Storyline Fall 2020

The Bible describes how Peter was hurt
when Jesus asked him the third time, “Do
you love Me?” As a human physician, I know
what it is like to have to inflict pain in order
to accomplish healing. I am a witness that
God can allow us to go through places we
would rather not, but it is never in vain.
The Gospel of John 21:15-19 tells the story
of how Jesus reinstated Peter after he had
denied the Lord 3 times. It is noteworthy
that every time Jesus asked Peter the
question “Do you love Me?” Peter answered,
“Yes, Lord.” Even when he was hurt, he
surrendered to Jesus and accepted His love.
I believe that in order to access the places
and promises that God has prepared for us,
we need first to say, “Yes, Lord.” When we
surrender to Him, then we receive healing
from the hands of the Great Physician.
Christ Qualifies
I would like to share one final story with
you. I have been babysitting since I was a
teenager and have had some interesting
experiences with it; however, one instance
is particularly memorable to me for all the
wrong reasons, because I think everything
that could go wrong probably did. As usual,
I filed it as a failure on my part; I felt guilty
that I could have handled a challenging child
better than I did. In my mind, I was no longer
interested in babysitting because I had
disqualified myself.
In April 2010, our daughter was born.
Through that experience, God reminded us
that He still does miracles. What amazes me
is that even though I had disqualified myself,
yet God decided to commit another one of
His precious souls to me. When Jesus said
to Peter, “Feed My lambs,” He demonstrated
a principle of God’s kingdom. In the human
kingdom, failure disqualifies; but in God’s
kingdom, Christ qualifies. God has not called
us to handle things on our own, but rather
to walk in partnership with Him. It is He who
does the heavy lifting so that we don’t have to.
Just as Jesus called Peter to follow Him, He is
calling us all today. He calls us not to embark
on our journey alone, but to take His hand
and allow Him to lead. He calls us to be
strong in the face of adversity, knowing that
He will never leave us nor forsake us. He
calls us to be content and satisfied in Him,
because He makes us worthy; with Him, we
are enough.
Tolu Solola
1
Vaux, Anna (December 4, 2001). "Move over Harry Potter". The Guardian. London.
2
Daniel Handler – AVClub.com — Interview by Tasha Robinson, November 16, 2005.
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