This blog is dedicated to all my ORU friends who’ve taken this mandatory course ;-)
Tonight my heart is very overwhelmed to be honest. There are things that I will just never understand. Questions that are reeling through my mind. Reflections in my personal life, my new married life, living 12,000 miles away from home and a mindful of other things. Then I’m also thinking about a young man’s life who is being celebrated at ORU today and while I’m encouraged by his life for Jesus, I’m sad that he suffered with cancer and left this world so young.
Cancer and death confuse me anyway. I’ve lost 3 family members to cancer and countless others on top of my best friend and cousin dying of cancer when she and I were 14 after a 7 year battle. In the time of pain and suffering however, I really encountered The Lord. Not a man preaching. Not a religion. Not a good idea. Not a well thought out strategy to win friends and influence people. I met Jesus Christ and He became so alive and real to me. This didn’t mean over night that I became perfect or like Him, nor does it mean 12 years later that I’m the best example of one living for Him or have it figured out. It does mean that He is real to me and I know without a shadow of doubt that He is alive and full of love for me.
What about my questions though? Why do some get healed and others don’t? Why is life crazy hard sometimes and knocks you off your feet? Why do bad things happen even when you’ve been faithful? I don’t know. But I do know that I can’t focus on the spinning wheels of “whys” all the time. I have to focus on what I do know.
What I do know is that He is with me right NOW. I am not alone. God gave us the precious gift of His Holy Spirit so that I could dwell with God. While my precious little mind can not remotely comprehend that, my spirit can receive Him in fullness. I’m thankful that there is a supernatural strength to my weakness. An empowerment stronger than my mixed emotions. A love that exceeds what I could ever give.
Holy Spirit is in the NOW. He was in our yesterday and He will be in our tomorrow too. We have to embrace Him in the now and receive what lies before us today! He has the wisdom from God, the love of Christ, the beauty of redemption to reveal to us now. He can walk us through valleys of tears and laughter of mountain tops. He can meet our hunger spiritually and satisfy.
As I reflect on this young ORU graduate today, I see his smile. I hear his loud life lived well before the Father. I know he embraced the now. He held onto Holy Spirit, loved well in a strength not his own and he is now dancing in glory!
May I be motivated as he. May my life be lived in the NOW. May I see the waiter and be moved with compassion. May I seize the moments to just be enthralled with God’s heart. To be filled with Him so that others may know the way of life, love and redemption. I want to be filled with what He’s speaking and sharing now…not satisfied on yesterday’s fulfillment or hoping for a far off day.
All I can say is,”Holy Spirit come….” Come refresh. Come turn my questions into seeking You. Come heal. Come restore. Come move me aside and reveal Jesu.
Oh and one other thing to do NOW is sleep ;-)
Bonne Nuit (French is coming along slowly but surely ;-) )