Do you have a choice to make, but you don’t know what the right choice is? Have you been delayed, waiting for the clear answer, afraid to get it wrong? When you make a choice, you stand a chance of being wrong, and who likes being wrong? I’ve never met a single person who enjoys being wrong. Because of our fear of being wrong, we’re often stuck in indecision. We typically DO know what we want in life, we really do, but actually going for what we want is scary because it could go wrong.

Who am I talking to today? Who’s sitting in indecision today, hiding behind a pile of choices because it’s safe to stay there?

The truth is, this is an area of great frustration and confusion for many. MAKING A CHOICE is hard to do. And because you fear making the wrong choice, you avoid choosing and thus you stay STUCK. Is it better to be stuck than to be wrong?

God isn’t always clear with his direction. I’ve mistaken my fleshy desires for his divine guidance and it’s taken me down the wrong path. How about you? I’ve cleaned up plenty of messes following wrong choices. But wow did I learn a lot in the process. Looking back, I ask if it would have been better to do nothing? Would it have been better to sit and wonder for a few more years? How many opportunities would I have missed as I waited for that clear sign?

My daughters would have surely spent several more years in the orphanage as I waited to know FOR SURE we were supposed to adopt them. I would still be pursing a career that sucked the life out of me as I waited to know for sure we could make it without a guaranteed paycheck and insurance. I would still be living in a town I didn’t want to live in, filling a big house with all the things, as I waited to see if we could really travel full time. I would still be stewing over how to make that first retreat work, instead of stepping into retreat 60 something this week. This podcast would still be a thought, because ya’ll I so wasn’t certain God was really directing this.

I bet the same is true for you. You would probably still be waiting to have that first baby, unsure if you were really ready to raise a tiny human being, huh? That career move was risky, but it worked out didn’t it? It’s all working out, even when it was uncertain. Even when you didn’t know what you were doing. Even when you never felt ready. But that first step in faith has brought you further than you ever imagined.

There were things you were seeking God for, and you never did get that crystal clear answer, but you showed up and did your best instead of sitting in the corner … and aren’t you glad you did? Aren’t you glad you tried?

I believe God has called us to be bold women willing to make choices and risk being WRONG.

Question – can God handle our wrong choices? Oh you bet your sweet little butt he can.

He is constantly moving among us to work all things together for good … even our bad moves and wrong turns. I mean if he can put 60,000 miles of blood vessels in your body and create a totally unique, one of a kind set of fingerprints for you, don’t you think he can realign opportunities you may have missed and adjust for your misteps?

Isn’t God that big? Isn’t he that powerful? Stop putting him in a box assuming your uncertainty has confused or limited him. God is not limited. God is not stuck. God is 100% certain of the good plans he has for your life and he knows there’s a million diffferent ways he can get you to those good plans, so he allows you to choose along the way. And yes, even choose wrong sometimes.

Do you have something in your life that you continually battle, yet can’t seem to overcome completely? Something that constantly creeps back in and pesters you? Sometimes you think you get rid of it, then here it comes again. Maybe it’s a bad habit or addiction. Maybe it’s a choice you keep making that you genuinely don’t want to make, yet you do it over and over again. You just can’t seem to rid yourself of this.

Understand, this is an area of your life where Satan has a foothold on you.

What is a foothold? I want you to think of it like this, if you’re trying to get away from me by running down the hall and escaping into a room, you would want to close the door to keep me out, right? But if when you’re closing the door on me, I put my foot in the door, you can’t close the door and I now have access whether you want me to or not. My foot is holding the door open. I have a foothold on you.

Now imagine Satan, your enemy from the pits of hell who wants nothing more than to kill, steal and destroy every ounce of goodness in your life, has a foothold on you. His foot is holding the door open, and no matter how hard you push, you can’t close the door. He has access to your life, and he torments you.

God wants to reveal to us how we have allowed a foothold in areas of our lives that give the devil access to torment us. God will help us close this door and overcome that which we cannot overcome on our own.

Scripture tells us about this foothold in Ephesians 4:26-27 “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”

Unresolved anger creates this foothold for the devil which he uses as leverage against you. Now, maybe you don’t feel like an angry person, but anger is simply an unforgiveness for an offense against you. It shows up as bitterness, negative thoughts, jealousy, replayed scenarios in your head, and positioning yourself as a victim. And maybe you have every right in the world to feel the way you do. But understand, justified feelings still offer a foothold to the devil.

The devil would love nothing more than to get all up in your justified hurt. He relishes in the opportunity to play in your bitterness and keep you stuck there. He’s so comfortable in your past pain and keeps the door open to that pain hurting you again today.

Satan’s access through this foothold in your life shows up as the thing you just can’t stop doing. It shows up as the one thing you can’t seem to get control of, and that one thing is destroying your life. It shows up as that destructive behavior that creates shame and guilt and holds you back from living freely and fully. It’s the thing you don’t want to do, yet you’re pulled into doing it again.

My friends, that’s what our enemy does to us. That’s what happens when he has a foothold on us and we aren’t able to close the door to him. As long as that door is open, understand he will continue to stir up trouble, pester and torment you, and create continual havoc in your life.

Again, what is keeping that door open? Satan’s foothold! What has allowed his foothold on you? Anger, bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness.

Where have you withheld forgiveness? Who has hurt you and as a result you’ve kept them locked away in a prison in your heart where they can’t be forgiven? What has hurt you, creating an open wound you don’t know how to deal with? Not dealing with it has created more chaos in your life than you realize. Avoiding this hurt has left open doors to demons who have stirred up bad...

What is that little voice that tells you you’re not good enough? Why are you continually held back by the fear of falling short or lacking what it takes? And why do you question if the REAL YOU would be liked?

You’re not alone if you feel this way and have this internal battle. It actually has a name; it’s called Imposter Syndrome. In short, you feel like an imposter. Like you’re pretending your way through life and one day your cover will be blown. Is that you? I ask because it sure used to be me every day. That little voice once ruled me.

Imposter Syndrome is a psychological pattern which causes you to doubt your skills, talents and accomplishments as a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a “fraud”.

Well let me tell you something … God knows your name, he knows your inner most details, he knows your past and he knows your potential, and he still chooses you. The REAL YOU is totally loved and that can’t be faked. God looks at you and says you are the perfect person for his good plans. You are exactly who he chooses to work with, in and through.

My favorite disciple in the Bible clearly struggled with Imposter Syndrome. Peter was adventurous and daring, yet he fought an internal battle which constantly told him he wasn’t good enough for what God was calling him to. In fact, in the beginning, his name wasn’t Peter, he was Simon.

The name Simon means listening. You know, like the game Simon Says is a listening game. Simon was always listening to the voices that told him he wasn’t good enough, but Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter, which means Rock. He would use him as the firm foundation to build his Church. But first, Simon would have to understand he was worthy of God’s calling.

Luke 5: 2-11 “Jesus saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken.Then Jesus said to Simon (who would later become Peter), “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.”

Notice he said “go away from me Lord, I am a sinful man.” This was Simon’s declaration of “I’m not good enough.” But Jesus never flinched. He didn’t withdraw hearing of Simon’s shortcomings. Instead Jesus responded to him and said “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” This was Jesus’ way of saying, “Yip, I already know everything about you and you’re wrong about you. You are good enough because I’m making you good enough, and now we’re going to level up. You’re going to do even greater things with me.”

Sister, you are wrong about you.

When you say you’re not good enough, when you believe you’ve reached your peak and can go no further,

The life you’re living is the story which will outlive you. Each day of your life is a sentence. Each month a paragraph. Every year is a chapter.

I wonder how the story we’re living would compare to the one God had in mind for us? I wonder if it’s too late to change the story and get back in alignment with God’s best plan and ditch some of the crap story we’ve been writing on our own? Oh girl, I have a scripture for you!!!!!

Psalm 18: 20-24 MSG “God made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before Him. When I got my act together, He gave me a fresh start. Now I’m alert to God’s ways; I don’t take God for granted. Every day i review the ways He works; I try not to miss a trick. I feel put back together, and I’m watching my step. God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.”

Your story changes when you fully open your heart to God. When you hold nothing back and invite God to rearrange, revamp, restore, renew, and rewrite any thing and all things.

But what we typically do is we wait until things fall completely apart and then we present this one area of our lives to God in desperation, holding everything else back.

When will we understand God isn’t interested in just giving you a great relationship with someone, he wants to fix your relationship with YOU too.

When will we realize God doesn’t want to make us skinny, he wants to make us healthy from the inside out. He wants to go to work on every part of you and restore you to exactly who he created you to be. And he can. Oh yes, he can. But he won’t without your invitation.

Will you open the book of your heart to his eyes? Meaning, will you fully surrender everything to him?

Will you stop pretending like you can hide those thoughts you’re having from God? Will you stop pretending like God doesn’t already know exactly how you’ve been feeling?

Where is your surrender in what you’ve been holding back? Why do we hold so tightly to control when life is spinning out of control? Why do we refuse to fall to our knees without being knocked there? Whew, we are some hard headed girls aren’t we? There’s an easier faster way my friend, surrender fully now.

Psalm 139: 23 & 24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”

That’s a bold prayer asking God to search your heart and test you. Don’t pray it if you’re not ready. But this is the secret to the next level of living. This is the key to stepping into your destiny. The boldness to say, “Lord, if there’s anything I’m doing wrong, SHOW ME, I want to fix it.”

How many times are we so fixated on what the other person is doing wrong that we miss the fact we’ve royally screwed up too? God, show me where I am wrong too, I’m ready to change that.

How many times are we wallowing as the victim when we caused some of the pain too? God, show me where I need to get better. I’m ready to work.

How many times are we taking part in conversations that simply shouldn’t be had, saying things we know we shouldn’t be saying, but doing it any way? Oh God, convict me!

Will you pray that bold prayer and ask God to search you and point out anything that offends him? Will you ask him where you may be wrong so that you can change it?

I heard it today while walking on Sunset Beach in Hawaii. A mother turns to her young son and says, “Stop, no and don’t.” The way those words flowed so freely from her mouth told me this is something she says often. “Stop, no and don’t.”

It’s a triple shut down. I can just imagine the defeat this young boy must feel. Like he can’t do anything right. Like nothing is available to him. Like everything is off limits. Stop, no and don’t.

Sometimes life feels this way. I wonder why? Why do we stop what we started? Why do we always assume the answer is no? Why don’t we try? Why are we numb to life and playing little? Why do we live in assumed defeat when victory is undeniably ours through Jesus.

My Spirit jumped hearing that mother’s words on the beach. In that moment, God asked me to tell his girls something different. Different than the “stop, no and don’t” you’ve been hearing, you’ve been believing, and you’ve been saying.

I grew up thinking a life lived for God would be a whole lot of “Stop, no and don’t.” Maybe you did too. Maybe that’s what kept you from pursuing a relationship with your Creator, because you didn’t want more rules to hold you back. But here’s what I’ve discovered over the past 30 years of getting to know Jesus, he’s a whole lot more “Go, yes and let’s do it” than we’ve ever given him credit for.

Seriously, look at the life of Jesus here on Earth. Was he a “no” man? Did he take pleasure in being a joy kill? Did he show up on the scene and shut down the happiness? Did he hold people back and put them in little boxes? No. Never. I can’t find a single example of Jesus assigning us to a boring and limited existence.

His invitation was to a life bigger and better than our mind could possibly imagine. His mission was to give us life, and life to the full. Full lives are not consumed with “Stop, no and don’t.”

Full lives are driven by a holy “Go, yes and let’s do it!”

All Jesus requires of you is a “Yes, Lord!” Yes, I’ll go wherever you lead. Yes, I’ll go all in on the things you say yes to. Yes, I’ll partner with you in living the purposes you lead me to.

Jesus said to his disciples in Matthew 4:19, ““Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

It was a “Go, yes and let’s do it” from Jesus. And one by one, as the fishermen left their boats and their nets and said, “Yes, Lord”, they were supernaturally guided on their journey. They stepped into a purpose greater than they could imagine. Their lives mattered, and they still matter today!

What could Jesus do with our “Yes, Lord?” What greater purpose could he guide us to? What “Go, yes and let’s do it” has he divinely aligned for you, simply awaiting your faith filled first step?

God told Noah to build a big butt boat to prepare for torrential downpours when the Earth had likely never even seen rain before. He gave him very specific instructions for the boat’s construction. He told him to gather 2 of every animal, along with his family, and get in the boat. NONE OF THAT MADE A LICK OF SENSE.

But God said, “Noah, go, yes and let’s do it.” Genesis 6:22 says “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” That’s a “Yes, Lord.”

And just as God had told Noah, the whole earth flooded and the only surviving life wou...

Have you ever been on a boat in a stormy sea? Have you ever seen waves so big they can swallow your boat? Have you ever felt the panic of beginning to sink?

I haven’t, and I must say, I’m quite grateful. I love living through an adventure to get to the other side with a good story, but that’s one I prefer to just read about.

The disciples had this real life experience, and Mark tells us in great detail of the desperation he felt while thinking this was the storm they wouldn’t survive. And what’s crazy is, this is the storm Jesus led them into. It was Jesus’ idea to get in the boat and head in this direction!

Mark 4: 35-37 “As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind. But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.”

Fierce storms, high waves breaking into your boat, and water filling the only thing that’s keeping you afloat, is NOT a favorable situation. And maybe that’s the way life feels right now. You’re struggling to make ends meet, and now another thing breaks needing repairs. How will you pay for that? Your marriage has been on the rocks, now you’re dealing with sickness too. You’ve been battling feelings of depression and anxiety, now there are more messes and stresses coming your way, just when you feel you’re already at your breaking point. How much more can you take?

These are the storms of life. These are the waves that come crashing into our boat. These are the winds that blow and the waters that threaten. And we ALL go through them. We all deal with our crossing to the other side that goes all wrong.

Why does Jesus allow this? Heck, not only allow it, but actually lead us into it? Jesus knew of the storm the disciples would encounter on the boat that night, and he knew of the storms you would encounter too. Yet, he still allowed you to be right here in this boat to meet the waves.

Where is Jesus when life grows out of control? Where is Jesus when you feel like you’re sinking? Where is Jesus when it’s all just too much and you don’t know how to save yourself?

Verse 38, “Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion.”

As the waves are breaking over the boat and water is filling the hull, Jesus is peacefully asleep. There wasn’t an ounce of freak out going on for Jesus. There was no worry, no stress. He was resting in complete assurance.

And, Sis, Jesus is here going through this with you, and he’s absolutely NOT flipping out. He’s not worried how this is going to work out. He’s not upset over these hard times. He’s not stressed over what just happened, or anxious about what will happen next. It’s not because he doesn’t know. Oh, he knows. And it’s not because he doesn’t care. Oh, he cares. It’s because of this one thing, through it all, he’s in total and complete control.

Verse 38-41, “The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”

Jesus questions why we’re freaking out in the storms of life. After all he has brought us through before,

Easter is officially over, now what?

What happened after Jesus rose from the grave, and what should we be doing now after the celebration of Easter?

I find it interesting that we rarely talk about all Jesus did after coming out of that tomb. Why is that? We can’t leave Jesus on a cross, we can’t leave him in a tomb, we must allow him to fill the space he has earned the right to inhabit. Today, we talk about that space!

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, he spent 40 days walking among his believers, teaching, healing, and doing miraculous works no one could deny. Thousands of people came to believe in Jesus during those days. Even those who were part of wrongly convicting and crucifying Jesus were given the opportunity to see him alive again, witness his miracles, and even receive his forgiveness and total redemption over their lives. The apostle John ends his writings about all Jesus did in these 40 days after his resurrection with this statement in John 21:25, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”

But even with all these miracles that couldn’t be contained in all the books in the world happening with Jesus back with them, he said it was best for him to leave. How could it be better than Jesus teaching and healing? How could it be better than Jesus walking with them and making himself known? One thing, and only this one thing … The Holy Spirit empowering us to do these things and even greater things!

Jesus says in John 14:12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.”

But what’s so good about Jesus going to be with the Father instead of staying here with us?

John 16:7 “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

The Advocate Jesus speaks of is the Hebrew word parakletos. Para means close beside and kaleo means to make a call. Put together, parakletos is an advocate who makes the right decision because he is close to the situation. WHAT? This is Jesus’ parting gift to us! Because Jesus leaves us to return to the Father, we receive one who is so close to us always that we are divinely guided with the right decisions!

John 14:26 “But the Adovcate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

Yes, Easter is over, but girls, we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit because Jesus has returned to the side of our Heavenly Father, and placed the third part of the trinity, the Holy Spirit, within us! How is it possible we are walking around as followers of Christ and recipients of this incredible gift, totally missing the power we have inside of us?

The Holy Spirit teaches us all things, meaning we don’t have to walk around in this life confused, overwhelmed, or unsettled. He is close to us and close to the situation, so he can perfectly guide us in making the right decisions. You don’t know what to do from here? You don’t know if you should stay or if you should go? You don’t know what’s best? You don’t know which way to turn? You don’t have to know, you just have to consult the Holy Spirit, then follow his promptings!

There’s one thing greater than understanding … trusting. Trusting the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Good Friday, the day we remember the crucifixion of Jesus. The personal sacrifice of One for all. For me. For you.

On this day we remember Jesus carrying that cross for us. We remember him willfully stretching out his arms as they nailed him to that cross, signifying “this much.” This is how important you are. This is how loved you are. This much, with arms wide open. And we remember his excruciating death, the pain inflicted, the burdens carried, the weight of it all which took his final breath.

What an incredibly sad day. The day the world fell dark and our Jesus was crucified for being nothing other than holy, righteous, miraculous and pure.

And yet, we call it Good Friday.

The worst day in history when evil prevailed and the son of God was unjustly put to death between two thieves. It was bad. Painful. Dark. Terrifying. Unfair. And yet it was Good.

It was the ultimate good.

It was the good the world could not see which God had planned. The good which would not be revealed without the bad. The good which would allow the worst to first unfold. The good which would require some time. (Maybe there’s some good in the works in your life, but right now it looks bad. Take notice of how God works.)

Let’s read the story of this day:

Mark 15: 22-39 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.

**Do you know why the offering of this wine mixed with myrrh is important? Why such a specific, seemingly unimportant detail to be included in the record when Jesus refused it? It’s important because this mix was a drug which dulled the senses. An offering to the one facing an agonizing death by crucifixion, making it more bearable. But Jesus refused. He refused ease from the suffering. He wanted a clear mind while he hung on the cross. Why? So he could think of me and you. So he could give wholly of himself, enduring it to the full for us.

24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.

It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.

They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

***Could he have come down at that moment? Could he have called down an Army of angels from heaven to avenge him and destroy his accusers? Absolutely. It was all within his power, but it wasn’t within his purpose. His purpose was to pay the ultimate price for us. And because of that purpose, he endured. Because of that purpose, he took the insults, he took the pain and he took the punishment, so that we wouldn’t have to.

33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”

Imagine words or deeds you can’t take back, and those becoming the defining moments for your legacy. A failure. A disgrace. A mistake.

This was Peter. He’s the one who denied Jesus. The one always remembered for his failure. The one who, for his own benefit, denied he ever knew Jesus, and never got an opportunity to fix his mistake before Jesus went to the cross and died.

Luke 22: 32-34 Jesus said “Simon (who’s name is also Peter), Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” But he replied, “Lord I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”

And of course, what happens next are the 3 encounters where Peter was questioned if he was with Jesus, and he denied ever knowing him. Denial. Denial. Denial. Then, he hears the rooster crow. Epic failure. Shameful. Peter had just done the very thing he swore he would never do.

Have you ever done the thing you said you would never do? Have you ever been so disgusted with your own self and hate the choices you made? What do you do after that?

Peter then stood at a distance and watched Jesus, his dear friend who he had spent every day with for the past 3.5 years, the one he had witnessed do impossible miracles, the one he had walked on water with, now hang on the cross and die. Imagine how Peter must have felt standing there. He knew the last thing Jesus had seen of him was his denial. He knew how wrong he was and how it could never be undone.

But have you ever noticed what Jesus said to Peter before he foretold of his failure? Jesus said he has specifically prayed for him. Prayed that his faith would not fail. And because Jesus had prayed for him, he would turn back, and when he did, he was to strengthen his brothers.

You see, Jesus not only knew in advance that Peter would fail and deny him, but he had already planned for Peter’s return. He had already aligned a great purpose and mission for him, even after his epic failure.

My sister, you must know that Jesus has always planned for your return too! He’s not shaken by your failure. He’s not surprised by your wandering years. He’s not overwhelmed by your doubting, your denying, or your disbelief. He’s always been planning for your return to his purposes.

Satan was asking to sift Jesus’ followers like wheat. Sifting wheat breaks it down and makes it fall apart so it can be separated. So, for Satan to sift someone, it means he wanted to totally break them down, and shake them until they fall apart. This was Satan’s plan for the disciples after Jesus’ crucifixion. They were to lose all hope, stop all progress, and dwell in total defeat. But Jesus had already prayed against Satan’s plans and even specifically prayed that Peter would return after his failure and rise up as a leader.

You can be sure Satan has been asking to sift you like wheat. To take every failure and rub it in your face until you fall apart. To overwhelm you with defeat until you break down. But Jesus says, “No, I’ve already prepared for when my girl comes back to me!”

No matter how long you’ve been away from God’s good plans for your life, or how far off track you’ve wandered, Jesus still wants you back for his purposes to be fulfilled concerning you. Those purposes are to be covered by his mercy and grace, living as a shining example of a life redeemed by his sacrifice.

After Jesus’ crucifixion, Peter must have been replaying his final words. He must have heard that rooster crow over and over again in his...

What does the cross symbolize to you? That’s Jesus, right? God’s redemption on display as Jesus stretched out his arms and died for you and I. The cross represents the most important and valuable thing that has ever been done for us. So, we wear a cross around our neck. We hang a cross on our wall. We post a cross in sacred places. Our cross represents faith, it represents salvation, it represents hope.

But did you know the cross was originally anything but a symbol of hope. A cross was a disgrace. It was the punishment for a criminal to hang in shame for the public to see. A cross was a reminder of guilt. A representation of cruelty in response to wrongdoing. Crucifixions happened along the main road of a town so that it was a public spectacle. People would gather to watch the sinner die a cruel and agonizing death as payment for their transgression. A cross meant the deserving of a shameful end.

Luke 23: 32-33 “Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with Jesus. When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left.”

Crucifixion on a cross was painful on purpose. It was a total humiliation of hanging in shame, powerless to help yourself. This is what a cross was. This is what Jesus was nailed to, between two criminals facing their public punishment. And the location was called The Skull. Think for a minute how scary that is. Haunting. The Skull. It was a mountain shaped like a skeleton. A place countless others had been lead to their agonizing death, hanging on a cross.

Do you honestly think a single person would then want to put a cross around their neck as a reminder of punishment? No one hung a cross in their home, because that cross was a threat of punishment if they messed up, they too would end up hanging there, dying in shame for all to see.

But Jesus changed all of that. Because of Jesus’ death on a cross, what was once shameful and embarrassing, is now our symbol of greatest hope. The cross means we are forgiven. The cross means we are covered. The cross means we have a future that is far greater than our minds can possibly imagine. The cross means we are chosen. The cross is our sweet Jesus giving every single thing for us. The cross means we are redeemed.

And that place where Jesus hung on the cross, The Skull. That now reminds us Jesus has declared reign of your skull, meaning your mind and your thoughts. He has not only staked his claim on your soul’s salvation, but he has bought the rights to your mental health! Oh girl, maybe you need to remember that! Jesus has claimed your mental health! His blood was shed on that cross at The Skull, paying the price for your mind to be set free! Declare that and receive it!

Redemption. That’s what Jesus does. He takes what was once full of shame and disgrace, and he turns it into hope and power. And just as he turned the symbol of the cross into something radically different, he takes what has created shame within us and he turns it into hope. He takes what once disgraced us and he fills it with power to do mighty things for his glory.

You know who I most love to hang out with? The person who knows how big their sin was. The person who hit rock bottom and had absolutely nothing left, until Jesus picked them up. This is the person who beautifully represents redemption. A person who God can use to reach the hardest of people in the darkest of places. A person whose cracks allow the light of Jesus to shine through so perfectly.

Now, with the shame of their past stripped from them, and the grace of God covering them, their life is a radically different symbol than it used to be.