A Surprise Change June 19

Any change you consider moving closer to what Jesus wants, you will still experience some fear and trembling. You will sense the fact that you have not full arrived in some kind of perfection. But when you finally take seriously other-centered approaches to a Christian journey, the idea of prayer takes on new meaning. No longer do you need feel you have to beg God for anything. You do not have to spend hours and hours pleading your case.  You will find God is already doing things you want. Now, you just need to pay attention and see His work. Your prayers take more the form of “please remember_______.” And it is not that you think God could forget, but the remembrance is for your benefit for growth. While you no longer live in the past, you can still discuss an issue and talk the idea with friend Jesus. A new process and perspective have begun.

        The Holy Spirit will become more of a person and friend by letting you know that Jesus is not just some historical figure of the past but a very present reality. You can place Him in a chair next to you and just talk to a friend. You can also place him in the car with you as you go to a store and get frustrated looking for that difficult parking spot.

        I’m afraid you are like me in that you don’t have more than two to three genuine friends through a lifetime. I tended to go through life picking only one person as a close friend [safer I thought]. Of course, over time, something controversial happens, you may lose that individual and you will have to start all over in forming another friendship which still appears a painful exercise. The whole process is how you may tend to shelter and guard your self-vulnerability.

        But then, a different kind of losing can happen and death becomes a kind of wake-up call. Death comes to many living things of course. But death of close people in your life becomes such a disrupter and makes us stop and think. Both my parents died, not at the same time, thankfully.

        Again, the Holy Spirit showed me something and I feel it was pure grace coming from God. When my father became ill and in hospital, much prayer occurred, but there was an issue of two things I personally wanted to see before he went. Because I never had a close relationship with my Dad, I always wanted to hear him call me “son” and tell me he loved me.

So, while I was the only one in the room one night, he had gotten so nauseated he turned to me and said, “Son. . . would you get another nurse for me.” He didn’t like the nurse he had and wanted another. Still, he called me SON.

 Later, I could see he was losing perception, so I went to his bedside. I clamped both my hands on his face and turned him to look at me. I said, Dad, I love you.” He looked bewildered and I don’t know if it was because what I said or his physical state of the moment. After a pause, he said, “Son, I love you too.” God still does gracious things.  [more]