Monday, January 4, 2010

Convicted By My Three-Year Old!

When I tuck my daughter into bed at night, I sit on her bed and pray with her. I keep it simple because she is so young. We usually start by thanking God for one or two things and then praying for one or two things.

For example, if she was sick recently we would thank God for making her well and pray for all the children who were still sick. It was pretty funny one day last year when my daughter had been talking about how much she loved her preschool class (which was called the Bunny Rabbit class), and so I began our prayer time with, "Thank you that she gets to go to the Bunny Rabbit class." and my daughter finished, "And pray for the children who don't get to go to the Bunny Rabbit class!" Yes, indeed!

Then there was the night last summer when we thanked God for our home and then prayed for the children who don't have homes. When we finished praying my then 3 year old daughter suddenly looked straight at me and said,

"Mommy what do we do about the children who don't have homes?"


I said, "Well, we give money to help them, you know like Juliet we sponsor in Uganda." This was not good enough for her.

"But what do we DO, Mama?"

I understood her feeling. I, too, am not totally satisfied just supporting charities with my money, but want to give more of myself, get right in the thick of the work with my own hands and heart. But I was at a loss in how to answer her, so I said, "Well, what do you think we should do?"

And my little girl replied, without hesitation, "We could share our home with them."

Her answer took my breath away. But seriously? The answer is so obvious, preschoolers get it! A supposedly sharing-challenged demographic!

I think we as adults have become so desensitized to the atrocities of this world that we can hear about homeless and orphaned children without ever thinking, "We could share our home with them." I am so thankful for the innocent love and minds of children!
Mark 10:15 "Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child shall by no means enter into it."
So, there you go, 1 of the reasons out of about 500 why we have decided to adopt a child from Ethiopia. If we cannot even face our own children and say, "We did all we could," how can we stand before God Himself one day?

This post is part of the Moms' 30-Minute Blog Challenge.

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13 comments:

  1. The first thought that popped into my head when I heard what your daughter said was, "The Lord is already preparing her heart to "share" her home, her mom and dad, and everything precious to her with this new little girl. How wonderful is that!! Just another confirmation to you from the Lord that you are doing what He wants you to be doing. I LOVE this story. And it has to make your "mom" heart proud that you are obviously raising a big hearted, caring little girl. I don't think those kinds of feelings and thoughts just "happen"...they come from someone talking to her and showing her how to live. Just goes to show you how much even a REALLY little child can understand. No, it's never too soon or too young to teach them the heart of Jesus. Have a great day, Debbie

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  2. Wow. That's pretty much what I think. Wow for your little girl realizing what needs to be done, and wow for you actually doing it. Can't wait to hear more!

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  3. Yes. I always say I don't want to get to heaven and find out that I "missed it." It sure sounds as if your daughter doesn't have to worry about that. Not one bit.

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  4. Bless you in this journey. Wow,
    and my kids range from almost 21- 11, and I turn 47 in a few days.
    And for Christmas my kids asked us to adopt. I laughed and said could you imagine.
    But the love that is in their hearts stills mine.

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  5. Its stunning what our children understand.

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  6. Your last paragraph was just so awe-inspiring! God Bless you in this incredible call to action. Beautiful.

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  7. Beautiful. May God richly bless you in the New Year.

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  8. Nice! I am an adopted adult from Uganda here in the U.S.... Good for you!

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  9. Good on you! That's fantastic... It is so true we cannot solve all the problems in the world but if we all chipped away and did just one thing it would really give our world a chance. Great post!!!

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  10. Goodness. So inspiring! You and your daughter have beautiful hearts.
    Thank you for sharing this story.

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  11. Thanks for this post. Your daughter is smart and loving:)

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I'd love to hear what you think!