Back to School Blessings: John 14:27

I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught. John 14:27 The Message

Oh how I love Eugene Peterson’s translation of Jesus’ Words here. Christ leaves us well and whole. Mmmm. Sit with this for a moment.

The World sure does TRY to offer this to us with its programs, pills, potions and plans. I don’t fault them. They try to create a way for us to be well and whole. We all know how BROKEN we feel at times. Distraught. Alone. Afraid. Rejected. Unhealthy. Tired.

But it is ONLY in Christ Jesus that WHOLENESS is TRULY found.

Think about this… don’t you love a good parting gift? Like when you go to a wedding and the bride and groom have a little happy present on the back table to grab as you leave. A bag of chocolates, an herbal tea or some seeds to plant in your garden. So thoughtful. A way to remember the evening and keep them on your mind as they move on.

But Jesus gives us something unthinkable as He moves on.

HIS PEACE. HIS SPIRIT.

Mind blown.

And today… as your children hop on that bus or bustle our of your car with their backpacks and uncertainties, REMIND THEM that they don’t depart empty handed.

Jesus’ parting gift to them is PEACE. WHOLENESS.

Tuck it in their heart today. And of course, yours too. 😉