God told me to share my faith on Fridays and call it Fuel For The Weekend. I wanted to do it. I thought about it. I tried coming up with ideas on my own, but I just came up short, so I put the idea toward the back of my mind, but the Holy Spirit continued to nudge me in this direction. I am going for it and it's my desire that the posts I put up on Fridays will give you something to think about, ponder, consider, and reflect on throughout the weekend.
I woke up in the early morning hours to hear my 12 year old son getting sick in the bathroom. I went to check on him and do whatever I could for him. He stands at 5' 8.5" tall and yet in that moment he was just my baby boy and I was going to do whatever I had to do. As a mother, I hate it when my kids are sick or hurt. I don't want them to ever have pain, disappointments, sickness, or rejection. My heart hurts for them and if I could have switched places with him and took the sickness so he could be well, I would have.
I thought about how many times our Heavenly Father stands over us in love and compassion as we go through a trial, a heartache, an illness, or tragedy. He stands beside us, loving us, pouring His healing salve into the wounds in our souls. He is a loving and wonderful Father who not only hated the state we had got ourselves into, but actually sent His only Son Jesus to switch places with us. The perfect, spotless Lamb of God, became the supreme sacrifice for our sins and we did not have to pay the penalty for our sins. It was paid for with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
My son was weak throughout the day. The child who cannot sit still long, is hopping and running and bouncing through the house and off of furniture, talking a mile a minute, just spoke few words and laid still on the bed. The waves of nausea overtook him and any sudden movements did not end well. He wanted to get up and play and do the things he always did but he did not have the strength. He was forced to lay still and rest.
Sometimes we get upset when we have to go through hard times. I know we have gone through so many challenges this year that I often did not know what to do. I felt stuck. I felt too weak to push through the tough trials and I would find myself so weak and only able to rest in Jesus. I could only rest in what I knew about Him and the things He said. I was unable to move quickly, take action, or even build my faith in a big way. God was there. He understood. He knew what I was facing. He knew it was hard. He knew it was the biggest challenge of my life and He was with me, encouraging me with His Word and with remembrance of times He had proved Himself faithful.
Javan's little pale face was marked with petechiae, those little circles under the skin around his eyes from forcefully vomiting. He felt so bad and I prayed for him and kissed his sweet little face and told him that I was there and I was going to help him.
When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane and He was praying just before the men came to take Him away, Jesus was praying and seeking God to see if there was some other way. He said, "Not My will be done, but Thine." He wanted to do His Father's will because He knew His Father was loving and good and would never ask Him to do something He did not need to do. There was no other way! Luke 22:44 says, "And being in agony He prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling to the ground. The suffering He was going through as He knew what He was about to face caused Him to have such a violent reaction, the strain broke blood vessels under the skin, and drops of His precious blood fell to the ground.
I am so thankful my son is going to get over this sickness. He is going to be healed in Jesus' name and he is going to run and play again. He is going to have a great Thanksgiving and he is going to enjoy time with loved ones soon. I am grateful that by Jesus' stripes Javan is healed! Jesus paid for that healing. He already made sure Javan could be healed today.
I am so thankful for the suffering Jesus endured for me. It should have been my payment. It should have been my death sentence. It was my penalty and Jesus paid it all! I am so thankful and I dare not live my life in a way that takes any of the work of the cross for granted. I must be intentional about living my life in a way to please the Father so I do not hurt Jesus again.
It is painful to see a lost and dying world reject the Savior. Jesus hurts when others turn away from Him. He wants to love, heal, and forgive. He wants to set free, restore, and renew. There is nothing but beauty and love and new life waiting in the arms of the Savior. Do not reject Him. Don't run from the only one that ever loved you enough to lay down their life for yours. Please don't continue to rebel and do things your own way because you don't want to let Jesus be the Lord of your life. You want saved from hell, but not someone to guide your footsteps. Let go of the wheel, turn it over to Jesus, and let Him steer you into the right paths for His name's sake.
No matter what you are going through, I promise you, Jesus will be enough. He will pay the bills, heal the disease, repair the relationship, mend the brokenhearted, make a way where there seems to be none, and open doors you never knew could be opened. He is a God of miracles and power and love. He has great and wonderful things waiting on the other side of your obedience. Trust Him. He is so faithful! You will never find another friend so true.
This month is a time to reflect, remember, and offer thanksgiving for the blessings in our lives. May we open our hearts to receive God's love and mercy and grace. Let Him change your heart and your outlook on life. You will never be the same and I guarantee you won't want to be! He is a life-changing God. This is the experience of a lifetime and you don't want to miss it for the world!
God bless you!
~Bridgett Owens
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