114. Promise (1)

You don’t need to sit in a pew to pray.

And you don’t need a preacher to show you how to worship.

You don’t need a designated time and specific songs and a request for cash to feel like you’re in a church.

You kneel on the edge of a mountaintop looking out at the rolling valley below. You can see the clear blue sky between the tops of the trees. You can hear the wildlife around here. You can feel the soft breath of air.

You feel right praying.

Asking God to help.

Asking for strength.

Asking for things you don’t even know you need.

Your heart feels like a heavy, rusted-out muffler that’s barely hanging on. Yet your eyes can see what’s around you. This beautiful place that God created. These hills and forests and animals.

God made all of this.

And even after it all went to hell, God never abandoned all of this. He made a promise. One to Noah after destroying the world and saving his family with a big boat. You know that the Bible is full of promises.

About never abandoning you as a father might. About never letting you down as a mother might. About never failing you as a friend might. About always loving you.

You look up in the sky and ask for help. For more help a little longer. So you can get through today and tomorrow and then leave.

You don’t need answers. You just want the hope that God promises.

It sounds easy, but the way you’re feeling, you know it’s not.

Maybe one day you’ll be like Iris. But today you’re just Chris. You have a long way to go. And you still don’t really know how to get there.