Recovery
Oh the sweet sounds of chainsaws. One of the sounds that tells us the storm has passed and clean up has started. I was sharing a cup of coffee with a friend this past Tuesday morning, when I heard my first chainsaw fire up in the neighborhood where our church is located. It put a smile on my face.
I think I smiled because the sound of the chainsaw was an assurance that the storm had passed. We were okay and it's now time to clean up. That clean up process takes time and there is no doubt that you are going to have to put in some hard work. You’re going to get dirty. Gradually, you will restore what the storm tried to destroy.
The storms of life are the same way. They knock us around and sometimes they knock us down. When we get back up, they try to knock us down again. Storms of life have a way of leaving a trail of debris behind them. After the storm is gone, we are left to clean up.
A friend was telling me that he was amazed at how God works through storms. Old dead branches from trees are removed. Weak parts of plants are blown away. The water comes through and washes away the old. It's a natural pruning and pressure washing of sorts. God using the storm to set the stage for new growth and blooming that only happens after removing the old, broken, weak, and dirty.
Peter was certainly a unique man that Jesus called to follow Him. After facing the storm of Jesus being arrested and his subsequent denial of Jesus, Peter certainly blooms. Through the pages of the book of Acts we see Peter blossom into who Jesus knew he was, a leader. After Jesus is taken to heaven, Peter shows that Christ has called him to start the recovery process as a leader of leaders. Acts, 1:15-17 says, “In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) and said, ‘Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. He was one of our number and shared in our ministry,’” Peter has begun the “clean up” process by leading the apostles to selecting one to replace Judas.
In the aftermath of the storms of life, be assured God is building something beautiful. He sees us through the eyes of the reality He calls us into. So weather the storm. After it passes, start the clean up process and trust that our God is a God who does beautiful things in recovery.
Be blessed and be a blessing,
Matt
I think I smiled because the sound of the chainsaw was an assurance that the storm had passed. We were okay and it's now time to clean up. That clean up process takes time and there is no doubt that you are going to have to put in some hard work. You’re going to get dirty. Gradually, you will restore what the storm tried to destroy.
The storms of life are the same way. They knock us around and sometimes they knock us down. When we get back up, they try to knock us down again. Storms of life have a way of leaving a trail of debris behind them. After the storm is gone, we are left to clean up.
A friend was telling me that he was amazed at how God works through storms. Old dead branches from trees are removed. Weak parts of plants are blown away. The water comes through and washes away the old. It's a natural pruning and pressure washing of sorts. God using the storm to set the stage for new growth and blooming that only happens after removing the old, broken, weak, and dirty.
Peter was certainly a unique man that Jesus called to follow Him. After facing the storm of Jesus being arrested and his subsequent denial of Jesus, Peter certainly blooms. Through the pages of the book of Acts we see Peter blossom into who Jesus knew he was, a leader. After Jesus is taken to heaven, Peter shows that Christ has called him to start the recovery process as a leader of leaders. Acts, 1:15-17 says, “In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) and said, ‘Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. He was one of our number and shared in our ministry,’” Peter has begun the “clean up” process by leading the apostles to selecting one to replace Judas.
In the aftermath of the storms of life, be assured God is building something beautiful. He sees us through the eyes of the reality He calls us into. So weather the storm. After it passes, start the clean up process and trust that our God is a God who does beautiful things in recovery.
Be blessed and be a blessing,
Matt
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