I was taking a class this past Spring at our church that covered the New City Catechism (which was essentially a deep dive into the foundations of the Christian faith) and one - of many - quotes that the teacher said that really stuck with me was:
"When you accept Christ, the Holy Spirit is always with you, guiding you. Think of it as your relationship with your child; there are times you are there walking beside them, doting and gently redirecting them from a short distance; then there are moments where you cannot contain your love and you need to just squeeze them, throw them up in the air out of pure, uncontrollable love! Well, you have those moments with the Holy Spirit. There are moments that God cannot contain His love for you and He needs to throw His child in the air."
Y'all, this is so incredibly true. When we feel our heart swell with His presence, that is what He is doing with us - He is pouring His uncontrollable love into us. If you haven't felt the Holy Spirit just wrap His arms around you. Pray for Him to. It's undeniable. Pray for Him to fill your heart and you will have no doubt you have the living God guiding, loving and protecting you.
So, I say all this because it is true, of course, but also because this happened to me and my husband this past weekend. We felt His presence in an overwhelming way that I have to share. And it is in what may seem like an ordinary (great albeit) moment that some may overlook as a moment God is closer to you than ever. It was God giving us a huge hug; lifting us up in the air out of love and pouring his goodness into our lives in a very real way.
Before I tell you about this incredible moment of closeness with God, I have to introduce my method: The best way to tell this story is through an email I wrote my son. My husband had a (in my opinion) brilliant idea of starting an email address for each of my kids. This creates an easy way to send them notes about quirky moments, sentimental moments, encouragement, you name it...throughout their early life. When they are 18, we will give them the email address and password to a journal from their mom and dad. I mean, it's a great idea, right?? So this was the first email I sent my oldest son (who is 6):
Hey Sweetheart! It's your mommy - You still call me mommy, so I'll go with that for now ;)
I wanted to share something with you that happened this past weekend that reminds me of how wonderful God is.
Your dad lost his father (Grandpa Gene) when he was a teenager (19). It was the hardest thing he has had to go through in his life and May 19 (the day he passed away) has been a day spent with a heavy heart for 14 years now. This day will forever be filled with "what if's" and reminiscent, tearful memories...but it was God's plan and we can talk more about how good your heavenly Father is and how His plan is always the best even when we can't see how that could be possible in the moment - especially when He takes someone dear to us.
So, this past weekend on May 19, you had a baseball game. We love watching you play! You are playing coach's pitch right now and you are quite good to be honest! Well on May 19, you, a 6-year-old little boy, hit a HOME RUN!!! It was crazy! That is NOT normal!!! And I have zero doubt that God's hands were on that bat with yours. See, your Grandpa Gene loved baseball. And you hitting a unprecedented home run on the anniversary of his passing is no coincidence. It was Jesus winking at us. Letting us know he is here. In our lives. In our hearts. And He gave your daddy a chance to write on the game ball that you (deservingly) got after the game: "5/19/18". He got to write that date with joy and pride for his son. What a blessing for him and a temporary relief from the sorrow that fills that day. I hope to pass that blessing on to you with that story.
I hope you find a million ways God works in your life over your years! This was just one of those million moments.
I love you bud! More than you'll ever know!
Mommy