Discipleship from the Bedroom Floor
I "went" to church on the bedroom floor last night.
The morning service was soul-feeding and refreshing, from the songs and sermon to baptisms and testimonies, hugging old friends and chatting with new ones. I was eager to go back to church that night, but an unexpected #chronicillness flare-up landed me in bed … then on the floor trying to get comfortable with two pillows, two blankets, a giant Squashmallow, a nearby bucket, and a cold washcloth.
I craved being with my church family for the mutual encouragement toward love and good works, but I'm thankful for the online option when it's needed. The Sunday night service was a "sing-spiration," which may be unfamiliar to non-Baptists, but it simply means the service was a music-centric with corporate worship singing and specials.
I sang or hummed along as I could. I perked up when I heard this congregational song start playing:
Oh, how He loves you and me,
Oh how He loves you and me.
He gave his life, what more could he give?
Oh, how He loves you;
Oh, how he loves me;
Oh, how he loves you and me.
Jesus to Calvary did go,
His love for sinners to show.
What He did there brought hope from despair.
Oh, how He loves you;
Oh, how he loves me;
Oh, how he loves you and me.
I've written about this chorus before, how it's gotten me through many times of fear and anxiety.
Our 11-year-old was sitting with me in our room. Listening to this familiar chorus, I told him, "Buddy, you know it's important to learn these songs, so we can remember them when we need them. I sing this song a lot when I'm scared or fearful or anxious."
(He goes on to say how scared and fearful are the same thing, but alas 11-year-olds are literal, and I pray he remembers my point.) I thought of two things as I was lying there on the floor.
1. God’s goodness met me right there in my weakness.
It reminds me of one of my favorite passages, Psalm 103:
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.
It certainly felt like a "pit" moment.
2. Little moments of unplanned discipleship are vital in raising our kids in the faith.
My son needs to see my weaknesses and need for a Savior. He needs to know how the Spirit sustains me in the pit and learning and singing about God’s character is spiritual warfare against discouragement, loneliness, anxiety, and more.
I thought about Deuteronomy 6, where the Israelites were commanded to "love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" and "teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."
As parents, we're always discipling our children's hearts and minds in what we say and do. They are watching how we respond when things don't go our way, if our faith is real in the fire. I'm thankful for this gentle Spirit-led nudge to share this truth:
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