A week ago, my almost-nineteen-year-old–do you sound very grown up when you tell people you’re 18 3/4?? ;-)–cousin had offered to take me out with his friends this Friday night. They go to a church service at Solid Rock called The Way. It specifically targets 18-28 year olds. I’m a few notches higher than that on the stick of life, so my main concern was being too old.
Were they going to card me and throw me out once they knew I was over-aged?
Not sure I can describe how cool it was to show up thirty minutes early just to guarantee getting a seat, watching cars pour into the parking lot, seeing so many young Christians/seekers mingle, spending time with my cuz, getting know his friends, enjoying stellar music, listening to a challenging sermon, going out for good eats, … ALL on a Friday night!
The greatest blessing happened shortly before communion. My emotional tanks have been sucked dry over the course of the last months. In many ways, I’m tender, but there are other aspects of me that have become somewhat calloused. With the horrible new situation in our family, I felt a distance, a coolness, for the man responsible.
God softened my heart through the worship. He showed me that no matter how ugly what the man has done is, because of Jesus in him, he can still appear beautiful in God’s eyes.
The deaf can hear,
the blind can see,
the broken can mend,
the scarred can heal,
the calloused can soften,
the imprisoned can be free.
Compassion for the loved one FINALLY filled my heart, as tears filled my eyes.
Thank You, God, for meeting me at The Way … for guiding me to the start of a path I knew I needed to go down … for giving me a cousin like Cody who cared enough to take me to a place of praise and prayer when I needed it most.
Hi Christina –
I know what it is to be so drained from a situation that you can’t handle another thing. I’m glad your cousin cared, and helped you through a difficult time.
Blessings,
Susan 🙂
Susan, I have the most fantastic family!
It’s so funny (not haha funny, clown funny… Tragically so.) when we realize that “young adult” no longer applies to ourselves. J and I recently read a church flier which indicated the young adults studies were intended for 18-30 yo.
I love the thought of being carded and thrown our foe being overaged!!! I’m thrilled to hear you had such a blessed time with your cousin and friends and to hear God has once again found the dark corners in your heart and filled them with the light of his love. God commands love in every situation but too often we choose to not hear.
Our prayers are with you and your family. You will all cone through this although I know at times, we wonder how!