Do you ever picture God one way when you pray to him? I think I always have some sort of image in my mind, even if it's sometimes just subconscious.
But recently, every time I pray, I think of God as a giddy school boy who has a gift to give me but the time has not come yet for him to give it. And so he is just bursting at the seems with a desire to tell me the secret which he cannot tell.
I haven't determined if this is indicative of the season of life I'm in, or just that my view of God has changed entirely. No longer is he always a stern and mean God who seeks to take away every good thing for the sake of "refining my character". No, instead, He is a God who desperately desires to lavishly bless me, but must wait for the right time so as not to spoil the surprise...or worse...to spoil me.
Not completely sure what to make of that...but something to ponder.
Completely Dealt With
Funny how God will often use the physical to demonstrate what is going on internally.
This summer I had a cancerous mole removed off my back. Literally took about the whole summer to deal with it. (Gross...I know.) At first I was sad to be rid of it. It was kind of a part of me for as long as I can remember. But when I finally got the stitches out last week and heard that they had removed all the bad cells, I felt like a whole new person. I immediately went on a 5 mile run...I was so overjoyed.
At the same time this summer I have been going to counseling to deal with some things that have haunted me since I was a child. I never thought I could actually be completely freed from them. I thought it was just a part of who I was. But during my last session, we prayed a long prayer of forgiveness, and something was different. For the first time in my life I felt completely free. And what happened when I was young was completely dealt with. The haunting memories will no longer plague me. I have been freed. Forever. Hallelujah. Praise God!
This summer I had a cancerous mole removed off my back. Literally took about the whole summer to deal with it. (Gross...I know.) At first I was sad to be rid of it. It was kind of a part of me for as long as I can remember. But when I finally got the stitches out last week and heard that they had removed all the bad cells, I felt like a whole new person. I immediately went on a 5 mile run...I was so overjoyed.
At the same time this summer I have been going to counseling to deal with some things that have haunted me since I was a child. I never thought I could actually be completely freed from them. I thought it was just a part of who I was. But during my last session, we prayed a long prayer of forgiveness, and something was different. For the first time in my life I felt completely free. And what happened when I was young was completely dealt with. The haunting memories will no longer plague me. I have been freed. Forever. Hallelujah. Praise God!
Everyone has a story
The best part of my job is that I get to hear people's stories. Many of which could be in books or movies if someone with enough talent had the time to notice them.
Yesterday I spent three hours with a Peruvian widow from my church who told me the most romantic story of how she met and fell in love with her husband through an ESL class, and how he then tragically died at the age of 35.
And last week another friend from church told me how she was headed towards being a star in Hollywood, when God clearly told her to drop everything. She gave away her clothes, her house, her acting career, and lost all of her friends. Many years later, she re-entered the industry but only this time with a purpose. She wrote a play within 3 weeks that has drawn crowds of women to find freedom from abuse and men to confess pornography and sexual addictions.
I could go on and on about all the people I've talked to within the last 6 months. At the end of the day I am a bit saddened that these stories are not more known. I suppose the best thing we can do for each other sometimes is just to listen. And the second best thing we can do is to make known the stories of those who have no voice to tell them.
Yesterday I spent three hours with a Peruvian widow from my church who told me the most romantic story of how she met and fell in love with her husband through an ESL class, and how he then tragically died at the age of 35.
And last week another friend from church told me how she was headed towards being a star in Hollywood, when God clearly told her to drop everything. She gave away her clothes, her house, her acting career, and lost all of her friends. Many years later, she re-entered the industry but only this time with a purpose. She wrote a play within 3 weeks that has drawn crowds of women to find freedom from abuse and men to confess pornography and sexual addictions.
I could go on and on about all the people I've talked to within the last 6 months. At the end of the day I am a bit saddened that these stories are not more known. I suppose the best thing we can do for each other sometimes is just to listen. And the second best thing we can do is to make known the stories of those who have no voice to tell them.