This week, I found myself at what could have been a major turning point in my life. My mom got a call that the doctor had seen something suspicious on her mammogram and needed to do some further testing. When she called to tell me, she was painting a positive picture with her words, saying all the right encouraging and hopeful things. But in her voice was that tremor of uncertainty, fear, dread. Cancer. What if. I felt it with her. I’m normally a very optimistic person, but this shook me more than I bargained for. I went to the restroom at work and hit my knees. Literally. I’m usually a pray-where-I-am kind of person. But this, this was entirely different.
I was looking in the face the possibility that my life, my mother’s life, might be changing drastically. I was slammed against a possible turning point. I knew, waiting for that second test, that the news could very possibly change our lives forever. And all I could do with that was to get on my knees and beg God. I didn’t even know what I was begging for. I tried to think of all the possible “God angles”, of what He could be doing, why she would have cancer, how the situation could glorify Him. I spent exactly 12 seconds on that before I was on my knees on the dirty tile floor of the bathroom watching my tears form puddles in the grout.
I’ve read that the Holy Spirit intercedes to God for us with groans that words cannot express. I swore I heard them. But in that instant, there was a peace in knowing that no matter what happened, God was in control. Despite that peace though, I spent the next few days praying hard, being extra nice to my mom. It was almost as if I was preparing in slow motion for my life to make this drastic, probably negative, change. By the grace of God, she does not have cancer. But now, a day later, I’m reflecting on those few days.
The amount of praying, the fervency and urgency of it, the way that I was planning and expecting to give of myself, to sacrifice to be with her, to do whatever needed to be done. I was mentally rearranging my life to prepare for this negative turning point.
But… what if we were willing to do that for possible positive turning points? What if we prayed with that much passion, trusted God that much, rearranged our lives just to bring people to a positive turning point in their lives? What if we were willing to get up extra early, to work harder, to do things that were not “our jobs”, to give of ourselves physically and monetarily? What if we invested our lives to bring people to a positive turning point?
We can. We should. We need to.
Get involved. Connect Rome is going to be that positive turning point for some people. God will use it to change their lives for eternity. Will you be a part of that? Follow the link to it and give. Better yet, show up! Show up not to warm a seat on Sunday at 11 – which is nice – but get there early, stay late, and help. Be a part of a Connect Group. Connection Point is a week from today – the 24th – at 7:00pm at The Nest. Be there. Get involved and impact your community through your Connect Group.
Most importantly though, listen to God. Ask Him to show you how to get people to that turning point. He will. Ask Him to let you be a part of His plan for it. He will. Listen to Him tell you how to serve and love on people. He will.
He will be a positive turning point for people. The question is, will you help get people there?
The Journey Continues 