“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  John 14:27

It was possibly one of the best golf shots of my life.  I had both hit it far and straight…and for a casual golfer, those are impressive feats.  The problem was that I had hit it too far and too straight.  I had hit it into a group of four grandmothers on the course in front of me.

As I neared to claim my ball, I knew that I was in trouble.  One of the four was waiting for me and she was angry.  Although she only came up to my belly button, she laid into me about hitting into them.  She told me I could have hurt them and that if I couldn’t make better decisions I should not be golfing.  The entire two minutes she was lecturing me, she was thumping on my chest with her index finger, I was apologizing, and my friend was laughing.

I made it through that encounter (I thought she was going to take a club to my head) without any real scars, but I was trembling for several minutes afterwards.

Although this is the only time that I have been verbally attacked by a little grandmother, this is not the only time that I have been assaulted by life.  Reminders that I have made mistakes come at me often.  Pictures of my past failures and my unlikely dreams crop up from time to time… and sometimes when I look over the noticeable attack, I can see friends laughing.  Instead of coming to my defense, working to build my courage, or helping me believe that the Great God is inside of me, sometimes even my Christian relationships seem to enhance the awkward feelings of challenge.

Perhaps you can relate.  When you want to run with God, maybe you have friends that tell you it will never happen.  When you want to break a habit or overcome a consistent temptation, perhaps some of your companions weaken your resolve.

In those moments it is necessary that you know how to access Christ’s encouragement so you know that through Him all things are possible.  When you run to him in prayer, don’t just ask for the miracle, ask Him to build your faith.  Don’t just ask for the rewards, but request the perspective to understand and embrace the process.

Rather than standing back and watching to see if I will succeed or fail, it would be great if my friends would rush to my side to encourage and offer their strength, but even when that doesn’t happen, I know that God will be there for me.  He is the perfect friend who not only sticks closer than a brother, but helps make me better.

He will do the same for you.