The Perfect Laborer!
I am 46 years old. I have been in and out of churches all my life for different reasons. I have watched church services online, on TV, on DVDs, in person. At no point in time had I ever heard the term 'Spiritual Parents' in any church lingo. You may be reading this and thinking whether you have or not. If you find yourself in the same boat as me let me just say a Spiritual Parent is an incredible gift to the church and anyone blessed enough to have one!
Before I get into explaining the role of a Spiritual Parent please remember, to protect everyone's privacy I have changed names but have maintained a truthful story. If you know someone based on the story I tell because you happened to witness things with this person, well I can't help that. For those who may know this person, I'm sure you can attest God is good! LOL
I still hadn't officially joined the DreamTEAM (the name most churches give to their volunteer teams) though I had attended a rally and met some really cool people. One in particular, Greta, took me under her wing, showed me around so I would no longer get lost in this very large church. She introduced me to her friends and other church members. Greta's friend, Lydia, seemed to take a special interest in me. Finally one Sunday morning during praise and worship, Lydia grabbed me by the arm and said, 'You know I've adopted you as my spiritual daughter right?' I really didn't know what that was but Lydia was a powerful woman of God. Week after week I watched her pray with people in the foyers. I watched her pray with people at the altar. She would have me join her in praying for others if she saw me close by. Her prayers moved mountains! The moment she began praying for someone I felt the spirit of God hit us so powerfully. I knew I wanted the ability to pray like that.
"For where two or three are gathered in My name meeting together as My followers, I am there among them." Matthew 18:20 AMP
There were so many times I would pray for things and tell no one. These prayers were very personal and often times were in regards to other people and their situations that had been confided to me or simply things I witnessed someone else enduring. Lydia would walk up to me the moment she saw me, hug me, and take me by both hands while simply regurgitating everything I had been praying about verbatim. No one can do that without the power of the Holy Spirit! No One! These were prayers made in the early hours of the morning in private. These were prayers I didn't even share with Shaun! And of course Lydia always followed it up with words of encouragement. Speaking life into me and my prayers. She often confirmed what I felt I was hearing in my spirit. She didn't just share this kind of relationship with me. I watched her do the same thing with others in the church, especially the young college kids. Most people would label Lydia a mentor but this was stronger than just simply mentoring. Lydia showed me the importance of obedience to God. She showed me what it looked like to diligently seek God so in turn it became easy to trust what the Holy Spirit was showing me. Lydia shared this insight freely and eagerly!
I remember it had come time to decorate the church for the holidays. Lydia and I had committed to voluntarily decorate all the Christmas trees (my favorite thing!) along with several other ladies. We spent a week laughing, sharing deep conversations and understanding each other's stories better. I was shocked and saddened to hear a lot of Lydia's life had not been a cake walk. Her relationship with her parents made my relationship with my mom look like sunshine and rainbows with whip cream and a cherry on top! The struggles she endured is her story to tell. But all too often I hear other's make remarks about people who are incredibly blessed and assume those people never faced adversity. Maybe that's why you hear the saying 'You never know what goes on behind closed doors.' Only God knows the most inner parts of our hearts. Though I can't technically speak for Lydia, I am sure she would agree when I say it is because of God and the hardships we have endured that we can love God's people the way we do. When a person knows what it's like to not be included because of the way you look, or the clothes you wear, or the family you come from...or you know what it's like to avoid being around people because of bruises you have to hide or tears that fall continuously from a broken heart...it's easy to want to help people not have to experience those feelings. It's easy to want the Holy Spirit to shine through you to help hurting people feel loved and hope.
God sent Lydia two wonderful Spiritual Parents to help her heal and forgive her biological parents. Lydia's Spiritual Mom and Dad showed her many of the same things Lydia has shown me because of the Holy Spirit. If God didn't heal Lydia's heart and show her how to forgive, Lydia wouldn't be able to pour into people the way she does now. She would be a hypocrite. It's with experience comes wisdom and sincerity. It's hard to empathize with others when you have know clue what it means to love and forgive. God did not put us on this earth to do life by ourselves. He didn't call us to Him to be Christians by ourselves. We've been called to love others so the broken hearted can see Jesus in our actions, open their own hearts and allow the Holy Spirit to work.
Hebrews 10:24-25 AMP, "and let us consider thoughtfully how we may encourage one another to love and to do good deeds, not forsaking our meeting together as believers for worship and instruction, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more faithfully as you see the day of Christ's return approaching."
Lydia sends me Bible verses and words of encouragement multiple times a week. We call each other every so often though it's been a while. We have lunch and spend hours talking about what God is doing. She prays for me and my family always. I'm excited to say that at the age of 75 Lydia has booked her first two speaking engagements this year. Look at God!!! Could my relationship with God be as strong as it is now without the encouragement of Lydia? Possibly but I can say it definitely would have taken a lot longer to arrive to the place I'm at with God provided I continued to attend church services, regularly read my Bible and prayed. It was because I chose not to give in to the comfort and easiness of staying home to watch service online that I got to see faith in action. I got to experience God moving in someone else's life. It was these experiences that allowed me to trust what the Holy Spirit was showing me and seeing how He confirmed it through two or more witnesses.
If you're reading this and have fallen into the trap of watching church service online or not even making time for service at all, I encourage you fight complacency. I encourage you to find a church to attend in person because you can't imagine the life God wants to bless you with. When I think about what I would have missed had I not attended church in person and obeyed God I literally want to fall to my knees. I give God praise for not giving up on me. I want to praise God for sending the perfect laborers to stand in the gap praying for me. God is not a respecter of persons. I am NOT special! God will do for you what He has done for me if you love Him and seek Him.
God bless!!!
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