Getting out of the way

I have a group of my fellow officers that meet in my home on Sunday nights to discuss the Word, talk about our lives together, pray with one another and reflect on His goodness. It’s been a little hit and miss lately. There have been some scheduling snafus and other things and we haven’t been able to meet as much recently. Right now, we are doing a study on the book of Luke. The study is written by Max Lucado.

So, we were to meet tonight. I knew there weren’t going to be a lot of guys show up, as we’re not a big group anyway and some guys had already told me they weren’t coming due to family obligations. But, hey, who am I to begrudge them that, right? I’m flexible. It’s not like I have anyone to worry about spending time with.

I love these guys. We’re all police officers. This job is tough enough and it’s been really wonderful to see a few guys who love Jesus as much as I do and seek His face as much as I do. We have some really great conversations and love the challenge of living out His truth in the environment in which we work. For the record, that’s not easy. Not that it’s easy anywhere but it’s tough in law enforcement.

Lots of peer pressure to deal with.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that cops are bad people or any more immoral than anyone else. But there is a certain stigma that all of us who wear a badge have to deal with. That stigma is tough to live with for those of us who actually attempt to live a life of integrity, honor and faith. I’ve had to listen to all the “you know how cops are” for a long time now and, quite frankly, I’m tired of hearing it.

But, I digress.

So, tonight the guys were coming over. So, 6:30 rolls around and one dude shows up. My immediate reaction was to be disappointed. I’m not upset that people don’t show up to listen to me, cause I’m not sure I have a lot valuable to say anyway. I was disappointed because I need this time with other men. They need this time with other like-minded men. Without it, we are weak. Without the support of like-minded Jesus followers, we are cut off from the herd, we are easy pickings for Satan and his little punk minions that do his bidding.

In fact, let me just go off on a tangent here for a minute. You cannot stand alone. I cannot stand alone. Life was never meant to be lived alone. If we were meant to be the rough and tough, do it on our own types, why did God make Eve? It’s not like God needed Eve to create other people, for procreation. He could have made as many people as he wanted from more dirt or twigs or whatever. No, He made Eve because Adam needed someone. It was not good for Adam to live alone; He needed a helper, companionship. He needed to do life with someone else. So, just when you feel all cool and stuff, be careful. You cannot do life alone. Alone is exactly where Satan wants you.

Sorry, focus…

Back to this evening. So, my buddy that showed up and I were just kind of chillin’ and chattin’, waiting to see if anyone else was going to show up. Talking about CrossFit, because he’s part of that “good cult” too. As the conversation went on, I could feel that something was going on here. I could hear His voice in my heart saying, “Hey stupid, stop talking about your clean and jerk. This man needs to be ministered to.” So, I began to listen to what he and He had to say. As the conversation ensued, he began to talk about some recent difficulties in his relationship with his wife, past issues, things left unhealed.

And I heard myself talking, heard my voice but it wasn’t me talking. Not really anyway. We began to talk about healing, our fathers, how we have failed at past relationships, a lot of unresolved stuff. But we kept coming back to the idea of healing and then, Jesus showed up.

Seriously.

I began to talk to my friend about the night Jesus finally healed over the last of the hurt between my dad and me. As I described the beauty and power of that moment, I saw tears in my friend’s eyes. I saw Jesus touching his heart. And I was overwhelmed.

See, the point of tonight was my buddy. Jesus knew a long time ago that my buddy was going to show up at my house tonight and take his first step toward healing some past hurts, wounds that have held him down for too long. The point of tonight was for Him to show me that it doesn’t matter what my plans are, I just have to get out of the way and let Him do His thing.

Don’t ignore those moments. There are times when He speaks, when He shows up. Don’t ignore it. I promise you this; if you will listen, He will speak. When He speaks, act on what He has said to you. You will be amazed at what you learn and how much easier it becomes to hear the voice of God, calling you forward into His adventure.