Blessed September

Bless you too, Linda!

September was an interesting month. Without revealing too much, I, as president of a non-profit agency, have been dealing with a spiteful, mean-spirited bully of a lady who came into our building last week and stole nearly 3 dozen items that had paperwork on them. She has proclaimed that we will fail, and seems bent on fulfilling her own prophecy. Police were called and she still hasn't returned those items.

Today, as I was taking the time to go over these posts and pray for each of you, God revealed to me that this lady has been estranged herself and never has forgiven those who hurt her but lashes out in rejection before she is rejected again. Compassion and love poured in my heart for her and I realized that God is calling me to reach out to her with the hope, love, and forgiveness of Christ.

I feel like Ananias who met with Paul, shortly after his salvation, to tell him God's plan, knowing he was the one who had many Christians imprisoned and killed. Me, Lord? How bizarre that the Christian radio station I am listening to is just now broadcasting Chuck Swindoll telling this very story about Paul. Only people who have known the rejection of estrangement can reach out to those who have never gotten over it. We are being "trained" by God in the crucible of estrangement to bring God's hope to this hurting world. There is no other cure.

BTW, it may sound like I've got this estrangement thing all under control but I still have pangs of pain as I remember. I try not to give into the "if-only's" (like "if-only" I could see our grandchildren grow up but instead I miss them day by day, full of regrets, never getting to recapture those lost months...)

Instead of wallowing in those thoughts, I remember God's intervention. Let me tell you a little bit of the last year of my mother's life. We were deeply estranged, though from her end, not mine. The end of the story: She came to know Christ because God flooded my life with His love for her, forgiveness, and compassion for her. In that last year of her life, we had more love and relationship than all 59 of the previous years put together. In other words, the lasting memory I have of her is not the 59 years of hurt but the last year of love. It was special, it was magical, it was supernatural. Christ drew us together and bonded us forever. It's all worthwhile. It really is.