Dear Prayer Warriors,
Heavenly Daydreaming
I’m dumbfounded at the stunt these wriggly little caterpillars pull off. They live, eat, wiggle around, doing lively things. Their life is interrupted, they become closed off, dormant. After a long wait they emerge with completely other gifts, abilities, and skill sets as a butterfly. I’ve always seen it as a picture of salvation. However, this time around, I find it to be a picture of the glorification that believers will undergo in eternity. This life is represented by the caterpillar, death as the cocoon, and eternal life reigning with Jesus as the butterfly. I struggle leading at Target, what would reigning look like for me with Jesus? Yikes, it would have to take a caterpillar-butterfly kind of transformation. I can’t imagine being aligned as an extension of His reign but that is what is addressed in 2 Timothy 2:11-13.
“The saying is sure:
If we have died with him, we shall also live with him;
if we endure, we shall also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.”
Considering the biblical hereafter has got this caterpillar being brave to endure. Then there’s Anna who is enduring an earthly life of daily hardship and disability. Never once has she misspoken, never has she lied, sought out sin. I become filled with wonder at her glorification when granted by Jesus. I used to imagine her singing and running and enjoying the abilities that she doesn’t have -how sophomoric! Her eternal prognosis, her "butterflyism" if you will, makes me think that she will radiate and reign with Christ among the greatest of servants. God has given her such a unique mission in this life. What blessed mysteries, such hope founded on simply looking in the Word.
Sin Slaying
I crave the eternity of heaven like never before and find the distastefulness of this fallen world as even more difficult to endure. I’m sick and tired of sin. Having it, dealing with it in fear and trembling. Even stuff in the “repented from” category, something I’ve been victorious from for years can suddenly tempt and catch me off guard. I thought I grew past this? Also, when my sins of omission become revealed by the Holy Spirit and I see how often I commission that sin, how oblivious was I beforehand? I need Jesus! Praise God that Scripture gives clear direction on what to do with sin. It insists on an honest walk in the light where artillery like repentance and prayer work better than seeking perfectionism. The Bible tells me to look to Jesus (not within) for freedom from sin. I identify with those worship songs that say “I’m never going back.”
At AWANA this year we have been studying the fruits of the Spirit, ending with joy. Joy is also in Target’s (where I work) mission statement. Somewhere in the fullness of my days, the fruit of the Spirit called joy turned into a visitor instead of a constant companion. It is most apparent at work. I find pride malforming my thought life. It’s not the boastful Gaston of Beauty and the Beast kind of pride. Rather it’s a type of pride that seeks to control things. This pride is defensive, jumping to conclusions, and assumes a right understanding of situations by having a ready answer for everything. My pride grows a furrowed brow and a stinky attitude. Apathy towards others instead of love. It stresses me out, shortens eye contact, is abrasive, and Self-righteous. To sum it up: I am at times a banging gong or a clanging cymbal without love. But God is good when I am not, when life is hard, He will lead me away as I confess and obey.
I have walked and repented with Jesus long enough to know that focusing on the sin to slay it is not doing it in the power the Lord supplies. Pray for me, that love may abound as I fix on Jesus and live with compassion for the people and the life already in front of me. May I renew my obedience to His Word particularly in passages about speech and character like the end of Ephesians 4, or Romans 12, and Colossians 3. In Christ’s grace and by the regeneration of the Holy Spirit, may I deny the pride I have come to exert and live a holy life pleasing to God.
Family and Fruit
We continue dealing with the presence of Simon’s absence. Last month Renee had a string of nights where she was preoccupied with missing Simon. It was unusual because she sleeps through the night so well, for some reason, that week she spent night after night awake for almost all of it. The first couple of nights, mom stayed up with her and repeated Psalm 23 many times and eventually fell asleep in those embracing Words. The third day, she asked me if we could visit Simon’s tombstone. We did so with 4 Ziplock bags filled with her precious arts and crafts to beautify the marker. I sang and prayed and we stayed there for about 30 minutes. Also noteworthy, Victor has been learning to pray by statements of thankfulness and at dinnertime he blesses us with his toddler vocabulary by saying to the Lord his list of thanks which often includes “thank you for Simon.”
I’ve mentioned before that Simon’s death has been used by the Holy Spirit to orchestrate a catalyst, a moment of decision for Christ. It is humbling, I can think of no greater good coming from losing Simon then a person surrendering their own life to Jesus and placing their hope in Christ for eternity. There was one man at the Men’s prayer breakfast two years ago (in August) and two weeks ago there was another. Others planted and watered, and Simon’s story became the sickle in the harvesting. What pardon and grace lavished on this man’s life by God. All praise, it is the Lord who brought the growth!
I have spent my days since in communication with this born-again believer, eager to help and pray for him. We made it to church, the food pantry, into his past sorrows, and into God’s Word. I am so refreshed in the Lord to share in his excitement. He states things like, “I started reading the book of John with a colored pencil in hand, I’m scared I might color the whole thing because everything is speaking to me.” Also, “I was overwhelmed with anxiousness and had been praying, but now I am overwhelmed with rejoicing.” We are experiencing answers to prayer, as well as Satan trying to retrieve the ground he once claimed in this man’s life. However, He has his eyes on Jesus and is giving Him His rightful praise through it all. I have seldom been on this side of discipleship and so I am clinging on to the Lord’s guidance and willingness to use me as His Spirit leads. I was delighted to hear this man say, “the Scriptures are speaking to me like never before!” because it reminded me so vividly of what God did for me. How His Spirit illuminated Scriptures through faith and spoke to me like never before. This past Sunday he missed going to church and he told me “I missed my goodness for the morning.” He was, (his old man) quite isolated, broken and hopeless. It means so much to him that Paul declares that the old man is gone and the new man in Christ is born. It’s a contagious blessing to hear him encounter the living God at His Word. Being reminded of this during my troubled walk with Jesus has been a lavishing of grace I never considered.
Praise God for:
-Anna! She has gone a little more than a year without an inpatient hospitalization, I think this is the longest stretch, with nothing but a sleep study in sight, glory to God. Also, Anna has had a diagnosis removal (healing) pertaining to her vision I forget what it’s called. But her eyes move together instead of veering off separately.
-A new night nurse. Out of nowhere our home health care company calls to offer another night nurse, after more than a year. She is starting tonight, please pray for her skills to tune into Anna well. Her husband and family are part of the Navigators.
-Renee. Yesterday the training wheels came off and she rode her bike around and around our nearby track. Renee has her first ballet recital in two weeks. She has become more and more of a leader at home caring for Victor with tenderness.
Please Pray for:
-me to conform to Christlikeness. To forsake sin and bear joy and love at work. Internally, please pray for me not to forfeit the peace that I have in Christ for the sake of completing truck freight. I may have a joyful countenance overflowing in spiritual fruit.
- guidance for our summer plans. We are considering returning to Joni and Friends family retreat, doing hippotherapy for Anna, camping.
-the ongoing discipleship and relationship with this new believer. That he would be grounded in the Word, in prayer and be faithful to attending church.
-Our hearts. As we have gained the new normal, marveled at the promises of heaven, surrendered our son and continued to hope. For continued trust in God’s goodness for almost 2 years. Thanks for forbearing with us and being faithful in praying. I say this because I never wanted to walk down this road, you have battled with us, mourned with us, and it has been a journey evidencing God’s grace to a watching world!
Thank you,
Nic for the Currats
