Bereket earned 'rainbow' on his stop light behavior system at school Friday, which he described with a sweet victorious smirk on his face "is so much gooder than green!" While 'rainbow' is a cute description for a great day at school, this rainbow and the pure joy for which he expressed his accomplishment screamed to me "promises kept! God will set a rainbow in the sky as a reminder that He keeps His promises."
Tonight as he climbed into my lap with what I would consider reckless abandon for his often guarded heart and snuggled in for some sweet mommy time, my heart was singing praises to God for promises kept. "God sets the lonely in families" Psalm 68:6 "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten" Joel 2:25
Another image flooded my mind during this precious moment tonight of all the beautiful women in my life that have petitioned the Lord for my children, my fellow Warrior Mamas. In my mind they fit the image of the fiercest warrior - strong in battle and relentless in pursuit of the enemy that wars for my children's souls. They have responded to texts & emails asking them to pray over my baby during fits of rage & anxious anticipation for doctor visits and medical procedures..they have been found standing in a circle holding hands, quietly praying over him (& I) as we worked through screaming fits of RAD rage...they have picked up overturned trash cans...they have laid healing hands on him at the altar of the Lord...they have closed restaurants with me as we share stories of joyful mountains and dark valleys of parenting...they have been on their knees with me in prayer on behalf of our children...they have mourned with me over the wounds in my children I wish to erase and celebrated with me over glorious redemptive victories...they have loved him unconditionally amidst behavior that is difficult to understand...they have shed tears of joy over his victories...they are part of his redemption story & the only thing better than sharing this journey with them is knowing we will share eternity together.
Every time the Lord gives us a victory, I picture the scene from the Passion of Christ when Jesus is praying to His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane, sweating drops of blood over the anguish He feels for the sacrifice He is about to make on the cross. The only man able to take away the sins of the world & claim victory over Satan, the prince of this world. Satan is in the garden and says to Jesus, "Saving their souls is too costly" to which Jesus replies, "Father you can do all things...let your will be done" - the scene ends with Jesus standing up and literally crushing the head of the serpent Satan in final victory. Every time a fellow Warrior Mama prays for my children, I feel as if they are crushing Satan's head alongside me - victory in Jesus, our Savior forever.
