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Thursday, September 21, 2006
Signs

We learned today that David (6) is going to need glasses. He's pretty excited about it-- and I'm bit concerned. They say he has far-sighted-ness to the point of being a "medical condition." While I'm not sure what that means, I don't like the sound of it. We are going to get another opinion nonetheless. Pray for David and for us on this.

Speaking of David, I was in his room tonight and I noticed post-it notes around the walls. There were two by his bed and two by his desk. I approached to read them and was deeply touched. They said, in his own pencilmanship, these words: "DAD LOVE YOU DAVID," and beside it "MOM LOVE YOU DAVID." I asked him what he was up to with these "signs." He said, "In case I wake up in the night afraid from a bad dream I can read them and feel better." Wow! That's practicing good theology. If you can see in the photo there is a little praying hands icon he has stuck in between the post-it notes.

I try to do the same thing. Most days, in the quiet of the morning, I actually speak these words aloud so i can hear them, "You are my son, my beloved. With you I am well pleased." These words, spoken by Abba over Jesus at his baptism-- are our words too. We don't hear them as echoes but as living breathing reminding words of the very essence of our identity.

Speaking of these words, they have a fascinating connection to fasting. You will remember that immediately following Jesus' baptism that the Spirit compelled him into the desert. Jesus fasted in the desert for 40 days, tempted by Satan. The first temptation: "Turn these stones into bread." His reply, "Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." I am indebte to Jason McAnalley, one of my interns last year who offered that it was the baptism word "My Son. . . my beloved. . . . with you I am well pleased," that was the Word from the mouth of God that was literally sustaining Jesus in these days. Fasting took him deeper into the realization of the reality--- where it actually took on the significance of the substance of food. Satan, in the end, through temptation was attempting to get the Son of God to validate himself. He chose to rest in the only validation there is-- the love of Abba. This is our constant temptation too. The question is are we knowing it in a deep enough way that we are actually being nourished by it-- feeding off of it in the constancy of abiding relationship?

What do you think about that?

Now take two minutes after reading and pray for David. Thanks so much.
posted by John David Walt | at 9/21/2006 09:40:00 PM

 

4 Comments:

Blogger DGH said...

Prayer has been released!

Missed you yesterday! Sorry I could not stay around.

and all I can say is wow! I love God so much when he teaches through children! I wish I could get this blog post onto the front page of digg.com, heh.... yal take care and good night!

12:19 AM EDT  
Blogger Rob Mehner said...

my own story is in large part defined by your comments, JD. There is my life before I really knew I was God's beloved and after. From far away they don't look much different, but get a little closer and it has made an incredible difference.

I'm reading Steve Seamands book "Ministry in the Image of God" and came across this just a couple of days ago: "He (Jesus) knew he was dearly loved. That's why soon afterward when he was tempted, he refused Satan's challenge to prove he was the Son of God by turning stones into bread and jumping from the pinnacle of the temple...Jesus is very clear in his response: 'I don't have to prove that I am worthy of love, I am the Beloved of God, the ONe on whom God's favor rests.'"

6:34 AM EDT  
Blogger Amie Lou said...

This entire post is good and refreshing. One of these days I'll tell you my cool story about Matt 4:4 being the first scripture I ever read.

And I realize you didn't take it in this direction but both you and your wife should applaud yourselves for this incident with your son. It speaks very highly of you and your faith that he came up with this solution.

Smiles,
ames

1:45 PM EDT  
Blogger gmw said...

Well done, David! Sharp kid you got there.

1:08 AM EDT  

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