If Once You Slept On An Island...

Jet lag, laundry, football practices, cheer camp, gymnastics, and WeCareCannon.  That is what re-entry to our life here has looked like this week. The majority of these things bring me joy, but those first two...I could do with out those.

I have looked through hundreds of pictures from our two weeks of day camp, island life, fun, and love and service. The smiles make me smile. The familiar little faces I know are too many miles away, but are etched on my heart. The memories are making my day dreams sweet and my sleep a little easier.

Below I am attaching a poem a good friend of mine shared with me a few years ago. She Faceboooked it to me, knowing how much Saba meant to me and how the island had changed me. Thanks, JJ.

We all are a composite of all the events, experiences, people, and places that have come and gone and/or stayed in our lives. It's so very true, isn't it? The way we behave, phrases that we say, the way we view things, and the habits we develop can 9 times out of 10 be traced back to someone in our life or an experience we have. We go places, people cross our paths, and we are never quite the same.

There is this vine that grows in my flower pots every summer. It has the cutest little yellow flower with a black center. It is a staple in my flower selection. Sometimes I have to search all over Murfreesboro just to find it. It is called the Black Eyed Susan vine...and it's Saba's national flower.

Many folks have opened my freezer to find, in their opinion, some of the oddest items. Sugar, flour, cornmeal, and the such. I am afraid of sugar ants. Tennessee doesn't have sugar ants...but Saba does.

These phrases roll off our tongues before we even think about it...

"Just now."

"She will make 10 in July."

"Okay. All right."

The Thomas house sounds like you are on the road in Saba a lot of days.

I use to mourn being away from the Unspoiled Queen, and let's be honest some yucky days I definitely still do. But this is the realization that I have had as of late...

Saba is always with me. We are not a part. She is in my flower bed and freezer. She is in how I speak.  She is etched in the laughter of the three kids when we share memories and tell stories. Social media allows us to share pictures and life together on a daily basis. She will arrive on an airplane back in Nashville three times over this next month. Her people communicate with me and some even grace the rooms of our  house with their presence.

Just as I pointed out in an earlier post, my grandmother's sweet spirit is a part of the island because she is a part of me. In the same manner, the spirit and the love found on Saba is a part of my life here in my home of Tennessee because Saba is a part of me.

This realization also embraces the thanksgiving for all my other people and places.  My sweet family. Carthage. Jackson County. TTU and Cookeville. Pacific and St. Louis. Rome, Georgia. My current home of Cannon County. And all the people that make these places warm places in my heart and joyful thoughts in my days.

God intended for us to enjoy His creation and to be relational and connected with the people He placed on this earth and in our lives. His son was the greatest example of being in the moment, meeting people where they are at, and always remembering where you come from. He was the epitome of love and having it overtake one's life.

So I leave you with this poem. It always makes my heart smile.

If Once You Have Slept on an Island

If once you have slept on an island

You'll never be quite the same;

You may look as you looked the day before

And go by the same old name, 

You may bustle about in street and shop

You may sit at home and sew,

But you'll see blue water and wheeling gulls

Wherever your feet may go. 

You may chat with the neighbors of this and that

And close to your fire keep,
But you'll hear ship whistle and lighthouse bell

And tides beat through your sleep. 

Oh! you won't know why and you can't say how

Such a change upon you came,

But once you have slept on an island,

You'll never be quite the same.

By: Rachel Lyman Field


You Can Leave the Island...

We are in the clouds again this afternoon. Movies are being watched. iPods and iPhones are being played on with games and music. Team members are snoozing. Writing seems like a good way to pass the time.

This morning began at 5:00am for this mom. I rolled off my air mattress and slid on my shower shoes. One last Saba shower for Summer 2016.  Some of the nuisances of the community center have a way of growing on me. I am sure I will find myself in the weeks to come, turning the water on and then off as I wash my hair and lather up with soap, and then on again to rinse.

Us girls got up and got moving and felt accomplished to be packed, cleaned, and waiting for our ride to the airport by 7:00am, a good forty five minutes early. We sat on the cistern and let the sun hit our faces a bit longer while we looked out over lower Hell's Gate.

So much of these trips is about the island, of course. But these young women (and young men, too) sure have changed me over the last fifteen years. I adore serving alongside them. They encourage me to be adventurous. They inspire me as I watch them live life so intentionally. They contagiously laugh with me. They fiercely love on my island. They are true reflections of my Father.

It was a short wait compared to other trips, at the Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport today. Check in went smooth and we enjoyed visiting with a few friends who made their way down to see us off. As we waited, Sadie came up with a plan.

The little twin otter plane landed and we gave our boarding passes to Fabi, the gate attendant. My feet always have a hard time finding their way up the short flight stairs into the 19 seat cabin.  I took one last glance. Saba seems gigantic standing on Flat Point and looking up. One would never guess she is only 5 square miles.

When I took my seat, directly behind the three kids, Jackson was very eager to tell me what his baby sister had asked the pilot.  As she had taken her front row seat, she carefully leaned up and in a sweet voice asked...

"Sir, can you please fly us around Saba?"

As you take off from the Unspoiled Queen, the plane banks left, and then has a direct shot to St. Martin. That is the normal routine.  My seven year old's request was a fun one, but one that I didn't expect to be fulfilled.

As we sped off the little run way, the three kids had their fingers crossed. And the plane banked right.

As we flew around her, the sights were all so familiar...the church bell tower in Hell's Gate, our old house, Fort Bay and the harbor, St. John's and our beloved schools, the Bottom. The road snaked around the rainforest and rocks. The little red roofs decorated my island just perfectly.

There was so much excitement in this extra special treat granted by our pilots. But tears began to flow...from my eyes and the eyes of the three kids as well. Oh how we will miss her!

What a beautiful gift God gave the world in the miracle of places like Saba. A dormant volcano with a lush rainforest perched perfectly in the sea. She is as beautiful under water as she is above. Sea turtles, Sharks, and thousands of species of fish call her home. She boasts iguanas, mangoes, and July trees. Her people are lovely beyond words and are more than friendly. They have a way of life that many of us could learn a thing or two from.

Only the Master Creator could orchestrate such a place. And only He could create the love that I have for the little island with the big personality.  He is better than good...better than great. He is extravagant in His creation and in the story He continues to write on Saba and on the hearts of the Lipscomb teams that get the gift of gracing her shores twice a year.

I am filled with prayers of thanksgiving on this flight home. I am filled with the prayer of hope that March will come quickly. And more than anything I am filled with love and a prayer of praise for an extravagant God.

I will end with the first line of the song playing over my playlist at this very moment...

"You can leave the island, but you can't leave my love."

Tuesday on Saba

I love every day on this island, but a day when I awake to a pristine blue sky without a cloud in sight...that's my favorite.  Days like this is what one dreams the Caribbean of being. On days like this, I find myself keeping an eye on the top of Saba's highest point, Mt. Scenery. If the clouds stay away and if we are able to find a couple hours of down time, a hike to the highest point in the Netherlands is a must.

Today I made the trek with the youngest Thomas kid. She had her Saba sidekick, Rashadijn (aka, Shady) along with her.  I loved hearing their 7 year old dialogue and seeing their little legs ascend to the top. They tackled all 1064 steps without much complaint at all.

While we hiked with a few of the team members, Nancy Caroline hung out with her friends Natalie and Lauren in Windwardside.  Just down by the sea at Torrens Point, Michael and Jackson were experiencing their first dive on Saba.

Two of us on the top, one of us in the middle, and two of us at the base in the waters. The Thomas family had Saba covered it seemed.

Sharing Saba with the three kids is something that I store up in my heart.  The memories of hiking with Sadie, the image of the three of them snorkeling side by side, getting to see Jackson become a diver, knowing Nancy Caroline fits in so well here with the kids and loves helping at day camp....things like that make me realize that the island and the three kids are getting along just beautifully.

At day camp today, I spent another day in my old classroom teaching Saban children how to cook. We decided to try a little cultural competition...Saban Pumpkin Fritters vs. Southern Fried Pies. My fellow team member Amie volunteered to lead the children in making the fritters, while I tackled the pies.

We began cooking down the dried fruit and sugaring it up. The markets didn't have peaches or apples, so we used apricots and mangoes. I taught the kids how to take the biscuit dough and roll it out into a good sized little circles. Then it was on to the frying.

This task ended up being pretty tedious, due to the kitchen air conditioner being on the blink. About half way through, the room felt like a sauna. But the children were happy, with or without airco.

The little fella I assigned to help me with the frying is Jamal. He and his brothers and sister are some that have loved Lipscomb from the very beginning pretty much. He has chestnut brown eyes, tanned skin, and his hair is in a single braid down his back. His little bright eyed smile gets me every time.

As we stood and watched as the southern delicacies turned to golden brown, we began to ask each other questions.

I found out he likes to cook at home with his mother. He learned that I sometimes miss being in a classroom cooking with students. He loves soccer. I love American football. We both have an older sister.

I asked him about making Johnny Cakes and fritters. He asked me how much sugar to add to the fried pie filling and where he could find the fruit in the market on the island. He asked why we used a fork to clasp the edges shut.

Then came the question that led to all sorts of stories...

"Mrs. Aletha, where did you learned to make these fried pies?"

Grandmother. I then told Jamal all about my grandmother. I told him how she had coached me for years on frying pies, canning pickles, planting flowers, making biscuits, and living life. I told him all about how she made me laugh and how when I was little I thought she could do no wrong. She has always been kind and has always loved me so well. I told my little friend about how age is now taking it's toll on my sweet grandmother.

Jamal told me he thought she sounded nice and he hoped she felt better soon.

Just as I finished telling him about Grandmother, another boy walked up and asked if he could join us and help fry. "Yes" immediately fell off my lips before I realized the two boys standing on opposite sides of me now had been at odds pretty much the entire day camp. I braced myself for the exchange that was for sure to take place.

Jamal gave Tobias some pointers and the frying commenced. They were friendly and even shared a few laughs. All I could think of was just maybe the stories of my grandmother had softened the attitude of these boys. The smell of the fried pies and the memories on my mind felt like an assurance that her spirit was very much a part of my island because she is a part of me.

Today ended with a traditional "devo in the gazebo". This is one of my favorite times on Saba. It's a period of praise and prayer. It just so happened that tonight we forgot to take our song books. So we broke out in all the children's VBS type songs we could think of. It also just so happened that it was Shady's first devo with us at the gazebo.

I couldn't help but realize how special this ended up being, all of us gathered there in the gazebo singing songs that our special little friend knew almost all by heart.  It was like the Lord catered the evening of "just so happeneds" into an evening of "this is how I meant for it to be".

What a day! My feet are tired tonight, my eyes are heavy, my heart is full, and my joy is great.

An Overdue Update from Saba

This was written last Tuesday. Internet has been a bit of a challenge for those of us staying at the community center. And I haven't wanted to be immersed in the social media world very much during lunches at Child Focus. So I am taking you back in time a bit. More will be posted this coming week I am sure. For now, happy Sunday...

I am about to close my eyes for the day. It is hot in this community center tonight. The wind is light and my skin is sticky. The Saban tree frogs are chirping, ready to sing me to sleep. The laughter and conversation of my fellow female teammates joins in with their lullaby as well.

Yesterday I lead 6 and 7 year olds in a cooking making session at camp. Today I helped lead a group of teens on a scavenger hunt and then on a hike that ended with making smoothies as a cool refreshment.  To say the least I have had the best of both worlds...the youngest and the oldest.

I love to see the little flour covered grins of the littles as they try to sneak a bite of the cookie dough. And I love the jovial conversation and ease of the bigs. The children of this island make me love the little things in life that the hustle and bustle of American life seems to loose in all the chaos.

Tonight we gathered in our normal family meeting just outside our community center doors. As that meeting went on, many of us began to realize that we were not alone. Up above us on the roof were a few little fellas, trying to squeeze in a few more moments with "De Lipscomb". As things began to end, a little voice bellowed down a question, letting his presence be for certain...

"Ms. Aletha?"

"Yes, Caleb?"

"Would it be okay if I prayed over you all tonight?"

My heart skipped just a beat before I quickly took him up on his offer. He prayed over our sleep and our safety. He thanked God for us. And he then asked that God bring us back to Saba next year. It was one of the sweetest, sincerest little prayers I have ever heard. A little boy talking his big Daddy about some people he has come to love on a playground and in a school and at a day camp.

After he finished, I couldn't help but to ask if I could return the favor. My words had a hard time finding their way out. I felt like I was fumbling trying to fight back the tears, knowing the Father had once again given me a glimpse of Him. This time through a little fella from a little island in the middle of the sea.

Sometimes as a team leader, I try to find the right things to say at just the right time. I search for the perfect passage for Michael and I to share as we say goodnight to our teams.  We spend hours organizing events, writing curriculum, assigning day camp responsibilities, and planning devotionals.

What I am guilty of loosing sight of is this...God orchestrates the most powerful messages at just the right moments to reveal Himself to us. He will use us or whoever He wishes, whether we have exhausted ourselves in preparation or if we have just spent the day playing with friends and going to a day camp.

So today I learned to be thankful for the people that make a difference in my day. The people that show the unexpected love and care at the unexpected moments. Tonight I am thankful for Caleb.

Summer on Saba is Here!

With this post, you are assured that the first of this year's Saba Summer Lipscomb and Friends Mission Team is safely on Saba. It was a long but happy day of travel yesterday that ended with pizza and salad, prayers of thanksgiving, and a make shift bedroom of air mattresses and army cots.

Today has been a day of worship and organization. We are about to meet with Stacey at Child Focus to make sure that day one of Day Camp is ready to roll. Then it will be off to Swingin Doors for steak night!

These were my thoughts as we traveled from Woodbury to Atlanta to St. Martin to Saba.  Check back this week for more updates and thoughts...


Today I am writing from 30,000 feet. It's the first of July and for us that means one thing...Saba.

My energy has seemed endless the past couple of days.  My dreams have been filled with little white cottages with red roofs atop. My suitcase is packed to the brim with tank tops, t-shirts, and Tevas.  My feet are anxiously awaiting the water. My ears can already hear the tree frogs and the sea breezes that whip through the trees in the park. My mouth can't wait for the first bite of a Johnny Cake and the taste of a cold Ting.

My physical body is about to catch up with my heart.

The three kids had no trouble waking at 2:15am this morning. Their excitement never ceases to make my lips curve into a smile. They packed their little bags and have been counting down the hours. At this moment they are eating goldfish, watching in flight movies, and taking in the passing clouds out the windows of the plane.

It's been 104 days since we last saw her, The Unspoiled Queen. For the next 16 days we will walk on her road, play in Her waters, and love on Her people.

Last Spring Break as the team organized for a canvas of the island, Michael and I gave instructions and split the team into groups. Before we split up, I shared a little story with the team. I love a good story.

When Sadie was a baby she despised her car seat.  Even the shortest of trips could be miserable. Until we found The Bee Movie. She loved it. We could pop in this movie to the DVD player, and faithfully the screams and tears turned to giggles and applause.

The plot of the movie...Barry the Bee, voiced by Jerry Seinfield, decides that bees are being used by humans for their honey and goes to court to sue humans, eventually winning. In the end he realizes bees need to produce honey to survive and humans and bees need each other. In true Hollywood animation style, lots of antics go on as Barry makes the journey to the courtroom and beyond.

Michael and I had this movie memorized word for word before we actually saw it. We drove many a mile with our baby girl watching intently with the car speakers turned wide open.

There was this one part that always got us...

Barry gets stuck on the windshield of a moving truck. He begins to panic but is consoled by a mosquito, voiced by Chris Rock. The two banter back and forth, and are having a good chat...until the driver of the truck decides he needs to clean the windshield with the wiper blades. Panic insues.

Chris Rock bellows...

"Watch out, triple blade, triple blade! Hold on for your life! These crazy humans always needing to see! Open your eyes, stick your head out the window!"

That last line was the purpose of the story that morning. It's my encouragement to every team member we travel to the island with through out the years. Slow down...take a moment...open your eyes...stick your head out the window.  Be present in the moments that God has granted you on this unique five square miles that very few get the chance to experience. What is He teaching you through the creation around you and the people you meet? How are you encountering Him as you walk along the road and pillow your head next to your fellow team members at night?  How is He using you? Better yet how is He using others that He has given you the chance to witness?

At the end of that day, a fellow team member, new to the work on Saba, ended our family meeting with his thoughts. His take away from the day...It's not about opening your actual eyes, it's about opening the eyes of your heart.

TRUTH!

So as we begin this two week adventure here, we plan on rolling the windows down...we'll stick our heads out the window...and we will ask that the Father opens the eyes of our hearts on a daily basis.

This just doesn't only apply to a little group of day camp volunteers on a remote Caribbean island. Join us. Whether you're on vacation, putting in a 40 hour work week, or enjoying the summer days at home with your kids...

God's story is being written through all of creation, through the lives we live, and through the relationships we are a part of, near and far. Things are not just by chance...coincidences, I think not.

Open your eyes! Stick your head out the window!

Happy Father's Day

As you know each Spring we head to Saba with a group of fun, service filled, intentional, relationship seeking folks. Saba is one of 22 locations Lipscomb descends upon every March. Many people make lots of things happen for these trips to be possible. My sweet friend Erin Gupton has overseen the compiling and publishing of a devotional guide for the past two years. It has been a beautiful addition to Lipscomb's Spring Break Missions. Knowing 22 teams are spread out all over the globe, but are focusing on the same thoughts daily is more than moving. Miles separate us, but we are one.

This past Spring she asked me to contribute to the devo guide. My topic was grace and forgiveness. As you may see on this blog, that topic is a big part of my heart. What I wrote about is very fitting to share today. 

Happiest of Father's Day to Edward Anderson...the truest of examples of my Good, Good Father.

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I can remember the first time I knew I had actually sinned. It was a lie. At seven years old and in second grade, the greatest fear I had was disappointing my parents. So when I messed up at school, my first inclination was to hide the fact that I had gotten in trouble.

It was easy to hide my mistakes that afternoon for a while. My mother questioned me a bit, and then we went about a normal afternoon at the Anderson house. But then my father came home.  My little mind had not a clue my mother was suspicious.  She asked me to describe the events of the day to my daddy and he listened carefully.,taking in my deceptive take on it. After I finished, he put me on his knee and asked with kindest voice, "Are you sure that is how it happened?"

I can remember the heaviness in my heart and how the lump in my throat got so big that I couldn't swallow. My earthly father made it so incredibly easy to shed tears and tell him exactly what had happened and that I had lied to cover up what I had done.

For a brief moment I can remember the sting of the fear of punishment.  I dreaded what was about to be dealt. But what was said was a bit different than my seven year old self expected.

My dad began to tell me that yes, I had messed up, made a mistake, but that did not make me a bad person. He knew me that I would never be perfect and he was good with that. He forgave me and was proud that I had told him the truth in the end. And I have always remembered the last thing he told me before I hopped off his knee..."I love you. Learn from this mistake."

My earthly father extended the most loving grace to me that afternoon, and many more times in my life since. He forgave without a heavy dose of disappointment and punishment, knowing that the regret that I carried was enough of a load. He taught me to forgive.

What is so amazing though is that this example is but just a glimpse of the grace and forgiveness extended from my Heavenly Father.  Once you know His grace, you have to work extremely hard to get loose from it's grip.  It forgives easily.  It guides lovingly.  It completely erases wrongs.

We will still feel the lump in our throat at times. The sting of fear will be present at times. But...

If you are open to His grace, if you strive to embrace and understand His forgiveness, if you accept it, the grace and forgiveness that you then will extend to others comes easily.  Realizing that the sins that plague you nailed Christ on the cross, that He felt every burden of our sins with every sting of the whip and pierce of the thorns, that He felt the shame and guilt even though He was completely blameless...and still the Father forgives you fully, completely, freely...that is more than freeing! It allows you to forgive like He has and does. It allows you to show the most amazing mercy.  It allows you to love relentlessly. His grace and forgiveness will allow you to forgive the little things and prepare you toll the road to forgiveness when someone you love deeply wrongs you terribly.

So during this time on your given mission, extend grace and forgiveness in the little ways. Practice it. When someone says something the wrong way or in the wrong tone, don't be so easily offended. When someone takes the last two strips of bacon at breakfast, be happy for them. When your teammate leaves a mess and you help clean it up, have a good attitude and a servant heart. If someone wrongs you, keep no record of it. Forgive. Show mercy. Extend grace. Be a glimpse of the forgiveness and grace extended to you every second, every minute, of every day.

By the way, I told my dad that I was telling you this story of my childhood mistake. He had no recollection of it.  Our Father's forgiveness...isn't it grand!?

Where Is The Grace?

I pulled up Facebook a few weeks back. Killing some time as I sat alone on a bench waiting for eleven other people to come out of a bathroom at Disney World. Do you know how many bathroom breaks a party of 12 has to take while vacationing at The Happiest Place on Earth?! Some people have the bladder of a flea...but I love them completely, tiny bladder and all. And I digress...

So there I was scrolling down the news feed, and a post caught my eye. A friend was irritated and put out.

We have all been there. Hungry. In a hurry. In need of fast food. And fast is the last thing the food is, not to mention it isn't even what was ordered. And then round two fails at order promptness and correctness.

You huff and puff a bit but you don't yell. You do not throw insults at the cashier. But what do you do when your feathers get ruffled...you take to Facebook and you rant.

Where is the grace?

A few years back when my 12 year old was ten years less, we were visiting friends in Mexico. Jackson was introduced to Jamaica, a kool aid type drink made from the Hibiscus flower. To say he loved it is an understatement.

As we sat with friends at one of our favorite local taco joints, Jackson sipped away on the deep dark red juice. And before we knew it, most of us were suddenly covered and stained from the toddlers drink of choice.

I jumped up, panicking, frustrated, embarrassed.

Where is the patience?

On Wednesday afternoons during the school year, I help out at an after school program with the church family of which I am a part. We snack, we play, we serve, and we learn. Anywhere between 50 to 75 kids are in attendance on a given day.

Most days are good, and the kids are happy.  But they are kids. They have arguments, they act out, and they throw slurs.

"That's stupid."

"I am not your friend anymore!"

"You are an idiot!"

Where did they learn this stuff from?

The access to information on this earth now is unprecedented. In order to know something we want to know all we have to do is Google it, get on Facebook, or check the latest tweet. The days of just watching the local news are a thing of the past.

You know what your neighbor is eating for dinner, not to mention the latest social news that everyone is talking about. In a year's span we talk about politics, issues concerning gender, mission work and religion, how others parent, and how we treat animals.

Alot of us become obsessed and lash out at all others that have differing opinions than we do.  We are quick to point out how others mess up and how they could do better.

Where is the humility?

You may be wondering where I am going with all this. My heart is heavy. I look at us and the world in which we live and can see that we are screwing a lot of things up. We have opportunities everyday to make the world better. We squander these moments due to short tempers, busy schedules, and the absence of grace.

Instead of seeing the good in people, we size them up and place judgement in their actions, words, and intentions.

We see the mom loose it in the grocery aisle and immediately think she is a horrible mother. The cashier messes up the amount of change he gives us back. We snap at him and are appalled he can't even do simple math.  Our kid's teacher forgets to send home the school newsletter. Oh my goodness, we aren't going to know what is for lunch or what is going on this week in class! Can't she get her act together?!  A child at church is out of control and has bad manners. This child gets on our nerves. The simple answer in our minds is a good spanking or scolding.

We don't always only have these attitudes toward strangers.  It seeps into our homes and our friendships and in the mirror.  Dads are hard on sons, wanting them to act like "men" well before the times are passed when they just need to be a little boys.  Us wives sit around in our circles and complain about our husbands shortcomings. We beat ourselves up when we forget something, double book our calendars, or can't be like the other lady down the street who "has it all together".

We live in a world filled with judgment, negativity, and assumptions. We are hard on each other. We are hard on ourselves. Harshness is dealt on a daily basis, in reality, for the simplest of mistakes.

I love to read the stories in the Bible and see all the things that our Jesus did. But we can learn a lot from what he didn't do.

In all four gospels, we read of Peter. He makes me smile a lot. He is full of less than holy humanity much of the time, but God turned his imperfections into the most beautiful story.

Probably the most noted story we read of Peter deals with him denying Christ. We have just read of his friendship and love declaration to Jesus at the Last Supper. And then we see him not once, not twice, but three times deny that he even knew his fearless leader and friend. He weeps and then he disappears from scripture for a bit.

In John 21, we see Peter and Jesus reunited. At first Peter can't even tell it's Christ on the shore, but when he does, his reaction is beautiful. Peter is too excited to row the boat to shore. He jumps out of his fishing boat and swims to where Jesus is. Can you imagine his joy? His best friend and Savior is alive! But I also bet he had a bit of fear.

"Is he going to still love me after I disowned him?"

In the true nature of himself, Jesus then serves his friends...he cooks dinner for them. They eat together. Then scripture lets us see a conversation between Jesus and Peter.

"Do you love me?"

Jesus asked Peter that question not once, not twice, but three times.

It is my belief that there are no such things as coincidences.

After Peter affirms his love and devotion to Christ, Jesus tells him to feed and care for His sheep. And he assures him that he will be guided and cared for as he guides and cares for God's people. Jesus let's Peter know he is loved as well, even after a pretty major mistake.

We don't see Jesus lash out and harshly condemn Peter. He isn't frustrated, offended, or filled with too hot of a temper. We do not see Christ filled with pride and disgust. He doesn't throw a slur or lash out with his opinion of Peter's behavior. He doesn't log onto the hottest of social media sites and rant about how stupid and wrong Peter was.

Jesus cooks him dinner and has a loving conversation, restoring the relationship without questioning motive, intent, or the reason for a mistake.

We need to realize others around us have bad days. People in our lives will mess up in small ways, and they will make the biggest of mistakes. Cashiers will give back incorrect change. Fast food orders will be wrong. Kids will spill drinks and act like kids. We will see people loose their cool and say the wrong things. People we love will cheat and lie. Folks we know will make mistakes. We will make mistakes.

Another's shortcomings do not give us permission to condemn them or excuse our own bad behavior.

So I am challenging myself and all of you. Let's speak only kind words when we run across the simple everyday mistakes. Post and tweet only the optimistic. Like the good statuses, pray for the not so good. Don't be so easily offended. Let's keep our opinions to ourselves if they can't be delivered with love. And be respectful of others' opinions. Be patient with the people who need it the most. Don't give up on the people you love when they mess up. Love on them a little harder. Find the good God intends us to find in the most difficult of situations.

We are all human and we are in need of grace. The kind of grace Jesus showed Peter. The kind of grace Jesus extends to each of us, day in and day out. And humanity is the only chance we have at seeing that grace in action each and every day.