Always More

Written by Erin Richer

“For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough…” Matthew 13:12

When I wrote this article, I would leave Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in almost exactly three months. This is the normal cost of military life: you come, you bond, you leave. The difference is that there in Guantanamo Bay, I not only experienced the normal deep friendships, but also what felt like the pinnacle of my ministry career. I had the opportunity to lead Bible studies, lead leaders of Bible studies, lead large ministry events, speak to hundreds of women about their beauty as seen through Christ’s righteousness, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the story God is writing on our lives. I’d begun a podcast with a dear friend at whom I was staring down the barrel of “fair winds and following seas.” As far as I could tell, that was it. That was as good as it was ever going to get. And then I looked at Peter’s story and I saw two characteristics of God to which I could cling during this shift in my life: He’s unpredictable, and in His kingdom there’s always more.

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Peter sits in his boat, the threads of his net wrapped around all ten fingers, his attention fixed as he traces the line through the knots, his expert fisherman hands doing an elaborate dance they’ve practiced daily since he was a boy. Along comes Jesus, and something about His penetrating eyes must have been irresistible, as upon Jesus’ invitation, Peter immediately sets his net down, leaves all of his expertise behind, and walks off with Andrew to become the disciple of a random rabbi. Peter is no stranger to rash decisions as we see throughout the pages of the gospels, but this is not the point. The point is that Peter thought he was simply following a rabbi.

Peter, the first to declare Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, begins to see Jesus draw crowds by the thousands. At some point in the three years of following Jesus, Peter becomes aware that he is one of the twelve closest friends of the King of the Jews, the Man who has come to set all things straight, the One who will not just set up a kingdom here on earth, but will bring peace to all nations and will rule the entire world in peace and righteousness. Peter lives and works alongside Jesus for three years. He doesn’t just have a good thing going—it seems he has reached the pinnacle of his ministry. Imagine Peter’s horror watching Jesus hang on a cross and breathe his last breath.

Upon Jesus’ crucifixion, Peter goes back to his fishing boat, back to what he knows (John 21:3). I can only imagine the vividness of the memories he replayed in his mind: the day he declared Jesus was the Messiah and Jesus confirmed it was true. The thousands of healings and resurrections he saw happen right before his eyes, with witnesses to confirm it wasn’t all a dream. The moment Jesus called to him from the shore, “Follow me and I will make you a fisherman of men.” The questions must have haunted him: What do I do with my life now? How was I so foolish? How could life possibly be worth living after all of that?

Thankfully, we know the rest of the story.

Never in his life could Peter have expected he’d ultimately become the master articulator of the things of God—that he would become Earth’s resident expert on all things Church related. Even Paul, the most educated of all men at the time, seeks Peter out to make sure nothing he’s teaching is off-base. Peter could not possibly have understood, no matter how many ways Jesus tried to explain, that when Jesus left, He did it so that He could pour His Spirit out on His people, so that everyone would have access to the depths of God.

Everything with God is more.   

This is the comfort Peter’s story has left me. The same unchanging Author that wrote Peter’s story is writing my story. And He has the same character traits today that He did then. When I left Cuba, I had no idea what was next. It felt like my heart couldn’t possibly be more fulfilled in ministry, with the ability to use so many of my gifts there in that place. But these two things I knew: I couldn’t possibly envision what God would do next, and I knew He had more.  

I would never have dreamed that was what He had for me in Guantanamo Bay. But I know God can turn a plot like no human author. So I know that although one part of the story and my place in it will likely look nothing like the next, the narrative is perfectly woven. And when it’s all said and done, my life will tell a great tale about my Father. I now know that what He planned next is not boring, and I’ll continue clinging to my Jesus as His Spirit moves me into the next twist of His perfect plot. 

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