Graduation

Emotional journey this week through the Word and life! Jesus has been crucified in our reading and it was difficult for me reading this again. I think how alone He was hit me this time so strongly. His disciples vanished, He cried out "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani? -- My God, My God, why have you abandoned me? Never had God left Him except during this difficult time and don't you know that God was broken hearted and weeping in pain watching, keeping silent for us?

Emotion in life because so many friends and family around me are walking through difficult times at this moment. Yes, we are all at the point where this is just the point in life we are, but everybody at the same time is almost tooooo much at times. My heart breaks, but then I get a nudge that we all must walk the path that we are called to walk. We are not promised a life without trouble, in fact we are told the opposite. It is just so hard to watch the ones we love suffer -- much easier for us to suffer alone in our hearts than watch those we love suffer, isn't it?

Last night I was rewarded though. Many of you know that I work with some wonderful women at the Rescue Mission. Once a week I teach a class in their discipleship program for women and I've been with one group for 24 weeks...yes 24 weeks and they graduated! It was so emotional! We started with I think 14 and 6 made it through the 9 month program. Tears were shared, laughs were shared and Jesus most of all! Each woman stood and proudly shared how Jesus had taken their life in this 9 month program from anger to love and you could see JESUS! The Light was so brightly shining in each of these special women. I thank the Lord for the joy that I am allowed to share each week with these special women of the LORD!

I received a new group this week and it saddened me when I walked in (at first) our relationship is just starting and I missed the usual banter until God showed up! We are studying the fruits of the spirit this time around and to get to know them better I ask them to draw a fruit that represented them and tell me why...it slowly went around the room and each woman shared a little more as we moved...we came to this beautiful African american woman that had drawn a beautiful pineapple. A pineapple and she began with sometimes I appear prickly and hard on the outside until I know how others are and then I allow the sweetness to flow that truly is inside me...another was a fruit salad because sometimes she is sweet, layered, bitter, and until it is all peeled away not herself...I'm telling you I was in tears by the time we made it around the room. It is my prayer that all 15 of these women will make graduation! Please Lord help them make it to the end where your Light shines brightly through each of them...Lord help me to be what You want me to be to help and be their sister.

So emotions are okay, it is definitely part of this walk of life! A Hard walk that each of us make, but even at that our walks are nothing when we look at the walk JESUS took for each of us! A walk to die on the cross for me and for you, so that we may have eternal life...now that is what should make each of us emotional! After all, we know that joy does come because in today's reading from Matthew 28, we are reminded the women were filled with great joy, and they rushed to tell the disciples the angel's message and Jesus met them and greeted them! YES indeed such joy!

Sweet blessings,
Debbie