Out of the Mouths of Babes

Dear Lord; This morning Father, I want to share a story with You; A very powerful story that brought both my wife and I to tears last night.

It was a long day yesterday Lord.  Between the ice storm which led to school delays and then closings, and a number of other typical daily stresses, Shannon and I both came home a bit worn down.  Grabbing the mail on the way in the house, Shannon spotted a hand-addressed envelope from the kids’ school.  She opened it up, and inside was a letter written to us by one of the office staff regarding Jonathan.  She quietly read the letter, laid it down and started to cry.

The letter was a personal note from one of the school administrative staff detailing a conversation she’d had with Jonathan the previous Friday.  Apparently, Jonathan was assisting with shuttling some computer equipment between his classroom and the office, and helping with putting it away.  At some point during this process, he started talking to one of the ladies in the office and asked her if she was familiar with a man called Jesus Christ.  While surprised, she replied that yes, she was very familiar with Jesus.  He then went on to tell her all about his disease (Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis), his surgeries, treatments and chemotherapy as an infant, and how he’d gotten through all those trials and was doing very well now.  She told him how wonderful he looked and that she was glad everything was doing so well, at which time he then left to go back to class.

What Jonathan didn’t know however, was that her husband had been battling two forms of serious cancers for many years, and that it was only through the grace of Christ that he was still alive.  Along with that, she indicated there were others within earshot going through similar trials who also took interest in his story.  She wrote that Jonathan’s unprompted testimony was exactly what she and others needed at that moment, and she was sure he was meant to be there to deliver Your message.  Her faith had been renewed, by the witness and encouragement of our little boy.

When I came home shortly thereafter and read the letter, there were tears in my eyes as well.

I talked to Jonathan later that evening about the conversation that prompted the letter (of course, not revealing what she’d written to me), and asked him : “What made you ask her if she knew Jesus?”.  He answered that he really didn’t know, and honestly didn’t remember what led up to it; It just came to him at the time.

You spoke through him Father, and to him it seemed perfectly natural and reasonable at the time.  May we all be that open to Your Voice Lord, and not be afraid to share it with others.

Thank You Father.  This touched me in a way that only You can.  Please bring Your Healing and Comfort to those going through these trials, and let us all be as effective and powerful a witness to Your Grace as the words of a child were that day.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Birthday Prayers for Jonathan

Dear Lord; As you know Lord, today is an extremely special day for my Wife and I.  11 Years ago today, You Blessed us with our first son Jonathan.  I remember his first year quite vividly Father.  It was a complicated, and terrifying, and wondrous time.  As I’ve mentioned before Lord, I consider that period to be the turning point to finding my path to You, and to some extent that’s made my bond to Jonathan even stronger.  I see Your Light in him on a regular basis, and I can’t thank You enough for Blessing us by keeping him in our lives.

He’s a very special child in many ways Father, and while I know I’m biased I can honestly say that he’s been one of the most obvious examples to me that You have a Plan for all of us.  He’s touched so many lives, and has an amazing inner light that seems to shine on those around him.  For example, due to his medical history and some remaining “hardware” in his body, he’s been unable to go to camp with his friends during the summers.  By Your Guidance, we were connected with an amazing organization called Kay’s Kamp which was setting up the first Oncology Camp in Delaware for kids a couple years back.  We signed him up, and it’s been the most incredible experience for him.  What was most remarkable for me though Father, was the comments I kept getting from the staff at the camp.  Many of the other children are still on active treatment, or in serious condition with their futures very much in doubt.  Over and over again, I was told how much Jonathan worked to raise them up, and make them feel like they were normal, and special.  This year, it became even more obvious to me when one of the Kay’s Kamp kids from the first year was in the hospital, and we found out that there was nothing else they could do for her.  We visited her in the hospital, and Jonathan went to her bedside and talked with her for a little bit.  We didn’t hear what was said, but she and he both had smiles on their faces afterwards and when I asked him why he said “It’s ok… She’s going to be with God and won’t hurt any more.”  As I said Lord, I see Your Light in him regularly and learn so much about You through him.

Heavenly Father, thank You so very much for bringing me this little miracle, and for using him to help me see Your Wonder and Your Love more completely.  I lift my prayers to You for this incredible Blessing, and ask for Your Continued Guidance in nurturing him as he grows.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil

The Divine Litmus Test

Dear Lord; Whew… What a crazy morning it’s been Father.  In addition to the normal first-thing rushing around to get everyone ready for work and school, today we had to contend with a grumpy almost-11-year-old who apparently was still disgruntled from an argument over homework with his mother the night before.  His mood of course, did nothing to expedite all of us getting out of the house on time, and we found ourselves running to get out the door.  In the car on the way to school, I got the chance to try and talk with him about his behavior and when that was met with resistance, I hit him with the bomb; “Jonathan, if Jesus was standing next to you right now, how do you think he’d feel about your behavior?”  That got his attention.  He looked down at his lap and mumbled something about how he knew Jesus wouldn’t approve, and his demeanor seemed to lighten a bit.  I challenged him to think about that question more over the course of the day, and told him we’d talk more when I got home.

After dropping the kids off at school, I started playing things back in my head and thinking about the question I asked him in a larger context.  It dawned on me that this was really an inquiry that we should all ask ourselves on a more regular basis.  Yes, I do try to make decisions based on what my beliefs say are correct and I do try to listen for Your Guidance over the course of my day, but I certainly know I’m imperfect and don’t always make the right calls for every situation.  Therefore Father, over this Season of Celebration I’m going to try to spend more time putting my actions and judgment to the same litmus test I asked of my son this morning.  My hope is that by putting myself under the proverbial “Holy Microscope” more often I can gain further understanding of Your Will, and be a better husband, father, businessman, and Child of God.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil