My Jesus, My Savior, My Church Family

I have this picture. I guess I should say we have this picture. I picked it out though because it spoke directly to my spirit 6 years ago when I bought it. Before we moved a year ago it was in our other home on a wall in our living room where everyone could see the picture when they walked into our home. I love pictures that remind me how Jesus walked the earth and He is still with us everywhere in all we do. In my very human moments, I very much need constant reminders that I am not a human being having a spiritual experience.....but I am a SPIRITUAL BEING having a human experience on this earth. Anyway, I must have looked at this picture a million times before a friend sat with me in my living room and as we talked over a cup of coffee she commented on how she loved the CROSS in the shadow of the young, boy Jesus. I was amazed...truly amazed...I must have looked at that picture a million times in my home, in my living room and possibly a thousand more while I was saving up to buy it....before I could have it in my home to share. My amazement was, in ALL THE TIMES I sat and looked at that picture and thought of the life of Jesus, I ALWAYS thought of the adult MAN...being Jesus.... the carpenter. THE ADULT MAN. I don't know who I thought the little boy was.... I guess I just always thought in my heart he was my baby son David (that I lost) working next to Jesus, learning from Jesus, in Heaven. I don't know for sure that that is what I thought...but, in some way I think that IS what I thought because I never ever asked myself, IF THE ADULT MAN is Jesus ...who is the little boy in the picture and why does the little boy reflect the cross in His shadow. I just never had those questions and I never even noticed the cross. I thought the adult man was Jesus. I never realized that the man was Jospeh and the little boy was Jesus as a boy and the cross reflection (or shawdow) was His bring to take us from sin to salvation. I was amazed and even though I saw...I really NEVER SAW at all. Today in thinking on this...I realize how much we never really see. How even things right before our eyes we can miss if our spirit is not in the right place and in line with Gods vision. I was thankful for this clarity. I was thankful for being able "to see" the truth and then to use that information to grow and to learn and to remember to ask GOD TO REVEAL things to me. OPEN MY EYES LORD....LET ME SEE CLEARY. Let me not view things in MY VIEW but, in YOUR VIEW, YOUR HEART, YOUR SPIRIT, YOUR PLAN. Also today...God revealed to me that He really can calm the sea...and He really does hear our prayers and He really does want to be at the heart of all we do. This morning, I had somewhere to go that I was scared to go. There was so much hurt there, saddness, pain, and so much of the spirit of satan and bondage and it had such a strong ugly hold on all involved. I wanted to be any place but go there this morning...but I knew that was wrong because God belonged there and this ugly spirit needed to leave. The tone of where I was, turned out so peaceful, and not filled with stress and just so opposite of what my heart was breaking over. I know why......this place where I was scared to be had another group of our church family praying over us.....praying over all the people who were there. Praying over all the hurt, and confusion and pain and brokeness that satan had somehow found a foothold to. Due to a loving and caring church family....Jesus had his hand on each of us at this place today and the tone of peace and kind words and gentleness and care prevailed. By the end of this event that I truly was "scared" to go into.....I felt satan smothered and I felt the bondage lifting. No, everything was not settled. That is ok though. Life itself can be unsettling. Anyway, that wasn't my hearts cry or our hearts cry. The heart's cry (my hearts cry)was for the bondage of the enemy to be gone....for satan to be far far far far FAR from us, from that place, from our spirits, from our temperments and for JESUS,OUR PRECIOUS JESUS, our Father, our gentle savior to lovingly lead us back to where we needed to be....where we should be and where Jesus was softly and lovingly waiting for us to be again. I am wise enough and blessed enough and so thankful enough to know the differnce was a church family of caring sisters and brothers who loved us all enough to pray us through this time.....and pray so frevently that they stromed the Heavens to break the months of satans foothold that grew tighter and tighter. NO, not everything is prefect... but life never is....and that was not the prayer....The prayer was that our savior, our father, our precious Jesus was in charge again and back where He should be. I am on my knees with thankfulness, for my savior and my wonderful, loving church family who showed me the love of Jesus today in caring so much and praying so hard and they are more than a blessing to my heart and my spirit and my life. I love them. I love them SO MUCH and I thank God that I have everyone of them in my life and God please BLESS THEM, bless them ...for carrying us through when we needed them to pray when we couldn't and taken us to the right path when we were feeling broken and lost. Lord I love them and they have touched my heart deeply, more than words can ever say. They are a gift from you Lord.....and your presence and your peaceful and loving hand on our hearts is a gift from you too Lord...and I love you and I love them and please Lord please BLESS our church family. Oh you are so awesome and your children reflected your heart today in so many different ways. THANK YOU JESUS! I LOVE YOU!!!! THANK YOU MY CHURCH FAMILY, I LOVE YOU TOO!!!!! Bless your hearts!