It's a cloudy day and it's drizzling outside. If I lay just right on my rack I can see out through my little window in my cell. It looks beautiful even though I can't tell how it feels. Seems like the little silent rain is cleaning up the air so I can better see the trees far away. The fish are making ripples everywhere in the body of water that surrounds the prison. The grass looks greener and the fields look fresh. Suddenly there was this longing in my heart to be there. A longing to feel the air. To feel the rain on my skin. To walk barefoot on wet grass. My longing was getting stronger. But then I found myself talking audibly saying, "you betrayed me! You promised me everything, but instead you took it all away. You didn't keep a single promise. Instead, you made me pay more than I wanted to. I am never ever going back to serving you again." With those words and teary eyes, I concluded my conversation with this world.

    Since childhood, I wanted to be accepted by everyone. I wanted to be the life of the party. I wanted to be the guy who made everyone laugh. The reason I wanted to be that was because deep down I was scared, alone and insecure. So I went running and chasing after this world. I gave it everything: my faith, my love, my pride, and my life. But then I learned, by experience, that what the world had to offer was nothing but a vapor. It will never be able to satisfy my desires. This is when the words of Jesus spoke to me, "Come to Me, all who are weary... for I Am gentle... and you will find rest for your souls." These words were spoken by the God Who sees me hiding and still invites me. His gentle touch restores my hurting heart. Never have I ever heard kinder words spoken to a more undeserving of a man.  In Isaiah 66:1, God calls Heaven His throne and earth His footstool. Heaven is the place where God rests His weight and Glory. On earth He lightly rests His feet. I think we get it twisted sometimes. We think of earth as His throne and so we try to rest our complete weight on it. But this world is broken, and it can never support the weight of our desires and longings. When we chase the thrones of this world then, at best, all we get is a broken footstool. So this letter is for all who knowingly or unknowingly are chasing this world. STOP! Turn around. This world is the means and Jesus the end. Not the other way around. We are citizens of heaven and this world is just a rest stop. Proverbs 11:7 says, "hopes placed in mortals die with them, all the promise of their power comes to nothing." But Jesus says in John 16:33, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

    Do not settle for footstools when we are created to be royalty!