Last night, about 9 p.m. the phone rang…a ring unique to only one phone number…that of my son, Andy. If you are new to my blog here is a quick take…on Andy’s 22nd birthday he announce he was quitting college and moving. Moving very far away…to the other side of the United States. Three time zones…2600 miles away. He said he had a job and a place to live. I had a really hard time with his decision. I felt he was throwing away opportunities…but, he was a young adult and could choose his own way. Back to last night…
he called. It was the first time I had heard his voice since early September. With the time difference, work and sleep schedules, it is hard to make connections, especially since John and I have been out of town in places with no cell reception a lot lately. To hear his voice…it warmed my heart and brought tears to my eyes before the conversation was over.
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish;
no one can snatch them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all;
no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.
John 10:27-29
After the conversation was over and we hung up the phone and the tears were dried…I said a prayer of thanksgiving. Thankful he called, thankful we had a good conversation. I was reminded of how my heavenly Father must feel when His children don’t call, when His children don’t spend time with Him. He is NEVER out of cell range, never out of e-mail range…in fact, we don’t even NEED technology to talk with Him, to spend time with Him. No, he is ever present…all knowing…
Lord, thank you for the phone call. Thank you for being patient with me and showing me that You are still in control, that You know what is going on, that You are taking care of things. Lord, thank you for the reminder that You want Your children to spend time with You…more than just on Sunday, more than just a quick prayer here and there through the week. You WANT to hear my voice, WANT to hear my cries…thank you Lord, for the gift of your Son…for the blessings I have received. I praise you and thank you.
For the first time I am linking to Spiritual Sundays For some inspirational posts, check it out.
What really hit me was the reference to technology. Yea, I sit around with friends and talk about how incredible it is that we can talk to people around the world with cell phones, emails, world wide web etc. and totally take for granted the "wireless" communication with the Father without turning on one single thing or charging one single battery.
I love your analogy here. Yes, we know His voice. What an awesome sound in our spirit.
It is difficult when our children are adults and make decisions we question or feel concerned about. It is a great comfort to know we can trust God to guide the steps of our children and watch over them when we cannot. Love the analogy too….Blessings.
mmm, ok as a mom all I can think is God please don't let my kids move that far away! perhaps selfish of me but it really is my prayer, you are right we should be so excited to talk to Him every day just like we are to others we love.
Oh, sweet friend, my heart has been right there with you. Isn't it difficult to be the parent of a young adult? I love the way the Holy Spirit reminded you of our Heavenly Father and how it must grieve His heart when we neglect our relationship with Him. Yet, He is always there. Waiting. Giving grace, mercy and love everlasting. I rejoice with you for this precious time spent with your son. Praying that you are enjoying a great Sabbath rest today. ~a
Wow, Mary, what a powerful post. I think anyone with grown children who are away from home can really relate to how you felt to hear his voice. What a wonderful introduction to the scripture you chose. Thank you for this wonderful reminder that God always wants to hear from us and we're never out of range anywhere we are in the world to talk to him. Blessings, Charlotte
Hi Mary, your post has spoken to me volumes as I begin a new job tomorrow. 🙂 and when Jesus says,His sheep follow His voice and no one can snatch them out of His hand, I felt that God must be so proud of all His children who stay faithful enough to call Him wherever they are! And Yessssss! How wonderful He is never out of cell range.I praise God for that. Blessings, April
Fantastic news!
Hi Mary – it's good to see you on Spiritual Sundays.
Great post here – I wrote a similar post about spending quiet time with the Lord. He has been dealing with me about this lately.
Blessings,
Joan
Mary, I love this post.
What really hit me was the reference to technology. Yea, I sit around with friends and talk about how incredible it is that we can talk to people around the world with cell phones, emails, world wide web etc. and totally take for granted the "wireless" communication with the Father without turning on one single thing or charging one single battery.
I love your analogy here. Yes, we know His voice. What an awesome sound in our spirit.
Thanks, dear friend, for a great post.
Loving you,
Dianne
Such encouragement for a mom's heart. Rejoicing with you. Lovely post!
I'm glad Andy called…I'm glad you heard from him. You got a mother's heart…and I like what you said about God always there…Stay strong ok.
Our children teach us much about our relationship with our Father in Heaven.
It is difficult when our children are adults and make decisions we question or feel concerned about. It is a great comfort to know we can trust God to guide the steps of our children and watch over them when we cannot. Love the analogy too….Blessings.
mmm, ok as a mom all I can think is God please don't let my kids move that far away! perhaps selfish of me but it really is my prayer, you are right we should be so excited to talk to Him every day just like we are to others we love.
I'm so happy you were able to talk to your son. It's hard to understand the directions our adult children take.
Blessings,
Ginger
Oh, sweet friend, my heart has been right there with you. Isn't it difficult to be the parent of a young adult? I love the way the Holy Spirit reminded you of our Heavenly Father and how it must grieve His heart when we neglect our relationship with Him. Yet, He is always there. Waiting. Giving grace, mercy and love everlasting.
I rejoice with you for this precious time spent with your son.
Praying that you are enjoying a great Sabbath rest today.
~a
Wow, Mary, what a powerful post. I think anyone with grown children who are away from home can really relate to how you felt to hear his voice. What a wonderful introduction to the scripture you chose. Thank you for this wonderful reminder that God always wants to hear from us and we're never out of range anywhere we are in the world to talk to him.
Blessings,
Charlotte
Hi Mary,
your post has spoken to me volumes as I begin a new job tomorrow. 🙂 and when Jesus says,His sheep follow His voice and no one can snatch them out of His hand, I felt that God must be so proud of all His children who stay faithful enough to call Him wherever they are! And Yessssss! How wonderful He is never out of cell range.I praise God for that.
Blessings,
April