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| Dixieland in Central Park Photo Credit: Mark Grace |
One of my first duties on most Monday mornings is to speak to and pray with new employees who are just entering Baylor Health Care System's system-wide New Employee Orientation. On most Mondays this is a welcome event. It gets my blood pumping and invariably renews my sense of purpose and calling as I talk to folks about BHCS' desire to be accountable to a God that is much bigger, even, than the gargantuan bottom line of a health system that operates 26 hospitals, more than 30 free standing outpatient facilities and umpteen hundred primary care practices across the greater Dallas - Fort Worth area.
RUSHING TO JUDGMENT
Today, however, I couldn't shake my preoccupation with a person I have known and loved for more than six years now- a fellow church member of mine who, it appears to me, is not making very good choices at the moment.
One of the facilitators of today's orientation is a nurse named Aimee Gross. Aimee is an incredible soul-- it is pretty hard not to be cheered by her energy and enthusiasm. She surprised me today by greeting me with "Are you o.k. today?" Not our usual Monday morning exchange.
I had the good sense to briefly fill her in and to ask her to pray for my friend and for me. Aimee's sensitivity and care to me today was an incredible Monday morning gift.
But God did not stop there. When I got to my email this morning one of the first messages I encountered was from Elsa Cadena, our church administrator, asking Linda and me to follow up on a conversation she had with the very person that I had woken up thinking about this morning. Elsa's email helped me to fill in some very important details about the situation.
GOD: RELAX, I'VE GOT THIS
Most important of all, however, Elsa's message reminded me in a powerful way that God was already at work in a difficult situation, caring for a beloved child and, as the Bible teaches us, going ahead of us, "preparing beforehand the good works in which we should walk." (Ephesians 2:10)
I don't know what the short or long term outcome of this situation will be, but I am grateful beyond words to a Savior who gently and persistently reminds me that those I care so much about are being watched over attentively and compassionately.
That is the most encouraging thing I can testify to on this amazing Monday morning. I'm wondering what signs God has sent to you already today, reminding you that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have plans for you this week-- plans to sustain you and plans to use you to bless others?
I'd love to hear about them!
P.S. I'm still waiting for someone to help me get rid of the label for this Monday morning regular feature-- please give me some suggestions that are better than Anti-Morbid Mondays. The offer is still the same- send me a good name for this regular Monday morning feature and I'll be sure you get a delicious assortment of Bearded Brothers organic, locally sourced and vegan friendly energy bars!
Found your blog from your Wayne Oates Institute articles. Thank you--I wondered about Monday articles--Crossing Mount Monday--but I see that you have found something.
ReplyDeleteOur son is moving to a new Middle School this year--he was and is concerned about making friends and made comments that the school was dark and small (meeting in rented, paneled space), we were concerned about after school care. Unexpectedly one day in July, the school principal called with three pieces of news--the school was having a science camp--where my son could meet his peers before school started, the school was moving to a newly renovated building (turned out to be a former day care we had used--brighter and newly renovated), and the school was offering after school care. The three concerns that we had--and three answers. We praise God each day for these answers and KNOW this will be a good year.
Kathy, can you send me your email address? I promise you wont' get any spam, just a small request-- mine is gracenwilk@gmail.com
DeleteWow! I'm going to use Crossing Mount Monday in one of the Monday morning blogs, Kathy. That is an evocative image. Your story is such powerful evidence of God's attentive love to each of us-- I have no doubt that you all would have figured out a way to meet each of those challenges, but the fact that God intervened to reassure you and even re=aarrange circumstances is a witness to the great love that watches over our lives.
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