At the pole…

This morning young people across this nation will meet under flag poles at their schools to pray.

While this is student led, back in the day when three Reimer kids were standing under various poles, I was honored to be in attendance by personal invitation.

Experiences varied over the years depending on the pole.

Most of those mornings over the years were just sweet times as kids from various churches got together and organized their prayer event.

This was the dark ages, people, so there were no smart phones or tablets to use. The kids brought boom boxes and real Bibles and pieces of notebook paper with the order of worship scribbled in ink.

With three in different schools, I couldn’t make all of them but I was blessed attend at least one each year.

The hardest was one at the public high school our daughter attended. It started out beautifully. And then students began arriving for early classes. As they passed, it was hard to ignore the mocking statements directed at the little band of prayer warriors.

All of a sudden, I moved from that feel-good kind of Christian bubble to where the rubber meets the road in Christianity.

I felt vulnerable and misunderstood and hated. I felt protective of the kids who were praying. My blood pressure shot up and my mother-bear defense mechanisms kicked in.

And then I remembered.

The One to whom we pray was also mocked and ridiculed. Misunderstood and hated.

And His response was …. Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.

I remembered that I have also mocked and misunderstood and, thus, denied Christ.

And He continued to love me and reach out to me and forgive me.

So today as young people have gathered, let’s gather in our hearts as well to pray for this nation. To pray for the schools. To pray for those who know and have received Him and for those who still are mocking. To pray for the persecuted and the persecutors.

For it is in this, that we model Christ.

And this is how we stand at the pole….by kneeling at the Cross <3