Christmas morning, three weeks ago, I awoke to the sounds of a Bach cantata coming from the kitchen below our bedroom. I thought, “How nice, Jill has put on some music downstairs.” But after the same few chords kept playing. It was my cell phone ringing. I knew it had to Kim’s aide calling in sick. I glanced at my watch on the way out of bed. It was 5:15. Yes, Kim’s aide had sprained his ankle. I braced myself for spending the morning with our daughter Kim walking dogs, and at the same time prayed with Jill that Emily who was home from college would be willing to walk them. At 6:00 I crept into Emily’s room and tapped her, “Emily, would you be willing to walk dogs this morning?” She said through the fog of sleep, “I just prayed yesterday that I’d be able to walk with Kim.”
Emily and Kim headed out the door at 6:30. At 9:00 we got a call from the home where Jill’s mom lives, “We think she needs to be taken to the hospital, her bronchitus is worse.” That lead to a ten-minute discussion between Jill and I whether the trip was necessary. Me thinking it wasn’t and Jill thinking it was. I lost the “discussion” and spent the morning at the hospital with her mom. As soon as they checked her out I called Jill and told her she was right. Her oxygen levels were down to 91%.
I was struck by how a praying life was shaping that morning. I’d prayed for Emily to have that kind of heart for years. It was pure miracle the she responded so sweetly and so quickly. That is not the Emily I know and yet it is. She has been so changed by the activity of God on her heart and life.
The same was true with Jill’s mom. I’d started praying for our relationship about seven years ago and God had used me serving her repeatedly during times of illness to bless our relationship. It was a real story that God was weaving. So instead of disjointed incidents, messing up Christmas morning, my Father is at work. I love to watch that. It was a Colossians 1:24 morning. We make up what is lacking in Christ’s afflications for the sake of his body, the church. What on earth could ever be lacking in Christ’s afflictions? Simply this: our death. Jesus’ death is finished for Jill’s mom…now for her to experience his love I need to have a dying life.
I counldn’t image a better morning for going low.