Sometimes we have cereal for dinner when Scott isn't home.
Not that I don't want the boys to have a healthy dinner but
I tend to go with "fast and easy" when I know I am on dinner duty,
bath duty and bedtime duty by myself.
The boys were sitting at the table getting ready to eat their sandwiches
and I was standing at the counter making myself a salad.
The boys said grace and then I said,"We need to remember tonight to
pray for the people in China."
The earthquake had been on my mind all day.
And just on the heels of the cyclone in Myanmar. So much suffering.
Sometimes it is too much to take in and you need extra prayer over
your sandwiches at dinner. Because there are a whole lot of people
not having dinner in China and Jesus cares about that.
"Why, Mom?"
And this is the part that is always difficult for me...
I don't want to scare my kids but at the same time I want them to know
that there are people that we can pray for, who our hearts can be broken
for and who need us to stand with them even though we are so far away.
We would want the prayers of others if we were standingin their shoes.
"There was a bad earthquake there. A lot of people are hurt. It killed people.
And some people have gotten separated from their families and we need to pray
that God helps them be rescued and find each other."
"I'm glad my friend, Ri, wasn't there." Jack's 1st grade friend hails from China.
"Me, too."
Will was very quiet. And then he looked at me with a really puzzled look
on his face and said,
"But Mom, can't we pray that God will stop the earthquake?"
"It's already happened, Will. Now we just need to pray for the people
who were in it."
"But Mom, wasn't Jesus in heaven? Did he go for a walk or something?"
And I have to say that Will just broke me right down over my salad.
Because I had been thinking similar thoughts even though I am 37 to Will's 4.
Where is God in all this? How is this happening on his watch?
And then I had the thought...
Maybe he is stopping catastophic events on a daily basis.
Maybe he is stepping in, in circumstances I have no idea about.
Maybe he is healing and comforting and rescuing people
in ways that I can not begin to imagine.
Maybe he is prompting people to prayer across nations and seas and
mountains and around dinner tables for their brothers and sisters
who are hurting.
It is no small thing to lift up the names of those you do not know.
God has not gone for a walk. He is doubled over. Leaning down.
Listening for us to call out on behalf of those who need it most.
Even while we are eating sandwiches.
4 comments:
Sue, again I am in tears after reading your blog. Thank you. I might never forget your words: "God has not gone for a walk. He is doubled over. Leaning down. Listening for us to call out on behalf of those who need it most." Thank you for reminding me in such a visual way of how much He cares for us and wants to hear from us.
My husband, daughter and I attend NCC in Washington, DC and feel like we know you and your family. Loved when Scott spoke a few months ago and I love giving Erica's charms as gifts. I especially LOVE your blog...thanks for sharing your gift with all of us! Stacey
The dilemma you mentioned -- how to educate our children about world events and situations without freaking them out -- is one I'm thinking about a lot lately.
If you have further insights, I'd love to hear them.
Sue. I loved this one. The struggle of the bigger questions (I am only at - "what is that?" Why" How come I can't have a snack?" will be overwhelming to me as a mother. I am sure you are handling them beautifully and with God's help. I hadn't heard about the catastrophic events around the world until your blog and then recently with my family. I'm glad we are praying.
What a beautiful post Sue.
Thank you. You have a really wonderful gift - the ability to clearly communicate your sentiments to other people. God has blessed you tremendously.
(And I am very excited to read your book.)
-Jessica
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