“Faith in Jesus is important, but what about Jesus’ faith in us?...Jesus has faith that you can follow him and that you can be like him.” Rob Bell

Have you ever wondered why it seems as though some people have lives filled of incredible story, while others have no more than a humdrum type of existence? Some around us appear to have lives filled with interesting anecdotes of adventure, stories of family heritage, courage, strength, and even some with tales of miraculous events while others seem to have ordinary run-of-the-mill, not much happens kinds of lives. One person lives in Mayberry and the other in New York City. I was thinking about the biblical character, Jonah this past week. What an unusual existence he had. His life was filled with drama and action much of it caused by his choices. He heard the voice of God, spent time at sea (a tremendous learning experience), had the opportunity to speak before thousands, and saw many lives changed. Have you ever dreamed of having such a life—a life where you hear God speaking, asking you to do something incredible?

I am the sort of person that truly wants to believe the best about everyone. I realize that there will be times when this sort of belief will leave me disappointed, but I would rather err on the side of living believing in the positive about people, rather than the opposite. I suppose this is why I have the viewpoint that at some point in a person’s life he or she becomes concerned about purpose. What is it all about? Why am I here? Where is this leading? How is what I am about making a difference? I do not know about you, but I believe that in some way we all desire to make a difference in the world, to make a “dent,” or leave a mark so to speak. The issue might boil down to a matter of whether we believe we can make a difference. So often, we loose faith in someone or something because he or she, or it, lets us down. Nevertheless, I have good news for you. Someone believes in you regardless of what you may have done, or said. This same person, who created you, thinks you are great and wants nothing more than to see you succeed. Jesus, when selecting the disciples, chose grown men who had washed out of the Jewish school system. They were intelligent, but they were not the best of the best. He picked a team of “not-good-enough’s” and put them on the varsity team. They were his star players. He believed that each of them had what it would take to carry forth the vision and mission of God. Amazing...ordinary guys—guys that no one else believed in, doing extraordinary things! I am of the impression that Jesus believes you and I can do and be what is good, pure, and lovely, and thereby our destiny is to leave an incredible legacy.

Thanks for reading.