There is nothing quite as beautiful as the sun coming up over a Waffle House; no I am kidding, as there is nothing as beautiful as God’s creation.  I did see the sun come up over the Waffle House though; that is not a lie.  I was standing in a small circle of five or six cowboys trying to stay warm, as it was freezing outside.  There was one girl who was going to each of us for warmth; I did not know her at all, so when she put her head on my shoulder I just stood there awkwardly because she could have been with one of the cowboys in the circle; maybe she was a buckle bunny which is not a bad thing; at least it is not worse than being a cowboy.

Though I stood in a circle of people, I still felt alone.  I was friends with the wind and the cold because that was all I knew.  Oh yeah, I also knew the alcohol that was in my system at the time.  I had been drinking at Coyote Joe’s in Charlotte, NC, though I was not falling down drunk.  During this juncture in my life, I had no driver license, and I had not been out of prison too terribly long; I had to catch a ride home from a cowboy I did not even know.  When the cowboy dropped me off at home, he said he would pick me up the next night to go to a bull riding.  I was excited to go, and I wanted to get on a bull for the first time in a while, but he never showed up, and I felt somewhat depressed because I had to rely on other people, and even then it did not work out.

I was lost, and I was clearly not the same person when I asked Jesus into my heart at the age of seven.  I wanted to follow Jesus with all my heart because I did know Him, but I did not know how.  Perhaps I was too broken of a person at the time; I had let myself down and had been let down by others so many times.  However, I can honestly say I never lost my faith in Jesus; I knew He was watching over me, yet I had no desire to follow him at the time.  I loved Jesus, but my love for Him was understated; understated in my words, my actions, and in self loathing.

So, when did it all turn around?  Well, I started following Jesus after I met Crystal; just seeing her soothed my soul, and I learned that God would never ever let me down.  I can also say Crystal has never let me down which is hard for a human to do.  Crystal gives me credit for leading her to Jesus, but I have always said that Crystal saved me from myself, and that is why I believe we are a match made in heaven.

I have been following Jesus for many years now, and I am happy to say that I am happy; even through turmoil, through a pandemic, through the loss of loved ones, through my failures, and through my mistakes I can appreciate the fact that I have never blamed God for any of these happenings; I realized a long time ago that love is above everything else, and the Bible says God is love.  The concept that God is love is pretty simple yet beautiful.  If one will look into the most diversely interpreted source and look for its simplicity, one will find its margin of beauty…

I pray that your love for God will never be understated.  Amen.

“For with God nothing shall be impossible.”  Luke 1:37

Stay well, and God bless!

Chris