What Jesus Christ teaches you about you is sooooo important, because many of us never look in a mirror. Why? Because we don’t like what is looking back at us.
Being a person who was severely bullied in school, when I joined the Navy I made a promise to myself: This version of me? No one will never know that person. When I got on that plane in LA to Japan, that person was done.
A new person rose to the occasion, because I felt that obviously the reason I was treated the way I was is because of who I was. Something was off. For years I thought this. I was mad at Jesus for how things went down. Starting my adult life, I wanted different.
But Jesus, oh what a name.
As I ventured through my career Jesus began to point out things about me. First, I was not communicating with him enough. I was guessing at a life that I was making hard for myself! No guidance! Didn’t want to listen! But Jesus revealed himself to me after that 3rd test failure when I said, “If I don’t pass this advancement exam, I’m going home.” What Jesus Christ teaches you here is that He’ll listen, but His response will challenge you to trust.
Which relationship has taught you the most about yourself
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Jesus said, “Or, you could let me show you more of this world.” I literally went into the test site, filled in “C” for every answer and walked out. I was done. But Christ wasn’t done with me. Months later I made 3rd Class. The journey continued. The Second thing he showed me about me was that my frustrations were valid, but if I communicated better with him he could fix things. I began to pray more, read my Bible more.
What Jesus Christ Teaches You: Trust His Path
The son of a Preacher, you would think it’s obvious. It’s not. One must walk their own way with the Lord. 15 years later, three degrees, a beautiful wife, two adult sons with degrees of their own, a nice house on a hill, I can assure you what Jesus taught me about myself was so pivotal in my growth a Believer.
The biggest win is what Jesus taught me about Him. His grace, mercy, love shined through my darkest of moments. He never turned away. He saw me through my foolishness and forgave my errors. I will forever be thankful.
A Prayer Of Thanks
Lord Jesus,
Thank You for teaching me to trust Your path, even when I could not fully see where You were leading me. Being raised as a preacher’s son did not make my walk with You automatic. I had to come to know You for myself, follow You for myself, and learn to depend on You for myself.
Thank You for every step that brought me here: for my education, my beautiful wife, my sons, my home, and the life You have graciously allowed me to build. But more than every blessing, I thank You for what You taught me in the hard places.
You met me in my foolishness. You stayed with me through my mistakes. When I was at my darkest, Your grace, mercy, and love did not turn away from me. You forgave me, lifted me, and kept shaping me into the believer You called me to be.
Help me never to take Your faithfulness for granted. Keep my heart humble, my steps obedient, and my trust firmly placed in You. May my life be a testimony that Your path is good, Your mercy is real, and Your love never lets us go.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Pastor Rick Penn is an ordained pastor, writer, and the founder of Get-Prayer.com, a resource built to help believers develop a consistent, grounded prayer life.
With more than 20 years of preaching the Gospel, Pastor Rick brings deep theological training and lived pastoral experience to everything he writes. He holds a Master of Divinity from Virginia University of Lynchburg, an M.A. with a concentration in New Testament Studies from Baptist Bible Seminary, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Averett University.
His writing reflects a personal commitment to making prayer accessible to everyday Christians. Whether he is writing a prayer for someone in a hospital waiting room, walking through fear about the future, or sitting down with a blank prayer journal for the first time, Pastor Rick writes from a place of both theological grounding and pastoral care.
Pastor Rick hosts In The Moment, a Christian television program airing on Roku through AIM Christian Television. Viewers can watch the show at aimchristian.com/yourmoment and listen as a podcast on Spotify.
Before founding Get-Prayer.com, he served in the U.S. Navy, where he built his communication skills as a writer, editor, and public affairs professional. He now applies those disciplines directly to ministry and teaching.
Every article on this site reflects his core conviction: Prayer is not a performance of faith. It is the daily practice that holds everything else together.
Pastor Rick Penn is the author of all content on Get-Prayer.com.
Rick currently resides in Pennsylvania, where he continues to teach, write, and encourage believers to deepen their walk with God through prayer and the study of Scripture.
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