Sky Ranch > The Fellowship
3/10/20

It’s a good day because the gospel is true - Trent Pickens

I’m currently sitting in a coffee shop in Colorado Springs staring off at the mountains in the distance as some tunes blast over the speakers debating what it is I want to write for my Legacy Fellow Blog post.

A lot of options are running through my head; the things I’ve learned these past several months, the amazing relationships I’ve built in the fellowship, or maybe even some of the things they don’t tell everyone like the frequency of which you will be cleaning toilets. But I don’t really want to write about any of those things.

Two things keep popping into my head as I sit here. Two quotes I say to myself every day. The first one I heard from another fellow a couple of months back.

“It’s a good day because the gospel is true.”

That quote stuck with me from the moment I heard it. So much so, I have it written on our whiteboard at home on camp. I want to remind myself of that truth every morning when I wake up because I never want to forget that. It helps put me in the right mindset for the day. However, it can be quite easy, at least for myself, to get caught up in the nitty-gritty and the daily tasks. I get annoyed when things go awry, an unexpected issue arises to create problems, we run out of coffee, or I lose in a game of Nertz. I struggle with being tired from work yet still wanting to spend time with my friends or trying to maintain relationships with people nine states away. It can feel like there is never enough time in the day. I often find myself feeling burdened, irritated, or flat out upset due to the stress of camp life mixed with the desire for a sense of "normalcy." Then I see that quote when I'm getting ready for bed and it reminds me that no matter how "bad" of a day I had, it was still a good day. No matter how hard work was, how cold I got running ziplines, or how badly my back is hurting on a particular day, the truth of the gospel still holds firm. I’m not sure what you may be going through, but it doesn’t change the amazing truth that is the gospel. Don’t forget that.

The other quote I find dancing across my synapses comes from an old Jewish proverb. One day as a Rabbi was entering the city gates, a Roman Centurion stopped him and asked, "Who are you? And what are you doing?" The rabbi simply responded, "How much do you get paid?" Naturally, the soldier was confused by such a response. Upon seeing his confusion the rabbi said, "I will pay you three-fold to stand outside the door of my home and ask those same two questions every day as I leave."

How often do you ask yourself those questions? Do you ever? I think those are two of the most difficult questions I have ever been asked. So I ask myself those every morning. “Trent, who are you?” I struggled with identity for the longest time. I think we all do at some point but I now know where I find my identity; I find it in Christ. I’m redeemed. I’m saved. I am a beloved child of the Lord.

“Trent, what are you doing?” Good question. If I’m not doing it for the glory of God, why am I doing it at all? I think I ask myself the latter question at least ten times as much as the former.  It is so easy for us to do things because we find them fun and enjoyable but if it isn't for the Lord, it is pure vanity. 

I hope you can take some time to reflect. Don’t forget the truth of the gospel and how nothing is going to change that. I hope you can figure out where it is you find your identity, who you are. I hope you figure out what it is you’re doing and more importantly, why you’re doing it.

- Trent Pickens