Just for two hours!

The first stop that our airplane had when we traveled to USA was at the gigantic Atlanta's airport. We just had two hours to get to our next plane, but we had to go through the migration process first and then all the way to the opposite furthest part of the airport. We would've lost our connection if the next plane hadn't delayed.

The next time I have to stop in that airport, I know what I'll do. I'll have clothe to change, I'll go to a hotel nearby to take a shower, I'll have ready in what restaurant I'll eat, I'll drink many coffees 'cause I don't want to miss my next flight, I'll rent a car, I'll buy new clothe, I'll have more coffee just in case, I'll have ready tickets for a movie theater and an amusement park nearby, I'll take 4 or 5 book to not get bored, and I'll make sure to have my cellphone with the batteries full and two or three portable batteries full charged to call all my friends and family.

Quite excessive, isn't it?

"Why so much stuff for just two hour of waiting?", surely you're wondering. Besides, Atlanta's airport isn't my destiny, but I'll be there just for a LITTLE WHILE. All that preparation will be understandable for the destiny, and not for the stop.

MANY OF US DO EXACTLY THE SAME WITH THIS LIFE, WHICH IS NOT MORE THAN A STOP, NOT OUR FINAL DESTINY.

Think about it, EVERY SINGLE of your worries are about this life! We over worry for things of this life and not for the ones that belong to eternity. We set our minds on things on the earth (Colossians 3:2), which are like vapor (James 4:14), they don't last long, they are in one moment, but in the next moment they are no more, instead of setting our minds on things above.

If we learn to live with the perspective that we are here just passing by, we'll learn to live worry-free and with confidence. We'll quit over-worrying and stressing out for food, clothe, house, fashion, work, for what others say, if we travel or not, etc., because we'll realize that ALL of that is about this life. EVERY SINGLE thing of that is for those "two hours" that we will be here! All of that is for this little while!

In the other hand, if we set our mind on Heaven, we will start to give the due importance to the eternal thing: forgiving, loving, unity, helping others, saying how important is that person to you, worshiping, His Word, family time. It's right there when peace and joy will govern our thoughts all the time!

Hope it helps!

Rest from yourself

When you live in the Law, you are heavy laden, stressful and worried, and this happens because in the Law you depend on your own strength and merits for your success. But when you live in the Grace of Jesus, you live rested all the time because you don't depend on what you can get by your own, but you trust that what Jesus won is yours too. Grace is better!

Jacob was trusting on his own strength to fix his life, to escape from his past and from the consequences of his actions. In spite of being Abraham's grandson and Isaac's son, God's men in that time, he felt unworthy that God was with him because of the things he's done. But God was with him, the problem was that he didn't know that and he didn't feel worthy of it!, and we know this because we see that when Jacob decided to take a rest when he was running from his brother, he took a rock as pillow, lay down, and had a dream: open heaven above him with a ladder wherein angels were going up and down, and then God, besides of confirming to Jacob the same covenant made to his father and grandfather, He speaks to his heart saying: "I am with you" (Genesis 28:15).

I think that it was there when Jacob's heart healing started. I imagine him crying saying: "But God, how can you love me if I hurt people, I deceive them, I seek my own benefit, I'm known as an usurper, I lied to my own family. Lord, I'm not worthy that you are with me." And I believe that those words kept ministering Jacob: "In spite of your bad behavior, I love you, I am with you." Wow!

Now, in what moment did Jacob receive that revelation? When he decided to rest! That's the secret: you have to rest from yourself, from trying by your own to win God's and people's approval, from trying to be worthy to be called His son. REST!

If you labor and are heavy laden, come to Jesus and rest. In Him you'll find the rest that your soul needs (Matthew 11:28-29). Jesus didn't come to give a to-do list to win His favor, but He wants to teach you that He already won it for you. Your attitude won't be anymore: I have to win the blessings of God, but it will be: I will go to take what Jesus gave away.

Jacob thought he was running from his problems, but he wasn't running from his true problem: himself, the innate trying to win things. Besides, most assuredly he thought he was running from God too, but God never abandoned him, but Jacob didn't realize that. Jacob just closed his eyes, and behold, God was there.

The Power that Jesus gave to my Son

When Juan Esteban was two years old often suffered from nightmares. My wife and I were so worried because we saw his little face full of fear when he cried and called us at nights.

One night, I run to his room because he was crying once again, and when he saw me, he hugged me, and then he was frightened as he pointed to one corner of the room. When my wife and I looked at that direction, we saw nothing, but it was obvious that he could see something.

We prayed for many weeks until one day we talked to him about the authority that Jesus has given to him. We could feel that Jesus was talking to him in that moment. We said to him: "Son, Jesus has defeated the devil, he has no power and no authority over you. You can kick him OUT of that place because you have the power of Jesus!"

To be honest, we didn't know how much he understood us until that night, because we didn't wake up anymore because was crying or because he called us, but because we heard him yelling: "Out! Out!" Our son, being only two years old, was kicking the devil out of that place.

(this picture is when he was two)

I am absolutely sure that the answer of our prayers for him was that we felt to talk to him about the authority and power that Jesus gave him. I would never thought to do that because by natural instinct I myself was to defend him, specially at that age, but I can see that my Heavenly Father, who loves him and takes care of him more than me, wanted to defend him Himself. Instead of Juan Esteban depends on me, my Heavenly Father wanted him to depend on Him.

Moral: Better than worrying to take care of your kids all the time, let's teach them that the Almighty One, the Creator of everything, is their Father and that He Himself defends them.

I really hope this may bless you!