Well, it has officially been over a year since I have last written on this blog. Life has been incredibly busy and the days have quickly flown by. I will begin posting on this blog again 2 times a week with the themes of discipleship and spiritual formation. I am grateful for the grace of God in my life and may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to the Lord.
By the way, if you wonder why Mayberry, then let me briefly share with you. Growing up, The Andy Griffith Show was HUGE in my house. Now, I am only 31 but my dad loved it and so I grew to loe it as well. I still enjoy watching reruns and quoting the best lines. My dad used to joke that if he could ever move to Mayberry he would. I thought of this as I grew older and now I find Mayberry appealing as well. It is a place where there are no worries, struggles, and everyone gets along. No debt, economic crisis, social injustice, and so on. I believe that everyone desires to find a “mayberry” but never succeed because reality shows that Mayberry is not real. It does not exist and thus the hopes of people are dashed. They resign themselves to surviving life and hoping for the best.
The good news is that while Mayberry may not exist, there is a place that is far better. It is a place where true joy, hope, peace, and joy abound. This place is found at a cross. Yes, a cross. That cruel instrument of torture and death. How can a cross lead to these things? Very simply: the person who died on that cross. Jesus Christ is our glorious Savior who died as our substitute and was wonderfully raised from the grave thus defeating death and sin. He accomplished what we could not and that was reconciliation to God. He did so and offers to us new life. This new life is found in turning from sin and by faith trusting in Him. When one does this, they discover a joy unspeakable and full of glory. Christ, because He is risen, becomes your very life. This is all possible because of the cross and the empty grave that followed it. Friend, you can find this joy when you appropriate, that is embrace, what Christ has done for you.
