Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Dipping Into Something New
As the end of the holiday season draws near and the new year begins I remind myself of all the people, events, treasures and trials that impacted me. In fact, I can recall one moment in particular that changed my life right before my eyes. It happened while I was visiting a detention center for young men one week before Christmas. A few people from my bible study group and I had gotten together to sing Christmas carols and talk with them. The end of the program was coming to a close but I kept feeling something tugging at my heart. I needed to do more than just sing with them. I needed to pray and speak a word into their heart. At first the fear of holding hands with someone that I didn't know completely overwhelmed me. What if he murdered someone. Or raped someone. What if he committed a violent act toward someone I loved. Then suddenly that doubtful, negative spirit dissipated and I could feel a transformation take place. Not just in the heart of the boy whose hands I held but in the ones of those that were holding them. My hands. I was letting go of the fears and inhibitions of the unknown and letting go of the prejudices that once stalked me. I was lifting and encouraging this young man in a way that even I couldn't understand and I was becoming all the better for it. I prayed that the season that he was experiencing in those cold, concrete walls be ended and that whatever was ahead of him be greater than his past. I prayed that whatever cards life had dealt him or circumstances he had been in before be changed. He was now dipping into fresh water, into a new season, his dew season of life that would bring forth something great. When I opened my eyes, I felt the burdens and pain pour out of him and up to God's hands. As I reflect on that moment, I pray that whatever season of life your in, that today your transformational moment begin and the desires of your heart and dew seasons of your mind come true for each of you.
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2 comments:
Wow. What a wonderful testimony. I know how you feel about the touching someone who is different than you, or in different circumstances. We have an outreach ministry at church that my mother and I sometimes participate in where we go to the shelter on Rice Street and feed the homeless men staying there on Saturday mornings before church. One of the things that the leader of the ministry does that touches my heart every time I see him do it is he greets EVERY MAN in the shelter with a smile and a handshake or hug. He does this EVERY Sabbath morning and has been doing this for almost 20 years. EVERY single man is physically touched - the clean ones, the sobert ones, the drunk ones, the mentally challenged ones - what a testimony. Thanks for allowing God to open your heart and your hands to that young man in "dew season". Be blessed in 2009. Look forward to spending time with you again soon.
Kristina
Sometimes moving into a new season is daunting. Often times it requires leaving one’s comfort zone to pursue hidden passions, reaching out to people who are not very accepting, or learning something new that challenges one’s intellect. There’s a book called, “Half Time” that speaks to new seasons and the voice inside us that prompts and pushes us to move past our inhibitions to achieve our God-given purpose in life. I guess what I’m trying to say in a roundabout way is that change and new seasons go hand-in-hand. Like many, I am still struggling to fully embrace this concept for fear of the unknown. However, to grow in the fullness that God intended, one must move forward with faith, not stagnant, but fully participating in the journey of life, accepting all that His gift has to offer. For you courageous participants, please pray for those of us who still need training wheels. . .
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