To my strong son…to my beautiful daughter,
You are already loved deeply by the One who has the only opinion that ever really matters. His love never diminishes. Never forget this. You have nothing to prove, nothing to be ashamed of, and nothing to lose.
You are my greatest joy. Here are some words to keep close to your heart…
People will cause you pain. Some will try to distract you from what is most important. Do not buy what others sell you to try and “make you better or happier.” If Jesus is not enough nothing else will be.
When difficult times come to test you, hold on to Jesus.
When evil comes to tempt you, hold on to Jesus.
When lies come to deceive you, hold on to Jesus.
When your own weakness causes you to doubt, hold on to Jesus.
When others tell you that you are not enough, hold on to Jesus.
When pain causes you to feel like giving up, hold on to Jesus.
When you feel like there is no solution, hold on to Jesus.
Do not let bitterness steal your joy. Do not let hatred harden your heart. Do not let the opinions of others define you.
Let the trials and persecutions of this world strip away the thin veneer of things that do not really matter, and let the true beauty and strength of Christ within you be what is revealed. Let that be what is most noticeable about you. Let that be what you leave behind. Let that be what people remember.
People are broken and in their brokenness they will try to feel better about themselves by breaking you. Love them. Forgive them. Give them the best you have, for you will never run out. They are not your enemy but the very people Jesus came for. There is an enemy that desires you, resist him and never believe his lies. Hold to the truth, soak in it every day. Let truth become your thoughts, define your actions and become your words. Let truth flow easily from within, for the truth is what heals, restores and transforms us all.
What has been given to you is so powerful that it can turn governments upside down, turn kings into paupers and back into kings again, and it can release a tidal wave of restoration on a broken world…so never hold it back. Do not believe the lie that you are powerless, for the enemy is afraid of the power within you.
Do not be tempted to protect this treasure, for it is what protects you.
Do not be afraid to give it all away, for it will never run out.
Do not be distracted by anything less than the treasure within you, for nothing else compares.
Christ in you is the hope of glory…and nothing else is. How rich you are! Now be generous.
Your dad in the faith,
Neil