In about two hours Ben comes back from camp. It's been a hard week.... as great as his first night was, the others haven't been as well. The nightly calls and talking him through his fears have been just as hard on Mark and me as they have on him. We try to be strong...and then when we hang up.... we always question if we did the right thing. I've been there... I know how he feels... Mama would pick me up from a friend's house and I would be so mad at myself the next day for not staying. I have talked to our youth pastor, Coach Campbell, and music minister more this week than ever. Their help with this situation has been remarkable...to say the least. Renee and I talked a lot yesterday about how important it is for these children to know that God is going to protect them. To hear that someone has prayed over your child and with your child to help them through this struggle makes me completely understand the phrase "sister in Christ". She is loving my child just as much as I am... I have apologized profusely for the numerous situations she has had to deal with, but she just keeps that happy voice and says it's just fine.
Of course I'm excited that Ben is coming home, but I'm even more excited that we didn't have to go get him... each day he thought we might be coming, but Renee and Coach Campbell felt that he could do it! This morning I slept until 9:30.... I think I might still be sleeping if Mark hadn't called to wake me up.... my phone app devotion was "All My Tears".... I can't wait to share this with Ben when he gets here.... Psalm 56:8 says, "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." It goes on to talk about how God knows our problems and sees our tears.... he hears the pain in our voice.... I'm hoping that Ben will realize that He was with him the entire time.... the second night when we finally got him to stop calling... I told him to go to bed and say his prayers.... He said, "I'm going to pray all night to God that He will tell you to come get me!"... While it was funny on the inside, this is going to be a perfect lesson for Ben to see that our prayers to God aren't always how He answers them... but it all works out okay...
As I was reading my Bible this morning, the devotion came from Hebrews 11:1. This section of my Bible is titled By Faith... and I have underlined all the times the word faith appears in this chapter.... For some reason I got sidetracked and put my devotion book away and started concentrating on Hebrews 11. I have obviously studied it before to have all the faiths underlined, but I know I didn't read it like I read it this morning... I sure do wish that we knew who wrote this book of the BIBLE, but I also know that the irony of not knowing goes right along with faith... Faith is believing in something we can't see.... whoever wrote this book... had faith.... Chapter 11 begins most verses with "by faith".... it discusses all the notable people in the Bible who had to deal with faith in order to overcome situations that seemed unbearable... from Cain and Abel to Abraham to Moses to David... all had belief in something that could not be seen...
Ben has had to strengthen his faith this week... he will never forget those tears, the fears, and the prayers he prayed... he will always have this week to remember that God got him through it... now he may never go back again, but at least he got through it... as I write this morning, I also can't help but think about
those who are fighting cancer and have been told that nothing can be done
those who are on the verge of quitting their jobs because they are unhappy
those who have a mountain to climb to prove themselves
those who have bad reputations and are trying to turn themselves around
those who are struggling with making the right choices for their families
those who are hurt by family members and their decisions
those who are praying for answers to questions that God hasn't moved on yet
those who are longing for happiness in their lives but can't seem to find it
those who are putting on a front that they are fine... but inside they are crumbling
those who are sick and don't have all the answers
those who are struggling knowing what the right thing to do is... but still making those bad choices
those who are bitter and angry and jealous
Compared to this list, Ben's request and mine seem so minimal.... but I know that God hears our prayers just like He hears the people above... I know this because of Faith.... I believe in things that I can't see.... and I am all the better for it! My faith helps me on a daily basis.... I'm hoping Ben learned that this week more than anything!
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