Lately God has blessed me with many life-giving things. I get to play with Espen Bock two mornings a week. He is truly something else. Espen is always saying things that are not in the norm for a two, almost three-year-old boy. Today, for instance, we were at the park and there was a cement dog and a cement dragon that we could sit on and pretend to ride. Espen asked me what the dragon's name was.
I said, "Silvertail. What is the dog's name?"
"I don't know!" He replied through his giggles.
"Well," I said, "Why don't you ask him?" So Espen went to confer with the dog and came back to me with a serious look on his face.
"The doggie's name is Jerusalem."
Oh.
"Jerusalem?" I asked trying to keep my shock and amusement at bay.
"Yeah, it's Jerusalem!" Espen flashed one of his brilliant grins at me.
Awesome!! Where does this kid come up with this stuff?
Every once in a while God brings someone into my life who I connect with on a real deep spiritual level. Things flow easily between us, we don't have a work at our friendship. We understand each other at a heart level. Mikala is one such person. We have been working together at Starbucks for just a few months now, and we have only hung out twice, but I can already feel God binding us together, like a journal. :) God uses each of us constantly to bless the other in ways we couldn't have planned for. I guess we both have hearts open to God and open to this friendship and God is using our openness. Mikala has already been a huge blessing in my life.
On Friday night we were talking about, oh so many things, but Haiti came up in our conversation a lot. I confessed that I really want to pray for Haiti, but most of the time I don't know what to say. How can we ever relate to their condition, even before all these devastating earthquakes? But Saturday morning, on my way to work, a song came on that I always use as a prayer to God. As I sing along with Missy Higgins I picture people or situations I want to bring before God.
I was doing this Saturday morning when an image from Haiti popped into my head. I pictured a Haitian woman in the middle of ruins, on her knees, crying out to God with more desparation than I will probably experience in my lifetime. With this image tears instantly came to my eyes and my words were caught in my throat. If you know me at all you know that I never cry. I never get overcome with emotion like this. I cried for Haiti all the way to work. It was a beautiful and vulnerable experience with God. The next song to come on was one by my friend Aria. One line that repeats is, "Your love can heal this world." Fresh tears were brought up from a deep well within me, as well as a deep longing for God's healing love to by known. A verse that comes to mind right now is from Ecclesiastes 5.
"Gaurd your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near and listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few."
God just wants our open hearts and our open hands. God doesn't need our words. That time of prayer may have been the richest and most sincere of my life. When we are open to God we will find that he is continually speaking to us. Continually providing for us. May you keep your heart open and let God's rays shine through you. Here's a sweet quote from a book I just read called Coming Attractions:
"Were all a bunch of small light bulbs. . . We just hang in there, and when God's power comes on, it's amazing. The darkness is transformed. Especially when we stay connected to each other."
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