TORNADO PETE AUGUST 2020

Ahoy me Maties!  Argh it is a challenging day on the High Seas.  The skies are grey, the winds are contrary, and the waves are rough.  But that is what we signed up for.  The ship is tight, the rigging is good, and the crew is the best.  We have all that is needed to take on the worst the elements can throw at us.  Thus, here is one of Pete’s perspectives.

Tornado Pete is a marker snob.  Now you may be shocked, but it is true.  Back in the day, permanent markers were known as “Magic Markers” though there was nothing magic about them.  They squeaked when you used them, and they had the best aroma ever.  Pete could sniff them all day.  (Probably why Pete is they way he is today.) It was something special to have a Marks-a-Lot “Magic Marker.”

Pete had issues with about using his markers, though.  If he used a marker too much it wore out or dried up.  Funds were tight and he could not just go get another one.  So, he used his marker sparingly, saving it for some time in the future.  This was a good plan except….  usually the markers would either dry out on their own or get misplaced.  Pete rarely used a marker up in the way they were intended to be used.  The result was the same without the fun.

As believers, we can have the same perspective.  We see ourselves as valuable markers.  We are special and valuable.  God designed us as instruments/tools to share His-story.  Unfortunately, something stops us.  Fear thwarts us.  We can become afraid of being used up.  There is only so much in us.  Plus, we are concerned about the wear and tear of use on our being.  Like a well-used “Marks-a-Lot” we can become frayed and bent.  Thus, we are cautious about what we do.  We seek to shield ourselves from the efforts that would wear us out.  This is not how we should be.

First, we were designed to share what God put in us.  His children are to pour themselves out for others.  Believers offer themselves to give the King of Kings glory.  They are to show the world how great He is.  The fear of running dry is an unfound fear.  We are engineered to be refilled, renewed, and recharged.  He has an endless supply of colorful inks for us to us.  In addition, even if we were to run dry, consider how you have spread His story to countless others.  The impact of your story is permanently proclaimed in indelible ink across the poster boards of life for all to see.  What a legacy!  So much better than risking the ink drying up in the container, leaving the color in place without an expression of faith.

Second, we expect the wrong results when we give of ourselves.  We assume God will guard us from all wear and tear.  In reality, the surfaces of life are rough and abrasive.  A marker will keep a pristine point only if it is never used.  Once you start writing it is only a matter of time before the marker is worn out.  God does protect and heal His children.  Still, He does not void the reality of this physical existence.  Living and giving has a cost.  To serve the One and Only High God will take a toll.  There will be a cost.  But oh, what a great blessing to have been an instrument in the Master’s hand.

You are a permanent marker in the Creators hand.  He wants to use you, to encourage, warn and instruct others.  He wants to use you to train, assure and nurture.  He creates works of art and relates amazing stories.  We are to make ourselves available.  Will it hurt?  Yes.  But which is better, to dry up or be used up?  Take your cap off and give up to Him.  Is you don’t, you leave nothing behind and the world is poorer for it.  If you do the opportunities are limitless.  SHOW UP!  MAKE A MARK!!!

Tornado Pete