When Mark is away from the pulpit even for one Sunday, our whole family struggles to want to stay at church as the associate pastor just isn't an easy or challenging listen. Yesterday was one of those days......I must say, I sensed this may have been a Sunday due for a message from the associate pastor (Dave Andersen) since our pastor hadn't taken a break in a couple of months. Sure enough, across the sanctuary sat Dave in the front row seat, singing the opening praise song to begin our service.
A big sigh came over me as I took notice and felt my heart pulled to how comfy my couch would be at that very moment. I'm certainly embarrassed to admit such truths of how I feel about our pastor vs the associate pastor at our church. One is an easy listen, one is unfortunately pretty boring to listen to.
Thankfully, we serve a BIG God who is slow to judge, slow to become angry, and gentle in His way of convicting me for thinking such thoughts and feeling the way I have. Because Dave's message on Prayer and Thanksgiving was the perfect message, presented perfectly, and one that I needed to hear at this perfect and particular time.
My heart was opened, the tears were flowing, my eyes closed, I sang and worshiped my Lord as I thanked him for this message that my heart needed to hear. Then, while I quietly sang to the Lord, I felt something touch my hand. Not anything heavy or what would hurt me, just a gentle light touch to the back of my hand. I opened my eyes to see the elderly man who stood in the seat in front of me holding a folded piece of paper, he had touched it to my hand to give it to me. He simply said "this is for you." I opened the piece of paper to see photo of a rainbow rose. My eyes glanced down, then back up to the short man with white as snow hair who again repeated "it's yours." I meekishly thanked him as I gently held it in my hand and began to refocus on worshiping God as I sang. I held onto that piece of paper until Michael and I went forward to partake in communion.
Once service was over, I gently tapped the little old man on his shoulder because I knew that piece of paper was not mine and did not fall out of my bible, but I had to be sure the man intended for me to have it and be sure it didn't belong to someone else. "It's for you," he said yet again to me. "The colors of the rose have a specific meaning in lined with the Holy Spirit." I tried to hear and absorb what he was saying, so I thanked the man, tucked the paper in my bible and left to go on about my day.
A Rainbow Rose printed on a page, given by and elderly man at church.
I wish I could remember what each color represented in correlation to the Holy Spirit as he did take the time to tell me what the colors meant, but I just cannot seem to remember them. However, I was moved that we happened to be sitting farther back than we usually do, and right behind the little old guy. The simplest things can make a huge impact on ones life. I heard the message, I felt the Holy Spirit, and I welcome even a picture of a rose from a stranger who could have selected either of my two oldest daughter's who sat to the right of me during church....but he selected me, as though he knew I was the one who would be dissecting and giving the mystery behind the colors of this rose, some attention. I'll post it's meanings as soon as I figure them all out.
For now, what I will say is I am humbled by the message that was delivered by Dave Andersen, and I am disappointed in my thinking of God working through one, and taking the other for granted. I truly know better than that, yet I am just thankful God snapped me out "who" is truly speaking.
