Someone follows me and leaves messages for me in the devotionals.

1. It's been a crazy week.

2. Logan, sorry I never texted back (see #1).

3. I honestly feel like the last two days' readings were specifically designed for me. Someone got a time machine, followed me around this week, then went back to insert these passages into the Staff Devotionals packet.

Thursday:

"The depth and power of your leadership will stem from your ability to forgive."

I've always been pretty good at forgiving other people, but never very good at forgiving myself. What this made me realize, and reflect on, was the fact that forgiving others and myself was always much easier when I was in a position of leadership; but it also showed me that there has been and will be suffering. There's simply no escaping it. So I might as well use that pain and turn it into a light at the end of someone else's (or my own) tunnel.

Friday:

"This is a very common life of faith."

Extremely true. I think that in my life I've played both roles very frequently. I don't find myself getting offended or angry at anyone very often, and even when friends act in ways that I personally wouldn't act in, I hang onto them and continue to be that friend. I think (know?) that this stems from the fact that I have at at times behaved in ways strikingly and frighteningly similar to those of Peter, and at those times I've thanked God for the Johns in my life.

This is all such a blessing!

p.s. I've decided to make "Like a lamb among wolves" my mantra, at least for this chapter in my life. It's extremely fitting and I want my life to look exactly like that :)