Tonight we went to an Elevate service at Horizon – the kind with no sermon and more prayer and worship with testimony time. Instead of being with a bunch of little kids, we gave Braylon the choice to come into service with us and I’m so glad we did. He hesitantly agreed, and got to be a part of breaking up into small groups for prayer, he got to listen to people share in a microphone how God is working in their lives (including me), and at one point everyone split up and gathered around different posters that were on stands around the sanctuary – each one a different pillar of influence of our society (ie: education, government, family, media, art and entertainment, business, etc.). At first, Bray walked over to “Education” with me but when I opened my eyes, Ricky was standing there, pointing out how Bray had already moved on to two other pillars to pray about them without us. I saw him at the arts and entertainment poster. Throughout the service, he was reaching for had holding both Ricky’s and my hands, most the time interlocking fingers with ours.
After one of the songs that declared “God, have your way in my life” and listed a dozen different names of His during the bridge, Bray whispered in my ear, “I like this song”. I said, “me too”. And he continued, “it even made me cry a little bit”. “That’s ok. That just shows that your spirit inside of you is responding in an emotional way to how God’s spirit is speaking truth to you in that song.” He just nodded.
After I shared with everyone there how God seemed to have allowed me to lose a friendship this year (Sara), only to gain another a few months later (Vanessa from Las Vegas), and how he is showing me there are seasons and reasons for things happening and how to always try and go into an encounter with someone like it could be a divine appointment, I sat back down next to Braylon. I must have looked sad, because he kept looking at my face trying to get a read. Finally, he asked, “are you ok, mom?” I answered with a shrug and tears in my eyes as I was focusing on the lost friendship part of my sharing time. She is moving to Virginia, I told him. And we have still not spoken. He knew a little of how I felt. He had a friend not return his texts for weeks. About ten seconds went by and he asked me shyly, “Do you want me to pray for you?” I looked at him and said “sure”. So he grabbed my hand again and said a genuine, kind, heart-felt prayer asking God to make her just call or text me and to give me strength. He told God, “I know that sometimes things happen in our lives that are just tough to go through but we can, with you.”
I quickly followed up his prayer with one of my own, thanking God for Braylon and his sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. And his thoughtfulness to pray for me.
It was a precious evening.
I love our church. I love my boy. And I also love that his daddy takes us to church, engages with God and people there, and shows Braylon all kinds of aspects of being a godly man. How blessed are we!?!
Chelan 