Something beautiful, something JESUS!

Today has been a day of "something beautifuls" taking place.  I have had some rough spots this week for different reasons... life, right?... which makes the "something beautifuls" all the more captivating.  I am so grateful when God shows Himself in unexpected ways, when you least expect it, mixed right in with the things you expected to see Him show up in. He is so beyond my grasp of understanding!  Never will He become predictable!  My tiny little mind and experiences of Him are but a slight shadow of all He is!  I love it when He proves that truth over and over.

First of all today, the weather... well, it was glorious. Mild, overcast, soothing kind of weather that gives just a slight hint of fall.  Down, here that is a big deal!  Then, a great group of people gathered for bible study and shared great conversation about God... His part, our part, hope, heaven, now, then, etc. I love how alive He is in His word and in the testimonies of others that love Him!  It was just a really great start to my Sunday. And then we went to a great morning in worship.  We sang a song with words that resonate so well in my heart.  Some of the lyrics are... "When my life is hit with fear and I fight to hide the tears and I wrestle in my heart to know what to do.  Lord I'm welling up inside but I know you hear my cry, Jesus lead me to the Rock that is higher than I."  (by Paul Baloche) I think daily I come against something that breeds fear and I have to cry out to the one that is Higher than I.... love that song.  It moves me. The preaching by a guest preacher was good stuff.  These things are where God shows up in places I expect to find Him because He has met me this way many times before.

But the end of the service is when God showed up in a way I wasn't expecting and I was quietly moved to a point of private worship, too personal to even share at first.  At the end of our service, we were challenged to take part in "holding the rope" which led to many moving forward to the front and then returning to their seats.  I was sitting towards the front so I was back in my seat quicker than many and I was able to just sit and soak in the moment of what was taking place.  As the movement of everyone was beginning to wind down, I was humming the song quietly, thinking of the challenge I had just accepted.  Without much thinking behind it, I looked over and an older man with his adult son instantly caught my eye and everything else seemed to fade away. I was instantaneously involved in seeing Jesus right in that room, doing what Jesus does and without warning found myself with a lump in my throat.

You see, this man and son were different in that the man was an older gentlemen with an adult son.  But what I witnessed made my heart leap in my chest, brought memories rushing back, set a longing instantly in motion, and opened my eyes to the arms and feet of Jesus at work before my very eyes.  The adult son was in a wheel chair and the older dad was serving him selflessly and with great, intentional love without any hesitation and certainly without any regard to anyone around them that might be watching.  He slowly wheeled his son to the front, took his part in hold the rope, and very patiently waited and assisted his son do the same.  He had zero concern that they were the very last to be able to complete the challenge and return to their seats and when he turned around to push his son back down the isle, his presence made me desperately want to grab hold and hug him.  I could feel Jesus in Him.  He was serving his child with joy and the love spilled over so clearly that not a word was needed for anyone that was willing to look and see.  My goodness how I wanted to jump out of my seat and go hug them both. I didn't know either of them, but because I could feel Jesus, I felt like I knew them very well. 

It hit me so clearly, this is what Heaven will be like!  I was just given a tiny window into what eternity is going to be! I don't know them, but instantly I did because my Jesus was shining through them.  That love in that daddy's eyes, the patient way he served his child now grown, radiated how Jesus must have been to the blind man, the paraplegic, the woman at the well, the leapers, the, the, the.... Today, I could feel Jesus and it propelled and instant love of total strangers.  My word, that was an amazing "something beautiful" moment in time.

When I left church and was waiting on my family to catch up with me at the car, I was overwhelmed with thoughts of Eathan.  I knew what that man felt.  There is no greater love than to serve our sweet children in their time of need... even if that need is in every single moment of every single day.  And a refreshment of lessons learned so personally through my journey with my sweet Eathan resurfaced today as I held tight to the spiritual, very private, encounter I had just had with Jesus in church.  I remembered fresh and new all  over again, just how much our Father loves us in our time of need.  The love that man held for his son, the love I held for my own child in his illness, is but a taste of how much our Father loves us!  BUT A TASTE! That overwhelms me and excites me and humbles me to a place of the deepest gratitude!  I cannot imagine what it will be like when I am with my Father... fully aware and knowledge filled of the depth of his love every minute of every day.

The day went on and I had some more expected  God sightings... hugs and laughter with my kids, fetch with the dogs, loyalty from Charlie the Wonder Dog in the midst of his cancer battle, art with my Dramatic Flair, etc.  But then tonight, we had another "something beautiful" moment occur as we were at a Young Life banquet.  Some teens shared their stories and it was overwhelming to me (always is) to see how real Jesus comes through in the raw authenticity of a hurting kid.  A boy was sharing his story and was so emotional he finally just passed the mic.  It is amazing to me how simple they share the story... no fluff and add-ons... just what it is... and Jesus in them just shouts out loud.  I was expecting to be touched... I wasn't expected to have to hold myself back from running up there and hugging those kids.  It was a privilege to sit and listen and celebrate.  Jesus works in churches and Jesus works out of churches.  And I wanna be in all of it because it is where I am most at peace.  It puts things back in perspective, it replaces discouragement and disappointments, it energizes, it heals, it hopes, it removes the scales all over again.... how quickly they start to come back from time to time.

What a day.  I can't tell you how special that man and his son was... only they don't even know what they have done.  It is like the other times I have written about... when the brother and sister were leaving the movie theater and she was so tenderly serving him.... so many times God shows me clearly Jesus right there in front of me.  I love it.  I aspire to it.  It is what I want more than anything else to do in people's lives.  I want them to lose total sight of me and feel Jesus near.  It is my prayer.  Tonight I am thankful for those that have allowed me to feel Him today, so real yet again. 

I wish I could be Mary all week long.  I don't want to rush and push and fight through the busy-ness of the weeks requirements.  I want to just sit and soak up my Jesus.  I will just have to trust He will supply the needs and provide the moments in time I need.  I will pray to be watching for them.  I don't want to miss a single moment of tangible Jesus this week!  Join me?

Robin