It has been an emotional roller coaster this week. The conflict between the present and future wage a war of depression upon my soul that would choke the hope out of me if not for Jesus. Like a lyrical line borrowed from Third Day, “If you just call My name, I’ll be there.” I have to confess it makes me a emotional mess on the ride home.

Still hanging in there with the series I have been concentrating on…“Challenging Impossibility”.

While studying about Samson, and his super human “Hulk” like strength, I couldn’t help but focus in on his beginning. There is something unique that takes place.

Judges 13: 2-5

At that time there was a man named Manoah from Zorah from the tribe of Dan. His wife was barren and childless. The angel of God appeared to her and told her, "I know that you are barren and childless, but you're going to become pregnant and bear a son. But take much care: Drink no wine or beer; eat nothing ritually unclean. You are, in fact, pregnant right now, carrying a son. No razor will touch his head—the boy will be God's Nazirite from the moment of his birth. He will launch the deliverance from Philistine oppression."

It’s interesting to me how God establishes a covenant upon the birth of this young child before there is even a child to have a covenant with. I found this to be strange until I looked up the word covenant to get a better understanding of it.

Covenant…a covenant, in contrast to a contract, is a one-way agreement whereby the covenanter is the only party bound by the promise. The only party that can break a covenant is the covenanter.

Only God was bound by the covenant promise. Maybe that’s why Samson took his “uniqueness” for granted. However, Samson lost his hair. Over and over, we see Samson basically toying with his “ability”. He was a mockery to ministry and a shame of a man when it came to lustful youth. However, in the end, we see that God kept his covenant. The Bible says, “But his hair, though cut off, began to grow again.”

Maybe it’s time your hair starts to grow again…

I know for me it’s time I dig in. It’s time to get some things done, so I can conclude a ten-year covenant promise. Yes, I feel like a failure at times, but one thing is for sure…my life isn’t over. It’s only one covenant away from living…in the promise. This is what I live for…this is what I hope my kids will remember me for. I hope they remember how I chased after God with a heavily intense passion.