VBS has just concluded and I have to say, I think participation in this activity at our home church was truly a blessing for our family… and even though I was not involved with the event because of work…it has been a great blessing to me as well.
From Dan being able to volunteer as a station facilitator, and Grant having his first experience as a crew leader to Dylan opening his eyes to the reality of Christ in his life for, perhaps, the first time in his short 10 ½ years in this world…God was certainly on the move this past week in our lives in a palpable way.
One of my favorite things about VBS is that the program encourages kids to pay attention and be on the lookout for what they call, "God Sightings." These are basically moments when you stop and perceive God's presence and hand on the situation because otherwise what happened, the outcome, could not be possible in human terms. I heard quite a few of those illustrations as the kids recounted the program leaders' own, sometimes super funny and special "God Sighting" adventures. Everyday I carved out a few minutes to listen to them re-telling the stories to me.
My favorite story is, however, the day Dylan came home super excited about one of the little papers they got. Each day they’d receive a really cute “Deep Bible Quest” card labeled “top secret” and “do not open until home.” I can’t remember what day it was, I think it was Wednesday, but as soon as Dylan entered the house he was just so talkative I couldn’t understand half of what he was saying. As he was frantically looking for something or other in the junk drawer, he kept going on and on about something at VBS while carrying in his free hand the “Deep Bible Quest” card he’s just got. Finally, he carefully opened the card and read aloud:
That’s when I realized that what he had been trying to articulate and relate to me in his very particular “Dylan style” was the fact that he, for the very first time, had internalized the fact that God loves him intensely…He had had his very own "God Sighting" and so have I.
I had been so busy this past week that it did not click at that moment, but this early morning, in the quiet of my house, as I type these precious words from John 3: 16 from the “Deep Bible Quest” with my beloved son’s name inserted in there I realize God did answer my prayer…in the busyness of my days, I had managed to pray for God to give my boys a personal encounter with Him at VBS…in my limited experience I have noticed that teens and adults of the male persuasion are not in the habit of talking much about their feelings and emotions…but praise God that Dylan still eagerly desires to share his most intimate thoughts with me so through his words I can witness God’s faithfulness to me even in the midst of my own unfaithfulness and spiritual immaturity.
At this time when I need to be most vigilant about my job and the functions I need to perform there in order to keep it, there is no reason I can’t do that without also keeping my eyes firmly fixed on Christ and on the people around me. He is the only one who can protect me from the defeating sensation that feeling overwhelmed can bring to my soul. After all, I need to remember that the day I breathe my last on this earth the only thing that will matter is what I did with Jesus and with the people he placed in my life while still breathing…may I not let the concerns of this world overpower or overshadow this truth…and the truth of God’s love for me/us…for He loved me/you Gisela so much that He sent Jesus to die for me/you Gisela so that if I/you Gisela believe in Him, we will not perish but have eternal life.
My favorite story is, however, the day Dylan came home super excited about one of the little papers they got. Each day they’d receive a really cute “Deep Bible Quest” card labeled “top secret” and “do not open until home.” I can’t remember what day it was, I think it was Wednesday, but as soon as Dylan entered the house he was just so talkative I couldn’t understand half of what he was saying. As he was frantically looking for something or other in the junk drawer, he kept going on and on about something at VBS while carrying in his free hand the “Deep Bible Quest” card he’s just got. Finally, he carefully opened the card and read aloud:
“For God loved Dylan so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that if Dylan believes in him, Dylan will not perish but have eternal life.”
That’s when I realized that what he had been trying to articulate and relate to me in his very particular “Dylan style” was the fact that he, for the very first time, had internalized the fact that God loves him intensely…He had had his very own "God Sighting" and so have I.
I had been so busy this past week that it did not click at that moment, but this early morning, in the quiet of my house, as I type these precious words from John 3: 16 from the “Deep Bible Quest” with my beloved son’s name inserted in there I realize God did answer my prayer…in the busyness of my days, I had managed to pray for God to give my boys a personal encounter with Him at VBS…in my limited experience I have noticed that teens and adults of the male persuasion are not in the habit of talking much about their feelings and emotions…but praise God that Dylan still eagerly desires to share his most intimate thoughts with me so through his words I can witness God’s faithfulness to me even in the midst of my own unfaithfulness and spiritual immaturity.
At this time when I need to be most vigilant about my job and the functions I need to perform there in order to keep it, there is no reason I can’t do that without also keeping my eyes firmly fixed on Christ and on the people around me. He is the only one who can protect me from the defeating sensation that feeling overwhelmed can bring to my soul. After all, I need to remember that the day I breathe my last on this earth the only thing that will matter is what I did with Jesus and with the people he placed in my life while still breathing…may I not let the concerns of this world overpower or overshadow this truth…and the truth of God’s love for me/us…for He loved me/you Gisela so much that He sent Jesus to die for me/you Gisela so that if I/you Gisela believe in Him, we will not perish but have eternal life.
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