Real Life by Peggi Tustan

Welcome to Real Life ! Am I crawling or soaring? “He turns coal into diamonds, Sand into pearls, Worms into butterflies. He can turn your life around, too.” -Toby Mac During their fall migration, monarch butterflies travel thousands of miles south from Canada to Mexico. This majestic aerialist begins its life as a humble caterpillar, a creature who can barely crawl across the sidewalk without getting squished. The dramatic metamorphosis occurs when the caterpillar enters its chrysalis and dies. It then emerges reborn as a beautiful, free, soaring monarch. Monarch Migration, Wendy Park, Cleveland, Ohio Like a humble caterpillar transformed into a soaring monarch, those who place their faith in Jesus Christ also experience a dramatic metamorphosis. They are born again! Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV) Before the new life comes, the old life must pass away. But what if a caterpillar refus...

Welcome to Real Life . No one can live without water. “Will you give me a drink?” Jesus asks a Samaritan woman. Nothing satisfies thirst like cool, clear water—especially after a long hike. Jesus and his disciples were on a 70-mile trek from Jerusalem to Galilee. About halfway, they stop in Sychar, Samaria to rest. While the disciples enter the town to buy food, Jesus waits outside the city at Jacob’s well. When a Samaritan woman comes to draw water, he asks her for a drink. A drink of water is no big deal, right? Actually, it is. “You’re a Jew and I’m a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” she asks. Jews did not associate with Samaritans. They considered them half-breeds who worshiped other gods alongside Yahweh. Jews believed any contact with Samaritans (like drinking from the same ladle) rendered them unclean. “If you knew the gift of God and who asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water,” Jesus replies. “Everyone who drinks...

Welcome to Real Life . Today is no ordinary day! “You can find something truly important in an ordinary minute.” –Mitch Albom On an ordinary day, in an ordinary home, to an ordinary young woman, God sent a messenger. “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” [1] With Gabriel’s greeting, Mary’s life was forever changed. Ordinary transformed into extraordinary! Our God delights in invading the ordinary! He chose to enter this world as a baby—just like you and me. He came to an unremarkable town. His birth was announced to working-class shepherds. He was born to a couple with no special status or importance…except in God’s eyes. I wonder why God choose Mary for this extraordinary assignment. Perhaps the answer lies in her response. For although she could not fathom how this miraculous event would occur, she told Gabriel, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” And so, it was. On that starry night in Bethlehem, only a few knew the truth. This was...

Welcome to Real Life . Relationships matter! It’s not what you know that will get you places. It's who you know. –Proverb I work for an international firm with thousands of employees. I know the name of our CEO. But I don’t know him personally. We’ve never met. He works out of our office in Athens, Greece (which is a bit of a drive from Cleveland). If perchance we passed in an airport, I might recognize him from photos. But he wouldn’t recognize me. He doesn’t know me. I simultaneously work for a massive corporation with offices in every city around the globe. When I joined the firm, I met our CEO. Though he runs a universal network of millions, he always takes my calls. In fact, he encourages me to reach out to him often throughout the day. He knows my name. He also knows my husband and kids, my favorite ice cream, my allergies, and the deepest secrets of my soul. Whether you’ve met him or not, God knows you, too. The God of the Universe knows you. Let that sink in a minute. What...

Welcome to Real Life . Death, where is your sting? “Some day you will read in the papers, ‘D. L. Moody of East Northfield is dead.’ Don't you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now; I shall have gone up higher, that is all, out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal.” –D.L. Moody (1837–99) Will I die of Coronavirus? Perhaps like me, you’ve asked yourself this question. Daily, the death toll rises from this insidious disease. We stay home. We wash our hands. We work from home. We worship at home. What if it’s not enough?  “I’m ready,” I told my son on the phone the other day. God has blessed me with a wonderful life. I don’t want to die. I have much to live for! But if I die, I’m content. I am a child of God. He knows me. He loves me. He protects me. I rest securely in his hands. My Heavenly Father has already determined the day of my death. If I die from Coronavirus, then God allowed it and nothing could keep me alive. A...

Welcome to Real Life . I'm thinking about sacrifice. A fitting topic for Memorial Day Weekend. People who put themselves on the line and sacrifice their own safety for the greater good and for others, and anyone in any profession whose concern is the welfare for other people instead of the individual, are inspiring and important. Chris Hemsworth  We’re a contradiction. In a culture averse to violence, it saturates our entertainment, and erupts all around us. Mass shootings are on the increase. Heroes emerge. Riley, a student at the North Carolina college. [1] Lori, a woman in the California synagogue. [2] Two ordinary individuals place themselves in harm’s way so others may live. We marvel at their bravery. In the same circumstances, would I be brave, selfless, willing to shed my blood? “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John the Baptist exclaims at first sight of Jesus. The crowd who overhears him understands the metaphor. For every year, ...

Welcome to Real Life . Our world sorely lacks grace. Lines are drawn. Judgment is swift. We hear without listening. Decide before seeking to understand. [Grace likes us--even tired and crabby.] While grace listens, understands, loves. Grace issues a warning instead of a ticket. Grace wipes the spill with a smile. Grace likes us—even tired and crabby.  Grace finds beauty beyond wrinkles. Grace hugs a rebellious child. Grace hears the hurting heart behind harsh words. Grace is a gift, never earned, most appreciated when least deserved. We want grace, don't we? I want you to like me even tired and crabby. But we don't always want to give it. “Grace isn’t fair. Evil people should be punished,” someone once told me. A terrorist falls on his knees, begs God’s forgiveness, and trusts in Christ.  He doesn’t deserve grace.  Until I see. I am the terrorist. I can be cruel, arrogant, ugly. None of us deserve it. That's grace. When we don't get what we deser...

Welcome to Real Life . Is God mad at me? “The grace in God’s heart is always bigger than the sin in my life.” –Pastor Jonathan Schaeffer While listening to Moody Radio the other day, I heard a man named Julian call in and tell the program host, in tears, “It’s time. I want to come home to God.” Julian knew God. He believed in Christ as his Savior. Earlier in life, he had walked with God, attended church, and prayed. But, somewhere along life’s journey, Julian walked away. Far from God, Julian had become addicted to cocaine. His life was crumbling. He knew he needed God. So, he began looking for a way home. He turned to Christian radio. Along with thousands in Radioland , I listened as Julian prayed with the host. I witnessed his homecoming. It was holy ground. Julian wasn't the only one in tears. Are you and God at odds? Do you think God is mad at you? As a young woman, I lived far from God. Though I believed in God and attended church, I did not know him. My heart...

Welcome to Real Life . I know the verses well. I’ve heard them many times. Yet, when I read them the other day, they surprised me. Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:13-14) By faith, I gave my life to Jesus at age 16. This means that I have lived in the Christian community for decades. Many of my family members, friends, and associates are followers of Jesus Christ. I attend a church of 4000. Surrounded by the like-minded, I naturally begin to believe “everyone’s a Christian.” I couldn’t be more wrong. Even when America was primarily a Christian nation, many of us were Christian in name only. We attended church because it was socially acceptable. However, in reality, our hearts were far from God. (This was me, before I came to know and love Jesus.) But today, in many circles, att...