Significant Moment #1: God responds to our heart cry

As in many areas of my life, my blog is quite eclectic, a mix of funny parenting moments to spiritual musings to sharing challenging life experiences. I had a moving dream the other night that reminded me of other "significant moments," when I sensed God giving me a message of sorts in order to bring encouragement, healing, understanding and life lessons. A few came in the form of dreams but most were through experiences when I sensed God's Spirit encouraging me to take note and remember the specific lesson. The dream from the other night brought me back to the time I was in Bible School and showed me another perspective on a situation that was quite painful to me. The two years at school were supposed to be some of "the best times" in my life, but they were difficult ones for me. I never felt like I fit in and often felt incredible loneliness. God has used those very things in my life to reach people - I often notice people who hover around the perimeter in groups and my heart goes out to them. I remember speaking at a church in Ethiopia. The majority of the crowd was exuberant during a time of worship, but my attention was drawn to several quiet figures sitting in the back corners. I sensed that God wanted to touch them and called them forward. It was a precious time of ministry, holding their hands and whispering privately to them the message God wanted them to hear. The greatness of our God is in the one on one relationship He yearns to have with each of us. He really knows us and responds to us individually. Back to the dream... In it, I was once again filled with the sense of not belonging and loneliness. A person I admired drew me into the center of a room and sat down with me on a sofa facing many others. I was expecting to be rejected in a nice Christian sort of way, told that I didn't quite belong and encouraged to find another place. Instead, this person sat down with me regardless of the audience to gently affirm and express an interest in me. The surprise in the room was tangible, and my own heart was filled with wonder. This person proceeded to specifically list things that showed me I had been noticed and that the interest was genuine. I woke up with a sweet sensation of having been touched by God. There was healing and peace in a place where sorrow and pain had lingered. That brings to mind another experience that took place in Ethiopia. At the end of a service, several of us visiting from the States were asked to come forward to pray with those responding to the altar call. The crowd was huge, and we moved among the people with our interpreters, laying hands on and praying for different individuals. At the end of that time, as I was making my way back my seat, I passed a cute little boy standing with his mother. I reached out to pat his head affectionately as I walked by him, and immediately his hands shot up as he assumed a position of receiving. He was immediately filled with the Holy Spirit, loudly expressing worship in the most beautiful way. The crowd around him hushed and watched him in amazement. This was a quiet child, maybe around five or six years old. I hadn't touched him with the intention of praying for him, yet his heart was wide open to the Lord, hungry and ready to receive from Him. Many of the adults around him who had answered the altar call were busy trying to receive from God - rather than quietly opening their hearts to receive prayer, they often prayed louder and harder than the person trying to minister to them. In the midst of this chaos, a little child simply reached out to God and received what the others were trying so hard to make manifest. This boy received a touch from heaven. God reached out in the midst of chaos and adults clamoring to get God's attention to respond to the open and humble heart of a little boy. It was a wonderful site to behold and a powerful lesson to me. This experience has stayed with me throughout the years and is one of the key "significant moments" of my life. It is a reminder that God truly sees our hearts no matter what is going on and responds to us in an individual way. Our part is to seek Him with sincerity - He may not respond in the way we anticipated, but He does respond to His children. As a matter of fact, His Word is full of loving responses, if we'll quiet ourselves and seek Him. Selah. I must remember this as well.