The more I seek God, the more I find Him in every area of my life. The following accounts are by no means an act of boasting on my part, for God deserves all the credit. Writing down what I notice God doing in my life and the lives of others IS Worshiping God!
This week I found God in a phone conversation with my cousin who's mother is very ill in the hospital. We talked for a long time about how God is using this situation to grow everyone involved, from the family and friends to the hospital staff. I physically felt her pain and sadness as we talked on the phone and I heard the Holy Spirit comfort her using words from my mouth. Sure I understood her fear and sorrow, but God knew what she needed to hear and prompted me to speak words of comfort to her. We prayed and rejoiced together in her sorrow and pain.
Later, when I spoke to her mother on the phone before her surgery, I prayed with her over the phone and felt my spirit leap in a surge of power connecting us together. She later came through the surgery just fine and is recuperating.
A couple of days later I had the privilege of hosting a friend and her children in my home for lunch. The children played well together for nearly 4 hours while she and I shared deeply from our hearts about our relationships with our husbands, children and God. It was my goal to encourage her and support her in her decision to take the restoration path in her marriage. I was surprised as God used her to confirm His working in my life and encourage me. I love the way God teaches us!
The end of my week culminated in a youth road trip to a conference that encouraged teens to rebel against low expectations set by society. God worked so intricately in the lives of all who went, that I am still trying to process it. The whole thing started by me purchasing a book I knew nothing about, but thought it looked like something my son needed to read. It was titled, "DO HARD THINGS" by Alex and Brett Harris. After reading the first two chapters, I got so excited about the topic that I went to their web site and discovered they had a conference being held only an 90 miles from us this month. I told my pastor about the book and gave him a copy. He read it and also got excited about it and the conference. So this past weekend, we took 7 teenagers to this conference. Everyone who attended the conference grew in someway. For me personally, I learned that God is working through me to touch other people in ways that I do not expect. The back splash of the Holy Spirit's touch lands on me too.
When the Holy Spirit visited the conference, and about 50 young people met Christ for the first time, they stood up individually before 2500 people and shouted "Jesus Christ is Lord!" It was very powerful and moving. Later, when they were still kneeling and praying near the staging area, I was walking among them and physically felt the presence of God so strong that tears streamed down my face. I saw one 13 year old boy talking to another teen boy and asked him if he could pray for him. He placed his hand on boy's shoulder and began praying. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but I didn't need to. I watched them and when he finished praying, the other boy gave him a hug and they went separate ways. I was overcome with the power of compassion and love demonstrated before me between not only teenagers, but young men. I guess I was so amazed because my own 13 year old son, who attended the conference demonstrated the exact opposite behavior. He was selfish, rude, obstinate and the epitome of what society EXPECTS of teenagers. My heart was crushed by my son's behavior and soaring at the same time by the visitation of the Holy Spirit in that place.
The dichotomy of my heart and emotions was almost unbearable. As usual, when I am in need, God provided a helper. I went to the prayer room to be alone and pray and try to regain control of my emotions. There was one man in the room whom God used to help me process what was happening. God knows that when I talk about what is going on in my heart, I can make better since of it. After sharing my thoughts (as best as I could at the moment) he offered lots of encouragement and prayed with me as did the two women who later joined us. Then I went outside to get some fresh air and talk with God alone. When I returned to the last session an sat down next to my husband, I heard the speaker, who happened to be the father of the authors of the book, talking to the parents in the room about how to parent a rebelutionary. Just what I needed to hear to focus my energy toward an unconditional love for my son. It's possible, that my husband and I are training our son (and daughter) to become the leaders we will need to fulfill our mission in life. How we train them now, by including them as much as possible in our everyday lives will show them and teach them to be the Godly servants they are needed to be.
I want to love my children's company, but sometimes they are not so likable and it's easier to leave them behind (with a sitter) instead of letting them tag along. God it is my prayer that you continue to embed your wisdom into my heart causing an infusion of YOUR love to infiltrate my thinking, my feeling and my doing. Please share the same infusion with my husband that together we may be your instruments.
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