Encounters

*Below is a post from 8/20/12...

I have met many people throughout this life of 34 years...Been introduced to quite a few.

But meetings, and introductions are meaningless unless they serve as a forefront to a deeper relationship.  And many of those have become such.  But mere acquaintances laced with quick smiles and friendly hellos are unfortunately too preoccupied with "what's next on the agenda?" instead of true concern with the other party's whole well being.

Or so it has been much of the time, on my behalf...

And how often do I tend to believe that is the will of my Father in Heaven?  And most of the time it is like that when I address Him...

"Hi God, I'm doing great, how are you?   Oh, the universe is all under control?  Great, you have a nice day...and oh yeah, keep us (you know, my family and me) in mind and safe, and forgive me for my sins too!...thanks, luv ya,  bye!"

Sweet, short and to the point, cuz ya know, I'm a busy mom, working mom...mind you...who has a family and a house with dust bunnies and groceries that need bought and bills that need paid and school that is starting and kids that are playing travel sports.....etc....

And God, He just needs to make it all work out for the good...fit it together so it's good for us, for my kids, so they turn out alright...or lets be honest, so they turn out above par... 

And that alone would be fulfilling as a parent.  For everything to look good on the outside...For the kids to turn out "successful" in the eyes of the those around...

And if only I hadn't tasted...

If only I hadn't ENCOUNTERED Him before...

And these experiences aren't to be taken lightly.  

And words really can't explain it either.  But to have tasted and seen, and to take that for granted...to ignore it...

Shame on me.

That's all there is to it- because how easily and quickly I take for granted this living, breathing God who is reaching down to us and offering an unexplainable ENCOUNTER with Him...

Christianity is set apart from mostly all other religions because of the faith in a unique God who reaches down to humanity and holds out His hand for us, offering an unexpected freedom through the sacrifice of His only Son...

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life...For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.."  John 3:16-17

A couple of months ago we took our little family to church on a summer Sunday evening...

Joe prayed silently to God during the service and asked of Him something...

Of which I was unaware....

And we were at church late that night, new members joined and there was cake after, along with a presentation about a church plant in Detroit.  Which was very interesting to me, more than  reminiscent, it was moving...

It reminded me of my younger days and my older sister's heart for the inner city 20 short minutes away from where we grew up.  She lived there in Detroit at a church house doing mission work her third year of college.  She had a calling for the poor, the down and out and outcasts of society which overflowed and convicted anyone close to her.  Immobility was not an option and her passion was contagious.  She introduced us to her friend, Harvey, who was a Mennonite from Canada also doing an internship at the church.  He befriended us and God used him to show us who Jesus was.  Never before had I ENCOUNTERED a person with such humility and love for the unlovely...

So all of this had been brought to the forefront of my mind before we left church that warm summer evening in June.  I had swallowed back many tears before we even got in the minivan.

And as we pulled out of the parking lot onto the usually busy but thankfully vacant road, our eyes couldn't help but look upward because there was a magnificent magenta and orange hued sunset gracing the sky.

And all of a sudden Joe slams on the breaks as I was trying to take it all in...

He points his index finger hard into the glass of the windshield and asks me,

"Is that an eagle?"

I lean forward and gaze above and tell him yes and that I think it is but I also ask him to please continue on driving because I was awfully scared that someone was going to crash into our behind...

And all three of the children caught a glimpse.  You see my husband and my mom are bird freaks...

They constantly are bird watching and the children have picked up on this...They know a turkey buzzard from a hawk...

And we all saw the white head as this eagle flew right over our van...

And Joe could hardly speak...

He told me,

"You don't understand!  It's God!"

Now he had my attention.  My husband is the opposite of dramatic.  (yes my children inherited their theatrics from me, not him)

"What?" I asked.

He went on to tell me that while we were in church, he said a prayer, a prayer that he had forgotten about until this very moment, with the cake and the church-plant and all...

And in that prayer, he told me he asked God...

"If you are real, If all of this is real...make and eagle fly over my head when I leave church tonight!"

And then  he told me that he felt guilty right after he uttered the prayer upward...  He told God that he was sorry...the verse about not putting the Lord thy God to the test sprung into his mind...and Joe took back what he said.

But God chose to send an eagle regardless...

And Joe along with our family ENCOUNTERED God in a big way... a grand way...maybe the most amazing way we ever will in our short lives here on this earth...

And how often I forget and shove Him to the side as if He is just an acquaintance...

And what grace He bestows when the reminders of His very realness are brought to light.

And my prayer tonight is that my children, our family, will long to ENCOUNTER God, and that we would be on a fiery pursuit after Him and His will...

*Since writing this almost 4 years ago, several eagles have flown over Joe's car and even our house.  We have never seen them around here until that night.  Joe called me this morning to tell me one flew right over the front of his hood while in route to work.  What an amazing reminder that God is real.  He knows how fickle we are, how distracted...Right before he called me today, I had been reading

Psalm 103:
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
Bless his holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

...may my faith be childlike...renewed like the eagle's...who God used to open our hearts up...to ENCOUNTER Him....

Lights in the Tunnel

There's a light at the end of the tunnel...Or so the saying goes. But nobody ever really talks about the tunnel itself.  How cold and slippery the ground is while trekking through.  The depth of despair that permeate the darkness as you feel your way in the dark.  You continue, make your way through and every once in a while a ray of light blazes through into your being, glimpses keep you going.  You trek on and work like crazy doing your part as much possible.  But emotions stir fast and swift, back and forth, up and down like climbing mountains one moment and soaring through valleys the next...and everything is rampant. One minute you have the faith of Abraham and the next, hardly a mustard seed, maybe even a grain of sand but there it is flickering in the darkness of the cave.  And even though you question if your guide is still in front, leading the way through the chaos and unknown, something inside reassures that you are not alone.  There is a resonating pulse, though almost silent at times, that continues... a slow, sure beat in the back of your mind, of your heart. 
Through your weariness and trouble it carries on...as you fix your eyes ahead onto the dull glimmer awaiting at the end of the journey you are on.  Doubt creeps in and you look up,  gazing ahead knowing there are maybe not perfect things in store but good things.  And you take another step that is filled with so many emotions but you go, carry on, journey ahead. 

We have been walking through a tough tunnel of our own the last several weeks.  These words pour out my heart, fear of the unknown, questioning every move, every step.  We had this unknown destination placed in front of us December 11.  Joe was "displaced" from his job and opted out of re-interviewing for a different position in the company.  Knowing this restructure was going to be taking place several weeks in advanced, Joe had prepared.  Multiple job opportunities fell through.  He actually had more than one verbal offer and was prepared to put in his two week resignation when the brakes on the opportunity in place got slammed.  Hiring freezes appeared out of nowhere or promoted employees decided they wanted their former jobs back...And we prayed, and waited and thought maybe it's meant to be that he stays put.  And then the phone rings, he got the call...He called me right after, I was with my Friday Morning Girls (my small group who I love more than words...) when he told me through the phone.  I think my knees buckled as tears rolled and my sweet friends embraced me and told me to go and be with him.  The pause button was hit and everything put on hold.  And nothing can prepare you for the empty hollow feeling that floods when it actually happens...Stress and tension in our home was high...One moment you felt assured and at peace and the next filled with rapid heart beats and anxiety.  The ebb and flow of emotions was countless.  But we could feel the prayers of those loved ones around us in the midst of it all... And looking back now I have to say that I would never wish the lack of a job on anyone.  We were more than blessed and grateful for God's provision through it all.  Countless resumes were sent out and many interviews later...he received a job offer.  I think about my friends and acquaintances who have faced the same fear, only much worse.   The word grateful doesn't seem to sum up our thankfulness to so many people who carried our burden through thoughts and prayers.  And we are eternally thankful to our Father in heaven who is the provider of everything. 

A tunnel of uncertainty may be your surroundings today.  Maybe it's not the loss of unemployment but rather a loved one whose voice you yearn to hear again.  Illness, broken relationships, addiction, hurt, busyness, depression...whatever path you are walking down at this time,  know you are not alone.  As the journey ebbs and flows as you take one step forward and three backward, remember there are glimpses of light reflecting off of the saints in your life who are carrying part of your burden.  When you can't pray, ask someone to intercede for you.  And soon enough you will recall those stones of remembrance, times when God was faithful in your life. Little pokes of light will sharply fill your eyes, your soul with courage to move on.  And the end of the tunnel, where you are headed may not even be close...The finish line may be a ways away but remember, you do not walk in isolation...there are fireflies there in the cave with you flickering light all around, whispering the hope of God's faithfulness into your soul...know they are there with you but mostly know, God is there working all things together for your good. 

"God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all" 1 John 1:5