The following post is part of a series about the importance of Locking Arms as we journey together in life. You can see the original post here. Today’s post is from Board Member Kevin Bode.
Enter Kevin:
Over 25 years ago, I was invited to my first weekly huddle group. I was just a couple of years into my career after college already married with one child. I was a typical Sunday church person who believed in God but did not live out my faith beyond the church walls. As the years went on and I continued in my weekly huddle group, I was gaining a much better understanding of my faith and I decided that I wanted to be a Christian. I wanted Christ to control my life outside of the church walls.
For many years after that, I felt like my Christian life was a roller coaster. There were times when I was on a spiritual high, felling like I was truly following Christ but then other times where I was so low that I could not see where God was doing anything in my life. I was becoming very successful in running my business and I knew that if I did certain things, followed the business plan, I could continue to make the company even more successful. Despite this success, I often found myself stressed beyond belief and very frustrated that my Christian walk didn’t seem to have any impact on my life. I worried about the things of life all of the time.
It was not until about 8 years ago when I realized that I was not really letting God control my life like I had thought I was. I had not truly learned what it means to surrender. I went on my first mission trip and got alone with God that week, no business meetings or deadlines to distract me. These verses from Matthew 11:28-30 tugged at my heart all week, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” I finally realized that I was trying to control my life instead of surrendering to Him. He calls us to surrender to him as Lord and Master. His “yoke” of authority in our lives, however, always leads to his best for us. He is gentle and humble in heart suffering with us in our weakness. The world can only offer us “lords” who enslave us, tyrants who have no care for our soul, no empathy to our condition. I came back from that trip feeling like 1,000 pounds of weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I still have ups and downs in my life. However, knowing that God is in control has given me a peace in my life that I had never experienced before.
Kevin Bode