What a Difference a Year Makes

What a difference a year makes.

A year ago, my son, Matthew Bliss, told me how much he’d like to go to Calvary Christian Schools. At the time, there were a lot of hurdles in the way for that to ever happen, and so we put it in the ‘nearly disregarded’ dream pile.

I thought that as he got involved at his public school, made friends and fell into a routine that the idea would fade. Keep in mind, I was completely open to it, but there were some major things that had to fall into line for it to become a reality. These were things I prayed about, but never really expected God to change…because my imagination isn’t that big.

Obviously, God was working on the back end and moving everything around without us realizing it. He was answering prayer even though I had begun to accept the inevitability of the ‘reality’ that was last year.

Then things got hard. Really hard. There is nothing as frustrating as being aware of potential harm, trying to move to protect your child and being blocked at every turn. There is nothing as sad as a parent who is forced to return a child to a dangerous situation day in, day out, and all you can do is pray a hedge of protection and ask God to shield innocence.

Suddenly, events reached a critical mass last spring. Suffice it to say, panic, concern, rage and conviction all played a role as I responded to the scenario and prayed for wisdom. I asked God to make the impossible happen and allow me to protect my son and keep pointing him to Christ. I reminded God that Matthew (whose name means ‘gift of God’) was my Samuel, and that I was committing him, but that God needed to intervene and move mountains.

So He did. We sat as a family, my husband Warren, myself and Matthew, and asked God for delivery, for protection, for favor and for wisdom. He granted all that and opened new doors besides.

In late July, Matthew asked me once more if we could consider a transfer to Calvary Christian Schools. He outlined his reasons why he wanted to be part of the CCS family, and why he believed it would be beneficial for his spiritual walk as well as for the academics.

I think safety is a big part of what has allowed him to blossom this fall. Prayer warriors held up our arms as God made a way, when there seemed to be no way. He changed hard hearts, provided the favor needed to overturn legal decisions, granted us the ability to protect an innocent through full custody, and allowed us to begin a new chapter in our lives.

My imagination was not that big, but, in the innocence of a child, and in trusting his dearest hope to God, Matthew’s was.

What a difference…this year has made.

- Ruth Kramer, parent