Last month, we enjoyed a wonderful family reunion with seven of our 11 grandchildren. We floated the river, played in the river, swam in a geothermal pool, played ping pong and badminton, jumped on the trampoline endlessly...well I didn't do that... went to Starlight Mountain Theatre outdoor play Cinderella, played games, roasted s'mores, ate and fellowshipped together for an amazing week. I have pictures in Grammie's Corner.
At the end of the week, we headed down the mountain to spend Father's Day at my daughter's house. My 10-year-old grandson Brandon got carsick sitting in the back seat playing electronics with his cousin. We stopped in a convenience store and he and I hung out in the bathroom while he sat on the small trashcan with his head over the toilet. His natural brown complexion was pastey white and I felt so bad for him, since I've been carsick many times.
We tried water, Dramamine, more water... as he began to yawn and his eyes drooped from the Dramamine...still he could not exit the bathroom. Then as I stepped outside the bathroom to call his mommy that we would be late for Father's Day BBQ, I heard a pounding on the inside of the bathroom door. That was our agreed signal that Brandon needed immediate help.
When I opened the door, there was my precious grandson standing in the middle of the small bathroom with a panicked expression and he said, "Grammie, we need to pray!"
You can only imagine how my heart leaped for joy. I knew then that the commitment Brandon made to follow Christ in VBS earlier in the summer was rock solid. He knew the value of prayer and that God was the only answer to getting him out of that bathroom and us back on the road.
So Brandon sat back down on the trashcan, I placed my hands on his shoulders and began to pray over him. His cousins, who were now eating ice cream in the store, circled up, held hands, and prayed for him too. Soon we were back on the road and made it home with no further stops.
Now, I've been carsick many times and I've taken Dramamine, and all I want to do when we finally reach the destination is sleep. But Brandon leaped out of the car and joined the activity as if nothing had happened! We had seen the miraculous answer to our prayers.
As I shared our story with several of the guests who are skeptics of the faith, they taunted, "So was he miraculously healed by God?" I could only turn to him running around the yard playing with his cousins and answer, "Yes, I believe he was!"
In the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling on same-sex marriage, I too felt carsick symptoms as the room seemed to swirl around me. How could this happen in America? How could five non-elected judges try to overrule The Supreme Judge's design for marriage and sexuality? I use the word "try" because no earthly man or woman can ever change God's Word or His laws that keep us in a right relationship with Him.
So the lesson I learned from Brandon who stood in the middle of a bathroom and said, "Grammie, we need to pray" is that as Christians standing in the middle of our cultural bathroom, we need to pray. And then, we need to stand firm in our faith that God will heal our land just like He healed Brandon.
And while we pray, we must not let ourselves be intimidated, frightened, bullied, targeted, or harassed by the fallout from the evil currently prevailing in our world. United we stand, divided we fall. Surround yourself with like minded people. If your church is wavering or waffling on cultural issues, run as fast as you can, just like my Facebook friend, Ellen Traylor, did last Sunday morning when her church announced they would be performing gay marriages.
If you are confused about the issues, please read my blog post Caught Between Gay and God. Even if you're not confused, read it anyway because it will help you, especially if you have a friend, loved one, or mentee who is engaged in any kind of sexual sin.
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.2 Chronicles 7:14
About His Work,
Janet
PS: Hope to see some of you @ You Lead in Boise, ID.
PSS: If you missed these Blog posts:
What if Bruce Jenner Had Talked to Jesus
I Will Not be Ashamed
PSSS: I'm changing Mentoring Moments to Mentoring Tips
PSSSS: You can get all Woman to Woman Mentoring Resources from our website. We have Kits, Mentor and Mentee Handbooks, Ministry Coordinator's Guides and Leader's Training Guides! All signed by me .
PSSSSS: I will be in So. California from 10/16 to 10/31 if you need a speaker during that time please contact me.