Saturday is the day that we go grocery shopping at the Perkins House.  It’s something that I have come to enjoy because it’s time with my family.

This past Saturday we did our “grocery thing” and as we approached the check-out line, we saw that the rain was pouring down outside.  Because we parked in the middle of nowhere, I told April that I would go get the truck so that her and Ethan would not get drenched.

She refused the offer.  She said, “Let it rain on us.”  I didn’t think this sounded like much fun, but I finally agreed.  By the time we had ran across the parking lot with Ethan and our groceries, we were soaked.  It was like we jumped into a pool with all of our clothes on.

Hebrews 10:22 says, “let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”

Most of the time getting this wet would drive me crazy, because wet clothes are uncomfortable, sticky, and stinky.

But this time was different.

This time was amazing.

This time was liberating.

This time was fun.

This time was unexplainable.

April was right.

Let it rain on us.

When is the last time you let it rain on you?

The following is a conversation between April, Ethan, and I when we picked out his school shoes.

April:  I like these.

Ethan:  Nah.  I don’t.

Me:  Why?

Ethan:  They are too different.

April:  Different is good.

Ethan:  Okay, but will anyone be able to catch me when I play tag?

Me:  I seriously, doubt it.  You have to trust us.

Ethan was worried that something different may not be good.  The shoes were not exactly like the ones he had before.  Because of this, he was worried.  He was worried that he wouldn’t be fast.  He was worried that the results may be different.

He had to trust that even though his shoes were different, they would still make him fast.

Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

I’ve recently been wondering about shoes in my life.  I’ve wondered how many shoes I wouldn’t put on because I wasn’t sure what would happen if I wore them?  How many amazing things have I missed because I want things to say the same?  How many things could have been avoided, if I would have just put on different shoes?

Every now and then God will place a new pair of shoes in front of us.

The question is whether or not we will put them on?

Has God ever put a new pair of shoes in front of you?

Friday night my blog got hacked.  I didn’t know what to do so I sent a message to my buddy Peter Pollock who owns the hosting company I use.  Within a matter of minutes he had my site back up and running, but the feeling I had while waiting for him to finish was nearly indescribable.  It literally made me sick to my stomach.  Something bad had hacked its way in and it was creating havoc.

Genesis 3:6 says, “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.”

Adam and Even allowed sin to enter their lives and it drove them away from God.

It’s Sunday today.

It is the perfect day to let go of anything that has hacked itself into our lives and is now creating havoc.

Have you ever been hacked?

Life sometimes feels pretty rough.  Life sometimes is frustrating.  Life sometimes is confusing.  Life sometimes feels like a storm.

Bills and family and jobs

Kids and co-workers and the future

Divorce and appearance and education

Social status and acceptance and self confidence

Mortgage and rent and mowing the lawn

It’s so easy to let these things get the best of us and consume us.  We cannot focus on anything else.  We cannot move on.  We cannot find joy.  Because we are scared of the storm that is around us.

Mark 4:37-38 says, “A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.  Jesus was in the stern, SLEEPING on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

In the middle of a storm Jesus was sleeping.  He knew things were going to be okay in the long run.  He knew that they were safe.

Too many times I’ve let the storms in my life scare me.  Too many times I’ve let the storms in my life distract me.  Too many times I’ve let the storms in my life rob me of my thoughts and dreams.

I’m resounding to sleep during these storms.  I’m not ignoring them, but I am trusting and believing that it’s all going to be okay.

Do you have a hard time sleeping through storms.

It’s no secret that I’ve been trying to get in shape, but for the last few months I have been doing a miserable job at it.  And it’s starting to show because I’ve put on a few pounds.

The other day I chose to wear a shirt that was a little bit “tighter” than normal to work.  I didn’t realize that it fit this way until after I had put it on, so I sucked in my gut all day.  I was worried how I would be perceived.  It was a miserable experience.  I couldn’t wait until I could get home so that I could change into something more comfortable and quit sucking in my gut.

Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

Sucking in our gut applies to so many more areas than just our weight.  It can make a person miserable.  And eventually, we have to exhale and let it out.

I’ve sucked in my gut because I’ve been worried about how I’m perceived.

I’ve sucked in my gut because I’ve wanted to fit in.

I’ve sucked in my gut because it went against the norm.

I’ve sucked in my gut to keep the peace.

I’ve sucked in my gut because I didn’t want people to know I didn’t have it all together.

God created us in His image.  This means that He created us all to be different and unique.  It’s okay to be you.  It’s okay to be me.  We don’t have to suck in our gut.

So, do yourself a favor and exhale it out.

Have you ever sucked in your gut?

About a year ago, I decided I was going to get healthy.  I was going to get back into my college-baseball shape.  I was ready to make some serious life changes.

Today I have the privilege of guest posting over at Door Frames of TaterHouse.  Please go and read the rest of the post here.

You can also follow Ryan on twitter here.