About three years ago, my family was living in a relatively small town in Virginia. There was a downtown city area, some housing developments, and then a lot of farmland. One day, I was at the playground behind the grocery store with my son and my daughter. We had the place to ourselves and were enjoying a beautiful early spring day. Another car pulled in, and I watched to see if the passengers were familiar playmates.
Instead, a woman emerged from the car dressed in all black from head to toe. She was wearing classic Islamic dress, and the only part of her that was visible was her eyes. This was particularly uncommon in our area. Sure, there were Muslim families, including our lovely next-door neighbors, but the full black dress was rarely seen. What shocked me even more was when she began to speak to her daughter. I anticipated a Middle Eastern accent, but by her voice, she was a southern African-American woman who had converted to Islam.
She let her six-year-old daughter play on the playground while she sat in the car with a smaller child. I continued to play with my kids, looking over at the car periodically. When her daughter got stuck on the slide, I went and helped her, and the mom emerged from her vehicle. She came over and we had a brief, pleasant exchange before she loaded her daughter in the car and they left for the day.
As she was leaving, I was still watching with perplexity. Jesus interrupted my thoughts. Now, Jesus rarely interrupts my thoughts. Normally, God seems to wait for me to talk to Him… but we had a brief and powerful exchange.
“Ask me what I think of her…” Jesus said.
“I know… you love her…” I thought.
“No, ask me what I think of her…” Jesus responded.
“Ok- what do you think about her?” I asked.
“I think she’s a princess.” Jesus said.
“…princess of darkness…” I scoffed.
But, my heart meditated on those words, and soon enough agreed. When we look at people, we see flesh. We see what is current, we see what’s now. When God looks at people, He sees how He created them. He sees their [and our] full potential and it’s the job of the spirit of prophecy to speak that truth and call people as God sees them, not what our own eyes see.
I never got the chance to tell that woman what God said on that day. I saw her another time, and fumbled the words in my mouth in a mess of nerves. But, that experience greatly shaped my own perspective on dealing with people… particularly the difficult people we don’t want to deal with. Though what we see and experience in our interactions has physical truth, the spiritual truth of what God sees will always be higher, and sometimes just needs a word or two of encouragement to manifest in people’s lives!
I've been particularly negative these past few months, from interactions at home to my prenatal care nightmare that I've been dealing with... but last night God pressed my heart to start envisioning my birth and prenatal care in a perfect world. Sometimes, choosing to be positive is the first step to releasing faith when you feel like you're past EMPTY.
So, this week I challenge you to release God's love to people who we don't think deserve it, and try to see them how God sees them, and release positivist into areas of your life that feel barren and filled with dry bones!
...and let me know how it goes!
Have you ever been spiritually stuck, wandering around in a dry, desert place? Well, I feel like I’ve pitched a tent in the Egypt over the last few months. You’d think that my mind would be peculating and preparing for my upcoming birth, but this season has been completely opposite. I’ve been wondering what on earth I’m doing and trying to figure out God’s plan in the midst of changes and uncertainties.
In an effort to get unstuck, I’ve been going through a process of remembrance. Often times, these desert seasons are so dry and lonely because God is counting on us to pull from the seeds He’s already planted and remember the great works He’s already accomplished. Just consider how many times God instructed the Israelites to remember: 48 different times! Before Moses died, he warned, "Be careful, and watch yourself closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live..." (Deut. 4:9). The Lord gives the instruction to remember (often through ceremonies and monuments) as well as teach others about it because when we forget, we easily diminish our own faith as we stand at the foot of great mountains.
The Bible recounts how David stirred himself in remembrance before he went toe to toe with Goliath. David remembered how God had already helped him defeat a savage lion and bear and defend his flock from ferocious animals (see 1 Sam. 17:34-35), so of course God would deliver Goliath to Davids feet.
Take a moment and ponder the amazing things has God done in your life. They may have been 15 years ago, but God's not bound by time. When we remember, we stir ourselves in the same spirit of love, power, and gratitude that enveloped us years ago! Could there a better way to wake up from spiritual slumber??
I’ve been remembering a particularly fertile season in my spiritual walk. Back in 2014, I began a journey of praying for one stranger a day. I wanted the Love of God to move mountains in the lives of people that I encountered, and through this process, I feel like I developed a much deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit. I’ve kept so many memories and lessons packed away in my mind, and I’m preparing to share them on the blog so that I can re-learn and re-member God’s awesome works and hopefully encourage you along the way!
Let’s buckle up and prepare for a brand new adventure with God!
P.S.- I'd love to hear some of your awesome memories of things that God has done in your life in the comment section!