- By Mark Hanson
I finished the last of six classes required for my Doctor of Ministry program in October. The Formational Counseling track requires six classes with the same group of people. These last two classes were very powerful, as all the classes have been. It was a great time of meeting with God and experiencing His healing in my life yet again.It has been my privilege to experience much during these two week deployments to Ashland, Ohio, for classes. Let me share one with you. One critical element of my DMin program has been “sanctifying the imagination” and practicing the presence of Jesus. What this entails is setting apart our imagination for God to speak to us and coming into the presence of Jesus where he can speak to us and minister to us. There is more to it but that will work for now. During one of these times, we were invited to ask Jesus how he shows us he loves us. This was done in a group setting but it was personal: “Jesus, how do you show me you love me?” Then we were to sit and wait for his answer. I waited. I then received my answer…Hostess Cake Donuts and Milk.
Let me unpack this for you. A couple days before we did this exercise, I was talking with Cheri, one of the prayer partners for the professor. Someone had brought Hostess powered donut gems as a snack that day. My conversation with Cheri centered around donuts and how much we enjoyed those powered little gems. I shared with her that I really liked the Hostess Cake Donuts with a glass of milk. The next day, I saw on the snack table Hostess Cake Donuts and a jug of milk in ice. Cheri saw me standing there with my mouth hanging open and asked me if those were the right ones. Cheri had felt impressed to get some and blessed me “a little slice of heaven” as I like to call it.
Back to the exercise, I am in the presence of Jesus and have asked him how he shows me he loves me. I am waiting for his answer. It seems like an eternity goes by. Then he answers…Hostess Cake Donuts and a glass of milk. I started laughing. I thought it was a simple kind gesture that came out of a conversation. Little did Cheri know that God used her to show me that he loves me.
I would like to have Hostess Cake Donuts in the house all the time but that would be detrimental to my health. I can ask God to sanctify my imagination and then meet with Jesus at the table and see him and me breaking donuts together. Doing so reminds me of God’s love for me.
So, how does God show you He loves you? I invite you to ask Jesus to sanctify your imagination and ask him how he shows you he loves you. Then wait for the answer. I pray you will be amazed at what you discover.
