but each day they grow in love more and more.