I think I'm stuck on a theme here. The theme of something bigger--more abundant, if I can say it that way. Not afterlife, which is what a lot of the church world seems to be stuck on, but LIFE. Never ending, eternal, everlasting, abundant, Resurrection Life. And here's where my heart's at: It's a journey. A journey into the heart of the matter. Which is the heart. God's heart. Beating in our chests. Beating with love. Learning how to love--how to LIVE--by learning how we are loved. Look at Matthew 11:28-30 in the Message Bible, "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." This is so powerful to me. This is Jesus standing at the door and knocking. Offering us a more excellent way. Not man-centered performance based religion where you have to do in order to be. Not works and labor trying to change into something--someone--you're not. But simply recovering our lives. Getting back the very thing that Adam lost when he ate from the tree of death. Not "getting" something new but being RENEWED. God didn't say He'd make all new things. He said He'd make all things new. He didn't give up on you in favor of something else. And He doesn't expect, or want, you to BE something else. He loves you just the way you are. What He wants is for you to SEE yourself the way you REALLY are so you can BE who you really are. And that happens when you learn the unforced rhythms of grace. When you stop trying to be someone you're not and start resting in who you are. Resting in Him. Getting away with Him and learning that it's not about "you." It's about Him. In you. Through you. As you. Your true identity is who your Daddy says you are. Who you are in Christ. Who Christ is in you. THAT'S the journey. Not becoming someone you're not, but learning who you really are. I'm convinced that every time the Bible tells you to "get" something--in light of the finished work of the cross--what it really means is "receive what you have been given." We already have it all, because we have Him. Because He has us. God moved into the neighborhood--into the house that you are--and He's not moving out. And listen, it might seem like He's cleaning house. It might feel like the Gardner is pruning you. But the truth is, all of that already happened. You are not BECOMING complete in Him. You ARE complete in Him. That feeling of change is really just the revelation of the change that took place. It's the manifestation of what has always been true of you coming out from deep within. The inner man. The hidden man of the heart. But no longer hidden. Remember now, the mystery (Christ in you) has been revealed. And continues to reveal itself (Himself) every time you step out in faith and love somebody. Every time the Word is made flesh. Every time love becomes an act of charity. That's the journey. Letting what's in you come out. And it can only come out naturally, as you fill yourself to overflowing with the love of God!

God has a plan for all of humanity. A grand scheme. A mysterious plan. And that mysterious plan is Christ Himself. A plan of reconciliation, and redemption, and forgiveness, that culminated 2,000 years ago on an old rugged cross. Jesus prayed, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." And He cried out, "It is finished." He made us right with God. He became sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. He did it all so we could get it all. And now we have it all. We have been blessed with all Spiritual blessings. We have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness. See, Jesus didn't just give His life FOR us, He gave His life TO us. And now, because the plan succeeded, we can partake of His Divine Nature. The plan was mysterious because the plan was love. And love--true, sacrifical, agape love--doesn't make sense. But now the mystery has been revealved. Now it's not just God's love FOR us, it's God's love IN us. Coming OUT through us. Now we can EXPERIENCE the love that the Father always had (and always will have) for us. I guess what I'm trying to say... what I'm always trying to say everytime I Rant or preach... is that, in the grand scheme of things, love is all that matters. The Beatles said it best, "All you need is love." And isn't it amazing that in the grand scheme of things love is all that matters... and the grand scheme WAS (IS) love? God did what He did (both for us and as us) because of love. Period. What other motive could the God who is love has? And that's so important to understand too... love doesn't HAVE a motivation. Love IS the motivation. Jesus did what He did because He was moved with compassion and motivated by love. And what did He do? He improved the human condition. He healed people. Fed people. Forgave people. He wept with those who were sad, and He partied with those who were happy. He made life abundant. Superior. Better. He left people better than He found them. He didn't knock people down in order to make Himself look bigger. He laid down His life for His friends. He picked people up and dusted them off. I'm telling you, only two things matter: God and people. Loving God and loving people. Loving God BY loving people. That's why we're here. We're not here to see how much "stuff" we can get. We're not here to just pay taxes and then die. We're here to LIVE. And to live is to love. To love is to live. You can't experience this world--this KINGDOM--the way it's supposed to be experienced unless you know what you've got, and share what you've got. The point of being loved (besides the effect of being loved) is to love others. I believe that we experience love the most, the best, when we GIVE it. When we share it. When we lay down OUR lives for our friends. (And remember, we destroy our enemies by making them our friends. I believe we have friends, and people who don't know they're our friends yet.) The plan was a mystery, but the mystery has been revealed. Because the plan was completed. Christ is IN you. LOVE is in you. And since it's in there, it can come out. All on it's own. Flowing like a river of living water. Naturally. That's the plan, man. Let it do what it does.

Trust the plan. "Work" the plan, by letting the plan work in you. That's what faith is all about. It's all about trusting God to have it--to have YOU--covered. Listen, faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the Word of God. Faith isn't about making something happen that hasn't happened. Faith is about BELIEVING what HAS happened. It is finished. God's grand scheme--reconciling us to Himself--already happened 2,000 years ago. And because of that we are able to manifest the truth--the Word--on a daily basis. We are able to fill ourselves with the fulness of God... because He already filled us with Himself! He drew us into Himself when He was lifted up from the earth on the cross. And He planted Himself in us like the corn of wheat that abides alone unless it dies. But when it (He) died, it (He) brought forth a great harvest. That's us. When God did a new thing, when He made all things new, that was us. We are the new thing. He made US new. That was the plan. And that was ALWAYS the plan. Jesus was Plan A. and there was never any need for a Plan B. The "fall of man" didn't sneak up on God and make Him reevaluate things. He knew what was going to happen and He was prepared for it. It was all part of the plan. Because you can't have a redemption story without something to redeem. Man couldn't choose God unless he tasted the world first. Only by trying it himself could man come to the end of himself and realize his need for a Saviour. That's why the Law was given; not so that we might keep the Law and earn self-righteousness, but as the schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. And I want to say this too: The Law was MAN'S plan. The Law was what MAN wanted. And so God did what He always does--He let man have his way. Remember when man wanted a human king and God warned us how awful it would be? And yet He relented and gave man what he wanted. Same with the Law. The carnal mind wanted something that made sense. Do good and be rewarded, do evil and be punished. That makes sense to the natural, carnal mind. But that was never what God wanted. That was never God's plan. God's plan was to give us life and that more abundantly. And that's why, at the appointed time, He sent His Son to set things right. We tried it our way and failed miserably. So Jesus did what we couldn't. He fulfilled the Law and nailed it to the cross. Brought us out of the Old Covenant and into the New Covenant. Set us back on the right road, if I can say it that way. The straight and narrow way--Jesus IS the Way--that leads to life. He made it all available to us. The mysterious plan, which is Christ Himself, was revealed to us IN Christ Himself. As Christ IN YOU the hope of glory. Our sweat was replaced by Jesus' blood. And now that we KNOW the plan, we can BELIEVE that the plan succeeded. We can rest. We can flow. We can stop trying to earn and start receiving and releasing. We can stop trying to work the plan, and let the plan work us. It's a FINISHED work. We are complete in Him. And that was always God's grand scheme.

Here's the coolest thing about God's plan: It came to fruition over 2,000 years ago on the cross! It is not in doubt. It is finished! The mysterious plan--the grand scheme--is Christ Himself. Christ IN YOU. That's what happened on the cross. Jesus drew all men into Himself and planted Himself in all men. So the mystery... has been revealed. And even as He continues to reveal it TO us, He reveals it IN us, and THROUGH us! The plan came to fruition on the cross. And because of that it continues to come to fruition on a day to day, minute to minute basis. The manifestation of the finished work. The outpouring of the indwelling Spirit. What's inside us coming out of us as we fill ourselves with the fulness of God, by testing out the height, length, and depth, and breadth of His love. Testing it out by USING it. Loving bigger, and stronger, and longer than we ever have before. Because if Christ Himself is God's great plan.. then LOVE ITSELF is God's great plan. That's who the Lord Jesus Christ is: God in the flesh, love in a body. God in YOUR flesh, love in YOUR body. God's plan was never for us to be sheltered from the world, but for us to go forth INTO the world. And before the cross He came with us--in a sense. But now, on this side of the cross, He comes IN us. He LIVES in us. In Him we live and move and have our being. And in US He lives and moves and has His being. We are One. Knitted together through the one thing that can bring (and hold) people together. Love. I'm telling you, there is no greater work you can do, no greater purpose you can have, and no greater calling you can answer than to love someone. That's what it's all about. That's why Jesus died on the cross, and finished the work. He said there's no greater love a man can have than to lay His life down for His friends. And then He went to the cross and did that very thing. He showed us that love. He GAVE us that love. That was the plan, man. Give us something we could then turn around and share. Something we could receive and release. That's what the Holy Spirit--the love receptor, the Spirit of truth--is all about. He leads and guides us into all truth--all truth being that the Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into His hand--so that we can UNDERSTAND the truth that we know. Remember, you can't love someone you don't accept and you can't accept someone you don't understand. There's a difference between UNDERSTANDING the plan, and knowing every step in the journey. I don't know every step. Sometimes there are twists and turns. But I understand my Daddy. I know He's got my back. I know that wherever I go, there He is. Because He lives in me and I live in Him. There's no separation. The plan was reconciliation. The plan was redemption. The plan was for man to see what was on the other side, and then choose the more excellent way. For man to try it his way and then see that God's way is better. Try to earn, come to realization that a gift can't be earned, and then begin to rest, and receive, and release. We don't need to make sure the plan works. The plan already worked. All we have to do is trust the plan, and the One who finished it. Let Daddy love us, and love one another with that same love!

There's a master plan at work. A grand scheme. A mysterious plan that is Christ Himself. Love itself. Because, as we all probably already know, love is a mystery. It doesn't make sense. You love who you love and there's really no rhyme or reason to it. And nothing you can do about it either. The heart wants what it wants. Why is why following your heart can be such a risky proposition. But, at the same time, it's the safest thing you can do. Because love never fails. So when you understand love's plan--to give and not to get--then you begin to understand your EPIC (Eternal Purpose In Christ) Destiny. You begin to understand what it's all about. (Spoiler alert: It's all about love.) So let's look at this, because God's plan--Christ Himself--culminated on the cross. It's a redemption story, right? And you can't have a redemption story without something (someone) to redeem. It's pretty perfectly pictured in the parable of the Prodigal Son. God warned Adam--mankind--not to go his own way. Not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Warned him that on the day he did so, he would surely die. But notice that God didn't STOP Adam. He let Adam do what was in his heart to do. (And remember, for the most part when I say "Adam" I mean "Adam and Eve." There's a lot to get into with Eve being deceived, and Adam choosing to stand with his wife, but I don't have time to get into it all right now. So.) Like the Prodigal Son, Daddy let Adam (us) do what he wanted. He tried to counsel him, but ultimately let him make his own decision. Because God knew the grass always looks greener on the other side. He had to let Adam experience the world so that Adam could CHOOSE the Kingdom. Which, again, we see in the parable Jesus told. AND we see it on the cross when one of the robbers--who, in my opinion WAS Adam, or at the very least represented him--asked Jesus to remember him. To re-member him. Put him back together. And Jesus promised the man that that very day he would be in paradise. God told Adam the day he ate of the tree of death he would surely die. Then Adam came to Jesus on the cross and Jesus told him he'd be with him in paradise. See the plan? The grand scheme? See what Christ came to do? He came to reconcile us back to God. To put us back where we belonged, if I can say it that way. To show us God by showing us God's love. To lay His life down so He could pick it back up. To give His life for us, and give His life to us. To redeem us. To bring us out of the power of darkness--out of the bondage of sin and death--and into the Kingdom--into righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, into His abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life! The mysterious part, to the carnal mind, is... why? Why would He do that? HOW could He do that? Love a sinner like me? Give His LIFE for a sinner like me? That doesn't make any sense. When I had nothing to offer He gave everything He had? Guys... that's what love IS! That's the mystery revealed: Christ in you the hope of glory! Love in you overflowing out as you fill yourself with the fulness of Him. As you give what you've got. As you share it and watch it multiply. That's why we're here: To be loved, and to love one another with that same love. That's the plan, Stan. That's the grand scheme. And as much as we get stuck on anything and everything else, THAT'S what matters. L-O-V-E. Love!

Maturation is a process. A never-ending life-long journey that starts at the finish line. And it's only when we understand that there is a plan at work that we can begin to enjoy the journey. Only when we understand that there's a grand scheme. Look at Colossians 2:2-3 in the New Living Translation, "I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God's mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." The plan, the grand scheme, what God is all about, is, in a word, Christ. In two words: Christ himself. That's it. That's all. That's Plan A and there is no need for a plan B. Man's "fall" didn't take God by surprise. He didn't tell Adam, "IF you eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil you'll surely die." He told Adam, "...for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Genesis 2:17). Because if you don't have anything to redeem, you can't have a redemption story. The choice God gave man was never, "Stay with me in the garden of Eden, or leave." The choice was, "You've experienced the word, now come home." We see this in the story of the Prodigal Son and we see it in Psalm 90:3, "Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men." What am I saying? It's all part of the plan. Remember in the last Rant series we saw that twists and turns in the path don't disqualify you. Stumbling and falling--making mistakes--simply gives you the opportunity to get back up. To learn from your mistakes. It's not about you "changing." It's about Christ Himself revealing Himself to you, and in you, and through you, and as you. It's about the mystery. God's "mysterious" plan. Which, according to Colossians 1:27, "...is Christ in you, the hope of glory." The mysterious plan is Christ Himself. Christ in you. The hope of revealed glory. He gave His glory to us when, on the cross, He gave His life for us and gave His life to us. And then He revealed that glory to us. IN us. So that we might know what's inside, and by knowing (and believing) it might come out. It's an outworking of an indwelling Spirit. It's being filled with His Spirit and then filling ourselves with the fulness of Christ by testing the height, and length, and breadth, and depth of His love for us. And how do we test out His love? By using it. By giving it to--sharing it with--others. And that, my friends, is the grand scheme. That's why we're here. That's our EPIC (Eternal Purpose In Christ) Destiny. That's why we were created. To be loved and to love one another. That's it. That's the point. That's the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. And that's everything in between. It's all about love. Love is all you need, and love is who Jesus is. God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in YOUR flesh. Love in YOUR body. And when you love... that's when the Word BECOMES flesh. That's when you let Him live in, and through, and as you. That's when love becomes charity. That's when you put the plan in motion, if I can say it that way. When you let Daddy love you, and then give what you've got. My pastor always says, "If you know it, throw it." You can't give what you don't have, and you can only give what you do have. The plan is Christ Himself. The mystery of Christ in you is revealed when He comes OUT of you. When the love you have is shared with those you come into contact with. You are loved. So you can love! And in the grand scheme of things, that's all that matters.

Here's what I think is the most important thing about the never ending journey of maturity--and that's why I left it for last--it's a process. It doesn't happen all at once. It's ok to make mistakes. How else can you learn from your mistakes? But that's the key: Learning. Growing. Moving forward. Getting knocked down but getting back up. Letting people help you. Listen, I've said this many times before, needing help is not a sign of weakness. Needing help is a sign of wisdom. No man is an island. It's not good that man should be alone. We need each other. Look at Ephesians 4:13, "Till we all come in the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." Till we ALL come in the unity of faith. We are all in this together. We are all one body--different, unique parts, but connected. And as we ALL come into the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God--as we learn and grow, as we BE who we are by letting HIM be who He is in us--that's when we come into the measure of the stature of the FULNESS of Christ. That's when manifest the fulness. That's when what's inside--in a sense--gets so big that it overflows out of us naturally. It's not me trying to be someone I'm not. That's impossible. That will never work. At the end of the day we are who we are. It's me filling myself with the fulness of Christ. He already filled me with Himself. Now I'm filling myself with that fulness. I'm dipping into the well. Letting living water flow out of my innermost being. And how do I do that? By knowing and believing the truth. Maturity isn't about living up to someone else's idea of who or what you should be. Maturity is accepting the truth about you. Which, of course, is the truth about Jesus. He IS the Truth. What's true about Him is true about you. There's nothing more mature than loving others with the love that you are loved with. Nothing more mature than obeying the New Commandment. Nothing more mature than being who you are instead of trying to be someone you're not. But, again, it's a process. Sometimes we make mistakes. Sometimes we don't do what we ought to do. And that's where things like mercy, and grace, and forgiveness, and liberty come in. Giving each other (and ourselves) room to learn and grow. Room to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes. It's such a rare and wonderful thing to have someone to take this journey with you. To stand by you no matter what. And that's who Jesus is. A friend that sticks closer than a brother. The One who promised to never leave us nor forsake us. The One who lives inside us. He moved in and He's never moving out. He's right there with us. No matter what. Win, lose, or draw. Forever. Everlasting. Eternal. Abundant. Resurrection Life. We can't get disqualified, and He won't ever give up on us. So enjoy the journey. Let the process do what it's there to do. Learn and grow. Don't give up. Keep moving forward. Upward and God-ward!

As I learn and grow, I mature. As I grow in grace, and learn just how loved I am, I BECOME who I am. Who I really am. You can't be who you really are by trying to be someone you're not. You can't earn a gift, and you can't change into something you're not. At the end of the day... you are who you are. As hard as you try to hide it, what's inside is what comes out. So I say STOP trying to hide it. I say embrace it. Be who you are. I'm a writer, so I write. Here's the key though: I CAN write anything. But that doesn't mean I have to. And it doesn't mean I want to. I certainly USED to. I would write what my grandma referred to as "trash." And it never went anywhere. Nothing ever happened with it. I was trying to be who I am, but I was trying to do it myself. I was immature. When I was a child, I did childish things. But then I grew up. I found something. Or maybe something found me. I was gripped by grace. I kept writing, but I started using my three T's (Time, Talent, and Treasure) in service to Jesus. I started writing Jesus books. And that's when things exploded. That's when I started publishing books. That's when I truly started to BE who I am. When I presented myself a living sacrifice to God. And see, I didn't have to sacrifice my inner being. I didn't have to "deny myself" and force myself to fit into a box that I really don't fit into. I didn't have to be someone I'm not. Guys... it's impossible to be someone you're not. It can't be done. Especially when we're talking about Jesus. Who could possibly live Jesus' life other than Jesus? Nobody. Nobody. Thank God that even though that's what religion is about, that's not what everlasting, eternal, abundant, Resurrection Life is about. It's not about living Jesus' life. He gave His life to us so that HE could live His own life in, and through, and as us. Maturity isn't trying to be a "good Christian." Maturity is knowing and believing that in Him we live and move and have our being. In us He lives and moves and has His being. Maturity is knowing and believing that we are One. There is no separation between God and man because God lives IN man. LOVE lives in man. And like I said earlier, what's inside comes out. But really I should have said, "What you believe is inside comes out." When you believe you are forgiven, you forgive. When you believe you are loved... you love. What you believe fills you to overflowing. What you believe comes out naturally. Maturity isn't about what you do. It's about what you believe. Because what you do flows from what you believe. I can't be something I'm not. Believe me, I've tried. Banging your head against the wall only gets you a headache. True maturity is knowing who you are (in Christ) and being who you are. Naturally. Effortlessly. Letting Jesus be who HE is in you. Embracing yourself and embracing others. Letting God love you, loving yourself, and loving others. Because it's all about love. Love is the most mature thing in the world. You can't be more mature than loving others with the love that you are loved with!

"Let's be mature about this." I'm sure we've all probably heard--or perhaps said--that at one time or another. And usually what that seems to mean is, "Accept something you don't like without making a fuss about it." And I can see the wisdom in that. Sometimes things happen that you don't like. And sometimes there's nothing you can do about it. So rather than banging your head against the wall (and only getting a headache as a result), we should handle adverse situations with grace and poise. But I think there's something deeper. Always deeper. I think there's a more excellent way. Just as grace--the unmerited favor of God, the divine influence upon the heart and it's reflection in the life--is much more than a rug that we sweep "sin" under, maturity is much more than just not throwing a fit when things don't go your way. Look at John 17:22-23 in the MSG, "The same glory you gave me, I gave them, So they'll be as unified and together as we are-- I in them and you in me. Then they'll be mature in this oneness, And give the godless world evidence That you've sent me and loved them In the same way you've loved me." THAT'S what true maturity is all about. It's all about oneness. It's all about the total and complete lack of separation between the Father (God, love) and the Son (us, Jesus). That's who Jesus IS; God in the flesh, love in a body. God in OUR flesh, love in OUR body. And look at the REASON for maturity: to give the godless world evidence of the Father's love for the Son. That's why Jesus said, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35). Stop me if you've heard this one before, but it's all about love. To be truly mature is to love one another with the love that we are loved with by the Father. To receive and release His love. To obey the New Commandment. To let the perfect law of liberty rule and reign in our lives. To rule and reign as kings and priests on this earth. And look at the key to all of it: "The same glory you gave me, I gave them." Maturity isn't something we lack, but something we can earn. Maturity is something we already have, and simply need to grow in. 2 Peter 3:18 says it like this, "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." The maturation process is a process of discovering how mature we really are! Looking into the mirror with an unveiled face and seeing the glory of God--that we've already been given--and being "changed" into that same image FROM glory TO glory. We start at glory. We start at mature. We start at the finish line! And then we run the race with the assurance of victory. Not front to back, but back to front. We are not trying to win. We already did, when Jesus won the war to end all wars on the cross both for us and as us. We are simply coming into the understanding of what His victory means. We are growing IN grace. Not growing grace so we can have some. We are full of Him, but we are filling ourselves with His fulness. In an experiential way. Not head knowledge, but heart knowledge. Going through things so we can GROW through things. So we can help others through those same things. Let's be mature about this... and love one another!

Life's a journey. Everlasting life is a never ending journey. The point is not the destination. In that sense we have already arrived. The days of heaven on earth. The point moving forward. Upward and God-ward. The point is discovery. Discovering who we are by discovering who God is. Who we are in Him. Who He is in us. The point is not "good vs evil." Good and evil are on the same tree of death. The point is life. And the point of life is to live. To live is to love. To love is to live. The never ending journey of eternal life is a journey into the heart of the matter. And the heart of the matter is the heart. God's heart. Filled with love. Beating in our chests. What's inside filling us to overflowing and coming out. That's why it's ok to take this journey at your own pace. That's why it's ok to stumble. Even ok to fall. Because the just man falls seven times but gets up every time. Because Jesus is the One who can keep us from falling. Every day--EVERY DAY--I make sure my son, Logan, knows that as long as he's learning and growing he's ok. He doesn't need to have it all figured out right now. And neither do you. And neither do I. Sometimes we try things and sometimes they don't go the way we want them to. But the only true failure is failure to keep trying. If you never make any mistakes, you can't learn from your mistakes. And more is learned by doing something wrong than doing it right. Sometimes--most of the time--you have to do something wrong BEFORE you can do it right. Very rarely does someone just know how to do something. Things are taught, and things are learned. And the best teacher--the best way to learn--is on the job training. We learn to do... by doing. We learn to love by loving. By being loved, and receiving and releasing that love. By getting knocked down and then getting back up. Finding a new way. A better way. A more excellent way. I'm convinced that we go through things for one of two reasons: To learn and grow. Or to build a well for the next person who is going to go through the same thing. Or, ideally, both. If you can look someone in the eye and tell them, "I've been right where you are. I got through it. You can too. I'll help you," man... that's huge. That sense of connection. Of knowing that we're not all alone. We're all in this together. We can bear each other burdens. We can get each other's backs. We can help each other. Forgive each other. Love each other. Day by day. Aren't His mercies new every day? He never runs out. And He never leaves nor forsakes us. Even when we mess up. Even when we willfully do something we know we shouldn't ought to do. He sticks closer than a brother. Leading and guiding us as we learn and grow. The gate is narrow, and the way is straight, but I don't think taking twists and turns disqualifies you. I think Daddy stands behind us and helps us back onto the path when we turn to the left or the right. I think He chastens and corrects us out of love. With love. He helps us along, watching us mature. Watching us become who we are as He reveals to us who we are!