Real Life by Peggi Tustan

Welcome to Real Life . Got peace? And in despair I bowed my head: “There is no peace on earth,” I said, “For hate is strong, and mocks the song Of peace on earth, good will to men.” [1] It is Christmastime, a season of hope and happiness and...peace. Except this week, our peace was shattered when a school shooting left three dead and six more injured in Wisconsin. The perpetrator was a fifteen-year-old student who took her own life. This happened in a Christian school. A place where the true meaning of Christmas is known and celebrated. A place where faith, hope, and love are taught alongside reading, writing, and arithmetic. How could this happen? When our Savior Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, a heavenly host of angels filled the skies and declared, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace , good will toward men. [2] Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace. He came to bring us peace. Of all places, a Christian school should be a refuge of safety and peace. But the reality is e...

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 . “Everyone feels like an outcast.” –Lina AbuJamra [1] “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.” (Matthew 21:42 NIV) Everyone else did it right. The workshop leader gave a writing prompt and five minutes to create. Then, one-by-one, she asked us to read our work. (Wait a minute. Did she say we’d be sharing?) Everyone else wrote a short essay—complete with beginning, middle, and ending. While I journaled disassociated thoughts and prayers inspired by the prompt. The class was kind when I read it. But I felt like the reject . That feeling of rejection was small compared to others I've experienced. No doubt, you can relate. Friends plan an event. You're not invited.  Applied for a job. Didn't get it. They never even called. A book, article, writing submission is rejected—multiple times. The one you love left. Never came back.  What’s amazing is that God, yes God himself, can relate. Because thousands followed Je...

Welcome to Real Life . It’s Christmastime. So, I took Job with me to the manger. Where are you, God? Why are you punishing me when I did nothing wrong? Why won't you answer me? I just finished reading the book of Job. Through most of it, he questions God. With good reason, for God allowed Job to lose everything—children, wealth, health, respect. Finally, in chapter thirty-eight, God speaks. He doesn't directly answer Job's queries. Instead, he throws down a few questions of his own. Where were you when I laid earth’s foundation? Who kept the sea in its boundaries and said, “This far and no farther will you come”? Have you ever commanded morning to appear and dawn to rise in the east? Have you visited the storehouses of snow? Who gives intuition to the heart and instinct to the mind? Would you condemn me to justify yourself? “I am nothing. I cover my mouth with my hand. I repent in dust and ashes,” Job replies. My own response mirrored Job's. “I stan...

Welcome to Real Life . Is enjoying the Lord’s presence a new thought? It was for me at one time. “They ate and drank with great joy in the presence of the Lord that day.” 1 Chronicles 29:22 While growing up, a church service was something I endured. I viewed it as an obligation that God and my parents required. Nope, didn't enjoy it. But then, as an older teen, I actually began to seek the Lord's presence. I visited churches attempting to find a truer (or at least more enjoyable) experience of God. Those who seek the Lord, find Him: “‘You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 29:13-14 I found Him. I welcomed Christ into my heart. God was no longer a stranger. I enjoyed His nearness as I walked life's journey. However, as my knowledge of theology grew, I learned that God is pure. He is holy. I am not. In fact, He cannot stand the presence of sin. Though I was saved by grace throu...

Welcome to Real Life. Not long after I surrendered my life to Christ as a teenager, I ran into a friend in the school cafeteria. She asked, “What’s new?” “I got saved,” I said. “Saved from what?” she replied.      _____ “ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. ” Luke 2:11 At the launch of Jesus’ public ministry, he stood in his local synagogue and read these words from the prophet Isaiah: The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. [1] Then, Jesus said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” At that time, the nation of Israel was living under the oppression of the Roman Empire. When Jesus announces that he is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, his neighbors respond with i...