“I tried!” Pepe sighed as he threw himself on the couch, and then flashbacked to the events of the day…

While waiting for the school bus in the morning, he decided to help his neighbor Mrs. Taylor—who was like a grandmother to him—bring her big trash can to the street for the trash truck to pick it up. He missed the bus! His mother had to drive him to school on her way to work. During school’s recess, he got a black eye from the bully Bryan while trying to defend his classmate Cindy from his claws. After school, he got so excited helping Tom fixed his broken bike and Katie decorate her baby brother’s birthday cake, that he almost forgot do his school homework. He had to rush through it, and he was sure he would get a bad grade. At dinner, he was so tired that he was not nice to his parents.

As he lay on the couch, exhausted, Pepe heard a small, quiet voice, “Pepe, who created you?”

“God, of course,” Pepe replied.

“Every bit of you?” The voice prompted.

“Yes, I guess every bit of me. Except the sinful parts,” Pepe rolled his eyes.

“Every skill, talent, and ability?” The voice challenged Pepe.

“Yes of course,” Pepe said.

“And who put dreams for your life into you? And who has even bigger dreams than you can imagine?” The voice was sweet and powerful.

“God.” Pepe answered and then added, “But what’s the point?” Pepe knew the voice was God’s.

“So who knows best what you’re equipped to do? And who knows what will make you truly happy? And who has set up circumstances so that you will have opportunities to fully utilize your gifting and fully realize your dreams?” The Father made Himself visible.

“God,” Pepe answered, “but…”

“So why did you want to go through an entire day without once listening to the Spirit? Without once getting free advice from the wisest person in the universe? Without once catching up with the one who loves you more than anyone anywhere?” While the Father looked at Pepe in the eye with so much love, Jesus and the Holy Spirit appeared as well.

“But I was so busy. And I had all of these great ideas, to do good things!”, Pepe protested.

“And for that you needed my strength too,” The Holy Spirit said tenderly.

Between the black eye and the exhausted body and heart, Pepe look so pitiful that Jesus gave him a hug, “You need Holy Spirit’s power and wisdom for the life you can’t live by yourself! But remember, in order to get that from Holy Spirit and be fruitful, you have to ‘remain in me, and I will remain in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.’” [John 15:4].

Pepe started imagining all his favorite fruits, “Mmm…”

“Ahem! Ahem!” Jesus noticed that Pepe was getting distracted. “Have faith in me, and you will have life-giving water flowing from deep inside you, just as the Scriptures say.” [John 7:38]

“Life-giving water?” Pepe’s attention came back.

“Yes, that’s the Holy Spirit,” the Father clarified.

Suddenly, a breeze surrounded Pepe and a supernatural strength came to Pepe’s body.

“Wow! What was that?” Pepe was amazed.

“Me,” the Holy Spirit said joyfully. “Just don’t forget to listen to my voice or request my strength and wisdom. You’ll be surprised at how quickly I can fill you up and also at the amazing things that happen! I can even help you forgive Bryan!”

“Impossible!” Pepe exclaimed.

“Try me! You just have to want it in your heart and ask me to help you,” the Holy Spirit winked at Pepe.

Then Pepe couldn’t believe what he saw: the Three Musketeers started singing and dancing while becoming invisible again.

“Walk in the Spirit, Pepe!
Uh-huh, uh-huh!
Let the Spirit take control!
Uh-huh, uh-huh!
Spirit’s power and wisdom, Pepe!
Uh-huh, uh-huh!”

Pepe laughed, and while dancing to his room he added to the song,

“Please God,
help me remember all that!
Uh-huh, uh-huh!”

Related Bible reading:

Galatians 3: 3
Galatians 5: 16
Galatians 5: 22-23
John 14: 26
Proverbs 3: 5-6