A Worthy Pursuit

Written By: Kirk Peterson

Sadness had found me.  I was lost to one of my most precious treasures.  For once, I had no answer--I couldn’t figure it out.  I had tried so many different things, yet that which I pursued availed me.  I had prayed almost every day and yet my struggle continued.  I had even came to the place of accepting that this was my new life and somehow I would have to find peace.

Then, from out of nowhere God spoke to my heart. He answered my prayer and showed me how to restore that which was broken. My answer was hidden in a mist that nothing could penetrate but Jesus.  It is a simple truth, but one that I have begun to pursue with each and every person I have in my life.

I watched as my relationship with my oldest son Brody took a turn.  Looking back, it is almost hard to put into words.  Where once there was this vibrant, joyful and strong bond between father and son--now had started to wither. It had come to the point, that no matter what I tried to do, somehow I couldn’t get back to that sweet spot of the way things used to be between us.

Then when I was on vacation with my family, God’s Holy Spirit spoke to me.  He guided me and showed me that the abundant life that Jesus promised includes fun, a whole lot of fun!

[Jesus speaking] The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10 ESV)

There is a balance to everything in life.  I think back to when I was my son Brody’s age and life was all about having fun.  As you grow older you discover that life can’t always be about fun, real life and responsibility all too quickly start to clamp down on our spirit of fun.  But it seems as though I lost that childlike desire of pursing fun somewhere along the way…I still had joy and peace and happiness in my life, but the virtue of fun wasn’t something I was striving for each and every day.

[Jesus speaking] Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 18:3-4 NLT)

As God’ Spirit spoke to me, I smiled at what He showed me. Could this be the answer to restoring my relationship with my son, one of my most precious treasures?  From that moment on I have begun to pursue having a whole lot of fun with my son.  I don’t know many people who would call having fun a virtue, something worthy of striving for in each and every relationship…but God has showed me that is exactly what I should be doing.

Jesus has redeemed my relationship with my son Brody and I am so grateful!  Joy comes from the Lord and he has given me a new song to sing.  Though the wave can’t last forever, I’m going to ride this one for as long as I can.

See Mercy Me’s music video “Shake” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJFA5Bitv7w