The Video

Do you ever have those times when you wish your kids were walking more closely with the Lord?The past 6 months, I've been praying for my daughter. She's not out sleeping around or robbing banks, but her heart hasn't been where it normally is.

Being the mom that I am, I sometimes like to play the role of the Holy Spirit. If you don't know what that means, it's a spiritual way of admitting you are trying to control and sometimes manipulate others or situations.

If you know me, you know that I love to listen to podcasts. My favorite, besides Champion Forest Baptist Church of course, is lifechurchtv. I usually listen while I jog or you can watch them on your phone or computer.

One morning while I was praying for my daughter, I got this ingenious idea that we could watch some of these podcasts, or what I call "videos," together.

That night she came in my room and plopped on the bed. We were talking and I started to recognize this might be the perfect night for my videos. She went in her room to get on her pjs and after awhile I tiptoed in and said, "Hey! I have a great idea."

"Okay, what?" she responded. This was looking promising. If you have teenagers you know that's a positive response.

"Why don't we snuggle up in bed, get some popcorn, and watch these videos I have."

I was ready for the sweet, loving, Christian girl response, preparing myself for an evening where the angels would be floating around our heads while we cherished God's holy word in our hearts.

As I waited expectantly with a big grin on my face and unconditional love in my eyes, she said,

"MOM, I'm not watching your stupid religious videos."

Wow...that wasn't quite the holy response I was anticipating. I'm pretty sure the grin turned upside down and the eyes were full of unconditional, "SAY WHAT?"  but none the less, I handled it as any godly mother would. I proceeded to get in an argument with her about her walk with the Lord and how I was concerned and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. It turned into a heated "discussion" and we both left frustrated.

I returned to my snuggly warm bed for sure the angels had ditched me and began to think. What I did was all wrong. God is in control of my daughter. He knows what's going on, why she's making certain choices, and he's got her in the palm of her hand, so what was I thinking?

30 minutes after the Holy Spirit set me straight and his role that I am not to try and fill in my daughter's life, I went to her room and apologized.

Now, if you don't know this, God is really funny! He works in crazy ways. At the same time all of this is going on, my daughter has been talking to a new "guy friend" who has a skeptical past. He gave his life to Christ a year ago and has been walking with the Lord since, but you know how it is with your children and their "friends." You want those kind of friends who will snuggle up with their moms and watch religious videos! cough, cough

Several days later, my daughter tells me her guy friend is leading a Bible study for a group of guys and he's struggling. I told her about this "video" for guys that might be good. Guess what she said, "Well I'll tell him and maybe he and I can watch it together." Yes, you heard her. Mrs. I don't do religious videos is now going to snuggle up with her guy friend, eat popcorn, while angels dance around their heads, and watch religious videos.

All I could do was laugh. I looked towards my heavenly Father and said, "Aren't you Mr. Funny?" I realized at that moment, God can use anyone, any time, any way he wants to bring us to him.

When you don't see God at work in the way you think is best, ask him and trust him. Remember we don't have to tell him how, we just ask him for the what.