Skylar's Blog & Podcast

Did any of you ever have the urge to run away when you were little? I did at times. I used to always read the Boxcar Children series (a very old school book series) and whenever I would read it I would almost always think about what life would be like if I were on my own in the forest somewhere. It always seemed so exciting and adventurous...and then I would go camping and realize why I never left. I don't know how many of you have ever actually taken the leap and ran away from home for a short while, but the one thing that would always stop me is where I would stay if I did run away. Anyways, I have no firsthand experience with running away, but I will tell you a story about a kid who runs away in a sense. There is this rebellious adventurous type who lives with his brother and dad. Now, the rebellious brothers dad is quite wealthy. He has lots of cattle, sheep, aardvarks...whatever farmers are supposed to have. Anyways, one day the rebellious son comes to his father and tells him he wants his share of the inheritance NOW!!! The dad mulls it over and decides to give him half of his estate (which translates into one BILLION DOLLARS...actually I don't know how much but it's a lot). The son takes his money, travels to the nearest town and wastes it all on Tootsie Pops and arcade games...sort of. Well, a famine hits and this son is out of a family and now, money . So, after working with pigs he goes home. As he is going home he is practicing his speech he's going to give his father, but as he's walking up the path his dad sees him and runs to him. The son begs for forgiveness, but the father doesn't even acknowledge his apology. Instead, he gets his servant to find the best clothes for his son and he throws a huge party because his son is home! Now, all of you know this story, but just this week I heard a sermon on how this story is a beautiful painting of what repentance really is. I don't know about you but repentance is one word I'm not particularly fond because of the taste it has left in my mouth. So many of us have had this awful picture of repentance painted for us where we have to basically grovel and at the end God finally says, "Oh alright, you're forgiven." This story of the prodigal son (which is more about the amazing father) paints an entirely different picture. Take that word repentance, and put it in the context of the story of a father who runs out to his son, allows him to humbly admit he's wrong, and then brings him into his love as if he never left and you'll get the true meaning of repentance. Repentance is not groveling, it's not rolling around in a fiery pit until God finally lets our mistake go. No, repentance is instead a Father seeing his child far off and running as fast as He can towards His baby. Repentance is simply humbling yourself...repentance is coming home.

I think you've all experienced the feeling being tired. I can remember several times in college literally holding my eyelids open with my fingers during class because I was so tired. Can I get an amen to anyone who has been there? Actually now that I think about it there is a video of me falling asleep in class and my teacher hitting the table really hard to wake me up haha, go check it out: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/video/video.php?v=535938618108&subj=54601437. Anyways, it is a natural thing to become tired. Everyone gets to this point...some people more than others, but there is no getting around the fact we will become tired. Why am I being so redundant? Because in Isaiah 40:29-31 God says: "He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Now does this mean God is some super awesome steroid we can call on during athletic events? When we're hitting the wall in the fourth quarter can we just look to God for some of his Holy juice and we'll be good to go for another hour? I think you know the answer to that (or at least I hope you do)...of course you can, I hit that stuff up all the time! Just kidding. What God is saying is he sovereign (in control) of all physical processes great and small. He can start, stop, or reverse anything that happens in nature or inside of us. How does this apply? When you're throwing everything you've got into your relationship with God and doing what you think He wants you to do you will eventually become tired...maybe even exhausted; however, God says there nothing to worry about it because He will restore us. He will renew our strength and we will soar on wings. Now that sounds like Red Bull times 1,000. In summary, throw your all into loving God and loving others and watch God renew you daily (2 Corinthians 4:16).