By Linda J 1/2/19
I had the wonderful opportunity to support the youth ministry last night. I started working with young people from the 80’s as a leader for the Council and it was a joy to get back into the saddle (so to speak) although the Lord was speaking to me about rocking the cradle* as I stood behind the young people listening to Him for instruction and as they worshipped.
This morning, I am up early and reflecting. I thought about some of the wonderful prayer station ideas that had been put together. There was a particular station that caught my eye its colors and arrangement. It involved a tee pee.. (wigwam/tent) a mirror and lovely set of light bulbs. It was symbolic of a meeting place with God and seeing ones unique identity in God. The young people were encouraged to see themselves as how God sees them and to leave their unique mark (finger print) in the ‘mirror of his Word‘ (my added emphasis). I smiled as He looked back at me and I left my own…
At the end of the evening when the leaders were dismantling the stations, I chose to dismantle the tee pee and it folded up so nicely..
I thought no more about it until this morning when I was up reflecting and reading the Word. I saw a picture of the tee pee as I read 2 Corinthians 5:10 New international version in particular. Here it is – see if you see what I see?
“For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the Body whether good or bad’
Simply put, (and this is my inspiration ..) even though we see that the tee pee with all his beautiful lights, has been put away, the essence of who we are in him remains and should remain.
God is a spirit and they that worship Him must worship him in spirit and in Truth. It is not what we do in the physical, that has any eternal currency or value, but what we do in the spirit. It is those who walk by and live in the spirit, who are the sons/daughters : children of God. We come to him groaning on bended knee crawling into our tents our meeting place, desiring to see more of Him reflected in us. We desire for the old covering, the old man, the old tent of our making to be folded up and as we seek to put on our Christ.
We live by faith, not by sight. Whether we can physically see the Tee pee (a place of trysting, resting or self examination) or not, we can trust that we remain ‘In Him‘ , if we continue to do the things which we know are pleasing to Him and the things which will accurately reflect and represent Him. We can share this, our confidence, with our young people (even with the world), as we work with and minister to them.
Further, if we rest and maintain an accurate identity ‘in Him ’, we shall make our final home and final resting place with Him, when all this earth is finally swallowed up in victory and all what is perishable taken away.
He is our sure foundation and it is in Him we move, live and have our being.
By Linda J in the year of our Lord February 2019
* I will write a word on rocking the cradle later ….remind me!!