A Glance

Oftentimes, a slight reflection on the past is necessary to appreciate the present and to look forward to the future. This is where we begin, this is where the story of The House of Peter began. A slight glance, not a dwelling of the past. No need to abide there. Just enough of a glimpse to remind me where I came from, and why my heart has been turned towards “the least of these.” Enough of a reminder that I made it through, and it is possible for many others on this journey to do the same. However, this is where so many people get it wrong. Some will look back and stay stuck there, unable to move forward, as the scars from their past grip them and immobilize them. But some will try to forget it altogether; it seems too painful to look at. How can one help another overcome if they cannot remember overcoming themselves? I believe this is why God tells us in Deuteronomy to remember our past, and then, just a few chapters later, he says look back no more. One glance is all it takes; we were never intended to dwell there.

By glancing back, God began to show me everything I left behind. He began to show me His hand in my life. As I breathe a sigh of relief, grateful tears sting my eyes as I type this out, even now. Without Him, I wouldn’t be alive, and I wouldn’t be the person, the mom, the wife, I am today. This slight glance reminded me that I am not owned by my past, and I am definitely not that injured child chained to despair. No. I am free. The Bible makes it clear that whom the Son sets free is free indeed, and I am free indeed! (John 8: 36) But what about the ones that don’t yet know there is freedom to have? The ones that don’t yet know that the chains bound tightly around their little wrists can be broken?

Stepping out of that past full of regret, hurt, shame, and abuse, and into a future healed, whole, and complete. I didn’t get here on my own, and it wasn’t easy. However, God got hold of me just in time. Through the healing and restoration, He opened my eyes, and He equipped me to live in this world despite a hard past. So this is how we arrive at The House of Peter. A house that is built upon the rock (Peter). A Rock that creates a firm foundation. An unshakable foundation that won’t crumble, even when the world around you does. When Jesus changed the name of Simon to Peter, he told him that upon this rock His church would be built. (Matthew 16: 16-18) “This Rock” is the message that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah, the one who came and died so that we may truly live. “This Rock” is Jesus. This is The House of Peter.