Eddie

I have a fraternity brother, his name is Eddie. Eddie has had a crappy week. I have had crappy weeks. Today, Wednesday was a crappy week for a few hours. I had a hard counseling session with a guy.

This is what I told Eddie. I'm going to read it. Maybe the Lord will speak to me through what I wrote. Sometimes it feels like He does. But really what we should be reading is scripture. In this case the one that inspired this writing was 1 Peter 1:3-12....Now that I look at it verses 13-21. They relate to my last post and to Hebrews 12.

To my friend Eddie;

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Eddie I have sincerely had weeks like the ones you are experiencing. Worse weeks in fact. I share that burden with you. The reality is I, we, will forever have shitty weeks. I--by my own skill, self-reliance, knowledge, and strength--have NOT been able to climb out of weeks like this.

The only thing to pull me out, to give me hope has been the unbridled faith in the love that God has for me by sending His son to the cross a long time ago to pay my debt for the sin I have committed against others AND Him. By Jesus God has brought me into a forgiven and reconciled relationship with him. It has taken repentance, apology and a lot of work, years of it.

It is that new, authentic, REAL relationship with Jesus that I can get through any terrible thing that happens in this life. Because with faith in Jesus comes a hope Eddie, such a hope that one day I will be in heaven with a father who accepts me and loves me. On that day I will enter heaven and all my accusers who say I am a creep and a duesch and lie about me will be silenced. Why?

Because in the eyes of my father Jesus paid the debt for me by his death on the cross. Then by a crazy supernatural, almost unbelievable act He was raised from the dead, overcoming all those who sent him to the cross. He is the only person I have ever heard of in my entire life to completely deliver on ALL his promises. And to meet literally ALL the prophecies of men that lived over 3,000 years before him. (I have read all those ancient writings and Jesus meets all the expectations. That is weird, it is crazy.) I put my faith in that scholarly fact.

The hope to get me through terrible weeks stems from Jesus' miraculous resurrection! I cant explain it. My friend, it gives me in-expressible joy knowing one day--the same day that my accusers will be silenced in fact--I will enter into heaven and i will no longer have weeks like the one you are having.

That hope spurs me on to honor my heavenly father with my life in spite of weeks like this by saying, "Lord, because of what you have done on my behalf, in the midst of the deepest possible pain your grace is sufficient and the hope I have in you is enough."

I share this with you not to persuade you to be a Christian, ultimately that is between you and God. However, I would be overjoyed if the Lord opened your eyes to the truth in this, because honestly Eddie (and hear me now, I mean this with the most genuine sincerity my heart has to give) it is the most authentic and life changing truth that I have ever been met with and it brings me more hope than anything in the world.

I want you to read a story, my favorite story in fact, about a girl named Renee. She experience the power of God's love through a group of people who ended up starting a non-profit called "To Write Love On Her Arms." This is her story.....
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Your friend,

Landon