Our STory.
The essay that got me into GSP.
1 Peter 1:6-8, this is the story of my faith: “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold… Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” Throughout the Bible , Peter, formerly known as Simon, was faced with tasks bigger than you and me--Peter had walked on water and sank, had his identity changed, denied Jesus as his savior three times, first handedly saw the resurrected Jesus, cut off a man’s ear--yet Jesus chose Peter to lead the movement of the church. Peter was impulsive yet steady, insecure yet trusting, confident yet humble, a heart transparent yet refined, Peter was broken yet he was chosen. By no coincidence, I see myself most throughout the life of Simon-Peter.
Alike Peter, early on I was all in, striving to pursue and please Jesus yet I was easily tempted to contravene. A bold, rebellious spirit who saw the love, humility, and service in Jesus’s heart must've once said “That’s it. That's what I want.” because when he looked at Simon and proclaimed him Peter, the rock on which he will build the church, he signified a purpose to my identity. That being said, Madylin, Hebrew for “high tower”, was no longer just my name but a purpose. Declaring this pursuit deep within my heart a light of the world, a city on a hill that cannot be hidden.
Between Peter and I, becoming fishers of men is no easy way out. Being called to such requires growth and various trials along the way. I haven't walked on water but I have sank when I took my eyes off of what drives this purpose instilled in who I am. I haven't denied knowing a dear friend who was being crucified, but I have felt the hopelessness Peter felt, the shaken faith, the guilt of being helpless when a friend loses their life. In chains bonded by grief, I remember the words of Peter--”In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold… you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.”-- to rejoice in our trials and sufferings for their purpose is to refine ours.
Peter was a man who struggled, yet he rejoiced in his sufferings. A broken man who loved and served others, a man who was bound by a rebellious spirit but rooted in discipleship. Out of everything Peter was and was called to be, he was a leader. By no coincidence, I’m able to say the same about myself.
Alike Peter, early on I was all in, striving to pursue and please Jesus yet I was easily tempted to contravene. A bold, rebellious spirit who saw the love, humility, and service in Jesus’s heart must've once said “That’s it. That's what I want.” because when he looked at Simon and proclaimed him Peter, the rock on which he will build the church, he signified a purpose to my identity. That being said, Madylin, Hebrew for “high tower”, was no longer just my name but a purpose. Declaring this pursuit deep within my heart a light of the world, a city on a hill that cannot be hidden.
Between Peter and I, becoming fishers of men is no easy way out. Being called to such requires growth and various trials along the way. I haven't walked on water but I have sank when I took my eyes off of what drives this purpose instilled in who I am. I haven't denied knowing a dear friend who was being crucified, but I have felt the hopelessness Peter felt, the shaken faith, the guilt of being helpless when a friend loses their life. In chains bonded by grief, I remember the words of Peter--”In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold… you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.”-- to rejoice in our trials and sufferings for their purpose is to refine ours.
Peter was a man who struggled, yet he rejoiced in his sufferings. A broken man who loved and served others, a man who was bound by a rebellious spirit but rooted in discipleship. Out of everything Peter was and was called to be, he was a leader. By no coincidence, I’m able to say the same about myself.