I'm still being purged!


There is much to be done with me. I am still under construction.

I am acting on those words, those urges that come from within. No thundering voices, burning bushes, or messages written in the sky.

This calling was a little tougher than the other recent things I’ve shared with you. They all began with getting new carpeting and making new decisions on what to do with old things. Kind of cleaning house and washing my soul at the same time.

Hanging on the wall just inside my office was a baseball bat, glove and a baseball nicely hung on a handmade wooden bracket created to display such treasures.

I am not a fan of baseball, but they hung there because they are one of the tools of fatherhood when raising two boys.

I often played catch with them, pitched a few to them in the backyard of my home and caught a few pitches when my son, Keith had visions of playing in the big leagues.

They’ve hung there on that wall for many years since those days. I never had the need for them again but had all too many memories to take them down.

It was the house cleaning and painting that forced that issue recently. It was then God revealed my next project of faith.

While sitting here in this chair it all came back to me.

It was a beautiful spring day. Perfect for many things, but just the right setting for a Little League baseball game. My son Keith was playing and I saw a ball fly out of the park near where I was standing. I walked over, picked it up and continued watching the game. At the end Keith came running up to me excited about the win. As I was speaking with him, one of the coaches walked up and said, “Did you get the ball?”

I hesitated for a moment and replied, “No, I couldn’t find it.” I was lying. I remember he glanced down and could clearly see the ball bulging in my pocket. Then, looking up at me, he said. “Okay.” And walked away.

In that one stupid unexplainable moment, I broke every rule. I lied. I stood there in front of my son and lied. I took something that wasn’t mine and I tried to justify it by saying, “They don’t need it, Keith.”

It was done. He never said a word to me about it. Through all of these years Keith has never mentioned what happened that day.

There’s no need for me to try to defend myself by sharing with you all the good things I have done that would somehow make that one single event okay. It isn’t and now I need to make amends for it.

You see, that ball that I stole is the exact same ball that has hung on my wall all these years. I had forgotten about it until I held it in my hand a few weeks ago.

I am being purged.

Since then I have made phone calls, visited the same baseball field and spoken to people trying to find someone to give that ball to.

I finally found a way.

I located an address for the sports group that sponsored the league. Because it is past season, no one answers the phone and no one is at the site. So I mailed the old ball and a new one to the only address I could find in hopes that this will somehow make it right.

The old ball represents the old me. The new ball represents the new, still under construction, in the process of being “purged” me.

My friend Nathaniel Bronner, recently revealed to me in one of his MountainWings messages that God spoke to him about a friend he was praying for. God said…” “the purging is not complete.”

That also spoke to me. It was the answer I had been searching for. The explanation I needed, too.

I am listening more intently now to that inner voice that has guided me all these recent years.

The Voice that confirmed “I’m still being purged!”

Bob Perks Bob@BobPerks.com

Receive our free newsletters


The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging messages. HTML and plain text versions available. 

 

The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.

Visit Answers2Prayer

Subscribe Here:
The Illustrator
The Nugget

Your email:

Please be aware that you will receive a confirmation message via email. Once you receive it, please click on the link mentioned in the email. If you have problems please email us.