Even though I am about to turn fifty, the end of May still makes me ask myself, “So, what did I learn this school year?” My family recently staggered across the finish line of another year of carpool, homework, play practices, swim meets, friendship drama, and exams. While my children can now diagram a sentence and understand quadratic equations, I had to ask myself, “What is MY progress report? In what ways am a little more like Jesus than I was nine months ago?”
In September, I was asked to co-facilitate a Hidden Heart class for a group of eighth grade moms who were looking to grow in their faith and to build community. Not having been part of a class for four years, I knew that I had facets in my life that had grown rusty and crusty. Nevertheless, I cleared an hour and a half in my schedule for thirteen weeks, and dove in. Am I ever glad I did!
Being the kind of person who is never looking for a hard assignment, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it is so easy to facilitate a group. Gather everyone on the sofa, push “Play” to watch the companion DVD, and then compare answers from The Cry of the Hidden Heart workbook. The Holy Spirit and the Bible do the rest. In the process, strangers became confidantes, hardened hearts were softened, and relationships with God and husbands were revitalized.
This latest revision of The Cry of the Hidden Heart has new questions that made me take a close look at my attitudes and motivations:
“What do you know about Christ that would empower and inspire you to serve your husband (or others, if you are single) in ways that would have the fingerprints of Jesus all over them?”
“What effect do you think idealizing a future, more perfect state (not Heaven) would have on your enjoyment of life in the moment? How do you think God would have you enjoy today?”
Reading each week’s scriptures and answering these zinger questions revealed how I had become preoccupied with monitoring the splinters in my husband’s eye instead of being a lumberjack with the redwoods in my own. And we all saw how we were looking to our mates to satisfy longings that only Jesus can fulfill. Together we basked in how completely, perfectly, and overwhelmingly we are loved by God – just as we are. We also saw that we are given the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit to free us to be more like Christ!
This past month, no one handed me a graduation diploma, yet I know that my faith, my marriage, and my life is lighter and brighter than it was last September when the school year began. Perhaps it is time for you to dive in again or make that first plunge into God’s ocean of love for you. My heart’s desire is for everyone to experience the personal benefit of going through a Hidden Heart class.
Toward that end, we are launching the “SPREAD THE WORD” campaign to multiply the number of classes and participants for the 2013-2014 school year. Pray about re-connecting, re-engaging, and growing in your relationship with Jesus, your family, and friends to share the journey.
We have some exciting things happening and would love to hear from you if you’d like to be a part of Spreading the Word about God’s love through The Cry of the Hidden Heart. Give us a call (314) 406-7073 or an email hiddenheartministry@gmail.com.
