By Kat Silverglate Founder Copyright 2020
When children are young, too young to really articulate what they need, they come to their parents or to the adult in charge and they reach up their hands and they plead with their cry or their words or their eyes for something.
Often they aren’t even sure what they need. They just want someone, anyone, to figure it out and take them to the solution. So the adult scoops them up and they figure it out as best they can and they say things like:
“You’re just sleepy Buddy. You need your crib. I’ll take you there.”
“You’re hungry Sweetie. You need a snack. Let’s get you in your highchair. I’ll take you there.”
“You just need a change. Let’s get you cleaned up. I’ll take you there.”
The child is comforted by the security of being hand-delivered to the place where the need can be met. The adult isn’t the ultimate source of the solution though. The adult is part of the delivery system. Delivery to the source. The place where the need can be met. The child finds comfort in both the delivery to the source and in the solution.
A friend of mine never outgrew the need for that dual security. As she aged, she kept reaching her arms out to others in times of trouble. Diagnosed with cancer in her late 40’s, she responded to questions like “what do you need” and “how can we help” with the heart of a child. She wanted us to take her to the source.
“Pray for me,” she’d say.
Yes, she wanted us to drive her to chemo and she wanted us to bring her family meals and she wanted us to have normal conversations so everything wasn’t about cancer, but she also wanted to be taken to the source of all life. Again and again. We were part of her delivery system. She wanted us to say what children want us to say when life is upside down -- “we’ll take you there.”
So, that’s what we did. A group of friends all got matching jackets. We called them our prayer jackets and we took her there. We took her to God in prayer. We surrounded her. Each one of us connected to each other, reached toward God with her and on her behalf. It changed us. It changed her.
The Lord tells us “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6. Pray, He says! Along with all the other stuff you know to do. Pray.
OUR MOBILE MISSION THIS MONTH: In your Mission Pack this month, you’ll find a 9-piece puzzle with a center piece, representing the Lord, and eight surrounding pieces, representing people you’d like to pray for you. Notice how each surrounding piece touches the center on your behalf. Now imagine being surrounded by people who are taking you to God in prayer.
Do you need some folks to “take you there” right now? Write their names on the eight pieces. Ask them to pray for you. To surround you. You might want to give them the puzzle piece as a reminder to pray. Or not. It’s not essential. They don’t even have to know the others who are praying for you. You’ll know. God knows.
Or, perhaps you know someone who’s really struggling right now. What if you sent them the puzzle with this mission pack and told them you are one of the people “taking them there” in your prayer time. Write your name on a puzzle piece and then, then take ‘em there!
As with all our monthly missions, pray over it. We see these mission packs like seeds. This may need to sit below the soil for a while. You may not do it this week or next month or even next year. But when that seed pops and you find yourself ready, the puzzle will be there for you as a reminder.
If this mission just isn’t your thing, no worries. Consider giving it away to someone who may enjoy it. If you’d like us to send an extra pack to you so you can give it away to a friend, we’d be happy to do that as well, while supplies last. We only ask two things. Please don’t throw it away or copy it.
And if you just aren’t sure where to start with God, don’t worry. He started with you a long time ago. And He’ll never stop knocking. The question for each and every one of us is this, will we respond?
That’s the mission, inspiring ridiculously responsive lives. We sure hope you’re inspired to do just that -- respond.
