Coming into this new season the Lord is bringing to light things that HE is ready to remove, things that He is ready to make new.
One particular thing is my tendency to take on an orphan spirit. I so often keep people at an arms distance refusing to let anyone in, or if I do, it’s just enough so I won’t get hurt. It’s a way to self preserve, to safeguard myself. On the World Race I had the rare chance to spend all eleven months with the same five women. You would think these women would become a close family, and in a sense we did but if I am being honest I was never completely in. I was too afraid of getting hurt to afraid of being rejected. Ever sense coming to Guatemala the Lord has had something else in mind. He is shifting paradigms and teaching me what it means to be a part of family.
The Lord recently had me read 2nd Kings Chapter 4 that addresses Elisha and the Shunammite woman. For those who are not familiar with the story, Elisha is the successor of Elijah and the prophet of the time. He often traveled from town to town, a lone wander, doing what God said to do. The Shunammite was a wealthy woman who, recognized that Elisha was a man of God and took Him in. She built him a room and fed him whenever he was in town. She essentially adopted him as a part of her very own family. As the story continues Elisha prophesizes that she will have a son and she does. After several years pass the son whom her heart so very desired dies. Instead of mourning her son’s death she goes to Elisha. He sends his servant to pray for her son but nothing happens. So Elisha goes himself and mourns with the woman and her family. He even goes and prays for her son and he eventually comes back to life.
What is beautiful about this story is that the Shunammite woman teaches Elisha what it means to be a part of family. She teaches him how to mourn with those who mourn how to get in the trenches with those in the trenches.
I’ve been doing ministry for so long and what the Lords wants to teach me is how to do family. It’s learning how to go from gathering to covenant. So how can you do that? When they’re in pain (family, covenant) you don’t have to work up compassion, their pain is yours, you feel what they feel. It’s messy and it’s ugly at times. What I’ve found is the Lord wants to take me to the deeper places not only with Him but those who are with me.
