Jesus Kiss
If I hadn’t been driving, I would have closed my eyes as I worshipped and felt the Holy Spirit fill my minivan. Arriving at my destination, I parked and cried out to the Lord. His presence was so thick that I desperately wanted to bring His tangible presence into the house I was about to enter. Exhaling, I grabbed my small gift and slipped out of my car.
As I walked towards the home, I heard one of the young ladies whisper to another, “Who’s that?” Chuckling to myself, I entered a perfect stranger’s house.
Placing my small package under the tree, I looked at all the unfamiliar faces and headed towards a woman who stood awkwardly by the living room sofa. Introducing myself, we started some small talk. The person who invited me, whom I had met once before through a mutual friend, arrived a few minutes later and introduced me to a few other women. We also chatted away; this time, a deeper conversation transpired.
Soon, the hostess interrupted the 25 women who had gathered. She welcomed us all and shared how the evening would unfold. There were holiday foods to judge and ornaments to exchange or steal. Soon, there was laughter as we played a fun game of white elephant with ornaments and shared stories of why we brought the specific ornament.
My number was finally up. I had been given number 21 of the 25 ladies. Being almost last gave me a plethora of ornaments to choose from, but only one had caught my eye.
Earlier in the month, Esperanza and I were given four tickets to the Nutcracker, which is going to take place downtown Jacksonville on December 13th. We are taking another mother-daughter pair from the Ronald McDonald House. And both girls had been given money to purchase beautiful dresses, shoes, and jackets for the occasion. Excitement for this night has been building as Esperanza has practiced walking in her new high heels.
Therefore, the Nutcracker ornament was the only one I had a laser focus on. Soon, the evening had come to a close, and no one had stolen the ornament from me. I was pleased; it would be a perfect gift for Esperanza. As I gathered my things, my newfound friend introduced me to the hostess's sister. To my surprise, this woman’s daughter was the lead dancer, Clara, in the Nutcracker. As the conversation unfolded, she mentioned she would organize a meeting and photo-op with the girls after the show.
My heart soared. Here I was in a perfect stranger’s home from an invite of someone I had met only once, and it happened to be the family for the lead of the Nutcracker. What are the odds?
Back in my minivan, I sat, and my eyes began to burn as tears flowed. Only a couple of hours before, I was in the exact spot, crying out for the opportunity to pour out His love on those I would come in contact with, and instead, He gave me a sweet kiss, letting me know that He sees me and absolutely adores me. Convulsions of tears began to flood out of my eyes. The God of the Universe sees me, He loves me!
I share this story because some of you reading this don’t feel seen by the Lord of Lords. Instead, you feel as if you’ve been given one horrible mess after another, and you are fed up. But our Savior is one moment away from giving you a huge Jesus kiss. Keep pressing in, keep worshipping Him. He wants you to learn to bask in His presence in the mess and allow Him to hold your heart. He loves you and will walk with you in the heartache. Please keep trusting Him, or if you’ve never trusted Him, it’s time to let go of your own agenda and make Jesus the Lord of your life, for He is the King of Kings, and you can trust Him with every circumstance you are in.
Prayer Requests
Continued healing over Esperanza, no side effects, even after treatment is done.
A second vehicle. (We have realized that having one vehicle for a family of 6 is very difficult.)
One-time and monthly Partners (Click Here to Partner.)
Praise Reports
Esperanza is done with treatment on December 16th.
She has had barely any side effects (only some fatigue and headaches).
