Humbly Yours by Val Crawford

MasterLife Lesson

Thank YOU, ABBA FATHER, for a new year and another chance. Thank YOU for a new opportunity to share YOUR Wonderful Grace, Compassion, and Mercy toward us. And now FATHER, please be Glorified by the transparency of the words that YOU draw from this pen and allow us to be enlightened, informed and strengthened - in the matchless Name LORD JESUS!

¹⁹ And your hearts will overflow with a joyful song to the Lord Jehovah. Keep speaking to each other with words of Scripture, singing the Psalms with praises and spontaneous songs given by the Spirit!

 Ephesians 5:19 - The Passion Translation

A song woke me up one morning while I was working toward a presentation for a class I am in – “Where the SPIRIT of the LORD is, there is Liberty.” My mind got locked on the word ‘Liberty’ and made me look up synonyms for that word:

Liberty – birthright; entitlement; privilege; authority

Now – to be honest, I was worried – really struggling with my presentation. “How do I explain my assigned portion of what I have learned over the last several weeks? And if I can’t explain it, have I learned anything?”  One of my issues is that I never want to make the mistake of opinionating the WORD.  So, I begged ABBA FATHER to give me the words for my project … do you hear the crickets?!? I did!!

The week of the presentation, at the end of a rehearsal for a production I was in, just before we prayed, I was sharing that I would be late because “I GOTTA go to class.” They were aware of and very graciously understood that – NOTHING supersedes my MasterLife lessons. But here I had to veer away from my comfort zone, lay pride aside and be transparent. I couldn’t worry about what anyone would think - I needed prayer because … I was struggling.

My Facilitator (who was also in the production) did what our facilitators had BEEN doing since I entered the class.  She rushed to minister to me.  “Are you okay? Why are you struggling?” What she said next, made me smile happy tears. “You know … you don’t have to re-write the book.”

That blessed me so much! I mean – the book talks about being filled daily – fresh and new. It talks about setting my Self aside and doing so daily.  But I didn’t have to ‘re-write the book.’  She asked me, very simply, “What – no - WHO is HOLY SPIRIT to you, Val?”

On my way home that evening, HOLY SPIRIT didn’t sit behind me. HE didn’t sit beside me. No - HE sat IN my lap and started pouring into me. It was as if HE was just waiting for me to let go. And that made me smile happy tears too! I was making it too hard on myself!

JESUS told us (me) a looong time ago, that although HE was leaving here, HE was sending us another COMFORTER!  “So why are you trying to copy the book? Who do you say that I AM, Valerie? 

Okay – well … I will tell you … When I have been my loneliest – and in this life, there have had some l-o-n-e-l-y days - HOLY SPIRIT is my company keeper! When I am so afraid, I don’t want to take another step, HOLY SPIRIT is my Security Detail! HE is my Sentry and my Night Watchman!  When I wanted, not so long ago, to close my eyes and see to it, myself, that I never opened them again on this side of life, HOLY SPIRIT held me through the darkest, scariest, and loneliest of nights … and would NOT let me go, until I let go of the destructive thoughts that were trying to smother me.  HOLY SPIRIT rises up in this weak woman DAILY and shows how Strong HE is.

I understand with much better clarity, the Apostle Paul’s declaration to the Corinthian Church: “…Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong….” (2Cor 12:9b-10 NIV).  I too can now declare that when I feel weakest, that is when I am strongest!

As I am submitting myself to HIM, HE is drawing me closer and teaching me DAILY, a new amazing way to my birthright with JESUS; an amazing, new way to my Place of Privilege in JESUS; an amazing, new way that really does pass all understanding - that PEACE that just BOGGLES my mind!!!

**If you ever need to reach for help, someone is always available and willing to listen -  You don’t have to be alone**

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - Call 1-800-273-8255

Val Crawford

Contributing Writer