Waiting Rooms and the Holy Spirit

New Year’s Eve morning and I am sitting in the waiting room of the cancer center. I am by myself, but that’s ok. My choice. These appointments are in and out with no more than five minutes with the oncologist – just a check-up of my labs. Fortunately, they’ve been good so far, so the appointments haven’t been long.

But today my wait seems excessively lengthy. (I find out later that it’s because so many nurses have the flu … which is rather ironic considering how diligent the staff is to tell us to stay away from people who are sick  … because our immune systems are weak.)

So I sit and people watch. Some come in rather cheery calling out to the ladies at the registrations cubicles. Others look defeated. Their eyes are rimmed with sadness and they slump in a chair and stare at the floor. Many use canes or are in wheelchairs, Others are followed by family or friends, people who are there, but aren’t really communicating much to the patient. Then, in congruently, Somewhere my Love begins playing in the background. The words stream a baleful lament.

Somewhere, my love there will be songs to sing
Although the snow covers the hope of spring …

Cancer center waiting rooms are not happy places.

They call my name and once again, my lab report is good, so I quickly leave the center to meet a friend for lunch.

And we begin talking about the Holy Spirit and how He’s within us. Why do we need a guardian angel when we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us? (An ongoing discussion with this friend.)

And my thoughts clicked right back to the cancer center waiting room. As I sat there, watching people and thinking about my own circumstances … As I sat there thinking that there were oh, SO MANY places I would rather be … As I sat there wondering what was taking everyone so long …

I recognized that the Holy Spirit was RIGHT there with me. Within me. NOT on the other side of the room waiting for something to go wrong so He could momentarily protect me. NO, He knows everything that is going on in my life … the good times, the hard times, the times when you’re sitting waiting to see the oncologist. He is always within me!

Of course, I already KNEW that, but I don’t remember the the realization hitting me exactly how it did that day.

And I got to thinking about all the kids we teach and wonder if we’re being diligent enough to teach them about the Holy Spirit? We teach them about Noah and about David and Goliath and about Zacchaeus, but do we teach them that the Holy Spirit is right there with them … whether they’re in school, in bed, listening to a family argument, hanging out at the playground … or sitting in a doctor’s office.

Here are some great facts about the Holy Spirit we need to teach out kids.

1. He is our Comforter — Acts 9:31

2. He is our Teacher – John 14:6

3. He convicts us — John 16:7-8

4. He intercedes for us — Romans 8:26-27 (because we don’t know how to pray as we should).

5. He is our earnest/our seal/our guarantee — Ephesians 1:13

6. He provides the fruit of the Spirit — Galatians 5:22-23

How often do we discuss the Holy Spirit with out kids? How often do we emphasize that He is right inside of us? How often do we explain what He does for us?

Let’s start the discussion today.