Fading bruises…

This week Jayden had a hard time. It actually started Thursday and Friday of last week. Both days he was hit in the face by twin brothers.

When I picked up Jayden from school on Wednesday his lip was busted and his top front baby tooth looked like it was halfway knocked out. Jayden immediately took my hand and said, come on Dad you have to put a stop to it! So in my best Portuguese (which is still horrible) I walked through the Iron Gate at the school and asked the principle if I could speak with a teacher in English regarding Jayden. I then proceeded to start calling the other boys’ names and explaining the situation in some very broken Portuguese. No teacher was available and this was probably a blessing! (if you know what I mean!?!)

The word about Jayden soon got out among our peers, friends and family members. People began praying! As people started praying our hearts began to soften about the situation. By the grace of God we were able to remove ourselves from the present chaos and think of the future of the two twin brothers involved, their parents, and the entire faculty at Jayden’s school. Rebecca said, “You know the bruises will soon heal, but many of those people are probably going to die and go to hell.” God really used this statement to open my eyes! I started thinking about the potential eternal impacts of my actions. I began thinking back of when Jayden took my hand and said, “…come on Dad, you have to do something about this.” I wonder if this is what Jesus was praying in the garden the night before the cross or when they were mocking him and beating him before his crucifixion. What about when he could barely stand and he was packing OUR cross up the hill to Calvary? What if Jesus said, “…come on Dad, you have to do something about this?”

Well Jesus’ Father did do something about it! He loved us so much that He let his only Son endure all of those terrible hardships–even to the point of death. He did it so that you and I, the two twin brothers, their parents and the entire faculty at Jayden’s school may have a chance to be saved from hell and enjoy an abundant life with Jesus and himself forever. Aren’t you grateful the Father didn’t do anything to stop it? Aren’t you grateful He allowed it to happen? I can only hope that God allowed this to happen to Jayden so that at least one of the persons involved may see Jesus in Jayden this year and I hope they may see Jesus in our actions throughout this situation. We are here to share His love and peace through situations just like this. We cannot get distracted with the bruises and current circumstances of life that will soon fade away. Instead, we must focus on eternal things, especially the lives of people headed towards an eternity in hell!

Please pray that they will see Jesus in us and pray that this may be the beginning of a great relationship—hopefully an eternal one!