September 2, 2017
As you journey on the road of life, embrace the pilgrims with whom you travel…
Every Moment Matters
“Create in me clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your Salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will be converted to You.”
Psalm 51:10-13
The truth is that every moment matters…it matters in the life of family, in friendships, and it matters in brief encounters…I have learned this over decades of living on this earth…Every Moment Matters. Four years ago, we posted this blog, after a brief encounter.
So Deeply Humbled
Almost nine years ago, I began to pray with a group of women. Our backgrounds and lifestyles were very diverse, but the common thread and attraction was the desire of each woman to pray and to lift up the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We met in an inner city café owned and operated by Mission Waco.
On an August morning, women from seven different churches met and one of the ladies had invited a friend to join us, and she shared with me that this woman struggled with addictions and homelessness. Although she had family and a local church, she battled the giants in her life. But on a Tuesday morning, she found her way to the prayer group.
At 10:00, prayer began. “Praise God for who He is…Praise God for what He is…Praise God for what He does…He is our Deliverer, He is our Refuge, He is our Strong tower, He is our Rock, He is our Salvation, He is our Healer, He is our Provider, He is our loving Father, He is the Restorer of our souls…Thank you God that you love us and that we are your daughters, each one of us.”
The prayer time continued as the requests were lifted up to the Father: Prayers for the city churches and pastors, for local schools, for our government and for all in authority. Prayers for the military soldiers and their families, for the elderly, for children and families, for broken families to be repaired and restored. Prayers continued for people who were blinded by the enemy’s darkness…
We sat in silence for several moments…and then, the woman who was sitting next to me, whispered with a raspy voice, politely asking to read from her Bible, Psalm 51. I was struck as I thought about her homelessness, and the fact that she held her worn Bible, one of her few possessions. I quickly turned in my Bible to the familiar words of King David, my new friend’s voice becoming bolder as she began to read.
A sensation of humility swept over me as she deliberately read the Psalm of confession and repentance. As she read, confessing her sin against God, I felt my own sense of unworthiness…uncleanness, and I watched as her hand moved slowly down the page of her Bible as she read each verse. Then, her voice faltered, and I saw tears spilling onto the page of her Bible. I looked at her face, and as the tears flowed freely wetting the page, her voice continued reading…
I knew in my heart that the Lord saw the beauty in these shed tears as they washed and bathed this precious woman in the Grace and Mercy of His love… She shared her transgressions with the group and how she would slip away from God, only to have Him gently pull her back to His side with His strong right hand. Her authenticity and transparency overwhelmed me. She modeled exactly what the Lord asks of us…to come to Him with a contrite and broken heart…to confess and to turn from darkness to His magnificent Light…to His Hope and to the calling that He has for each one of His children, each one of His daughters.
I sat, humbled by this woman. When was the last time that tears of contrition had flowed from my heart, from my eyes onto the pages of my Bible? Where was my sorrow for the transgressions that I committed against my loving Father? Had I become so callous and so prideful of my life that my heart had hardened and preserved the wickedness that made its home there?
We sat…knowing our LORD waits patiently to restore the joy of His beautiful salvation for each daughter; He waits for us to respond with tears of sorrow, cleansing tears, beautiful tears of agony over our own departure from His grace…and the return to His promise of the restoration with tears of joy.
At 11:00 a.m. prayer ended. I know that each one of us was changed that day. I am so thankful for those moments with my friend. She enriched my life…she reminded me that gratitude and thanksgiving are necessary and that honesty before God is imperative. Although she and I battle different giants, we each wrestle with darkness because of the same sin nature. On that day, she and I sat side-by-side as sisters in Christ. I needed her that day to lead me and to show me and to remind me how to approach the Father with honesty and truthfulness. And she needed me that day to love her and to live life moments with her. Together, the prayer group experienced the Community of Christ. We were reminded of the forgiveness that is available to each one of us because of the Blood of Jesus, the Blood of the sacrificial Lamb…God’s perfect and Holy Son…
Every Moment Matters…
Last Christmas I was blessed to serve with this lovely woman at our Prayer Group Christmas Party. Each year, we fill bags for Elegant Ladies Haven, an organization which ministers to women who are in need of hope and encouragement, and Cheryl, had often been the recipient of these Christmas bags. But this year was different. She drove the Founder/President of the organization, Minister Linda Majors, to the party and helped to serve food, and to fill the bags with the gifts the prayer group had collected. She was beautiful and joyful…
That was the last time I saw her…this pilgrim who taught me so much about humility…grace…and mercy. Two weeks ago, her life was tragically taken from her…Although, I do not know the circumstances, I know that the giants in our lives sometimes come crashing through the doors…However, what this beautiful woman knew, and what her life teaches us all is that the giants may come…but they are not the victors when we are children of our Mighty God! You see, Jesus Christ paid the entire cost of our transgressions…He rendered our accounts free and clear…our debt is paid in full…
And our friend so beautifully reminded each one of us of that, on that August morning, as she prayed and read from her Bible. I will never forget the tear-stained page…and her voice as she struggled to pour out her own heart before her LORD…and now, I have no doubt that she beat me, beat us to the finish line; she is home! And, I remain So Deeply Humbled… My friends, as we journey on the road of life, Embrace the Pilgrims with whom you travel…Every Moment Matters!
I am thankful to be traveling with you…
Love and blessings,
