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My Favorite Things

  • Naptime
  • Caffeine in various forms
  • Italy
  • The Beach
  • Family camping trips
  • The gym
  • Storytime at the Library
  • Rachael Ray
  • Running

Monday, February 4, 2013

Helping Others

Do you ever look around and think "what am I doing with my life?"

I've been doing a lot of that lately.

God's been stirring something in me for a few months now. I'm not an unhappy person. I consider myself blessed beyond belief. 10 years ago, I could never imagined having a life as wonderful as mine is now.

And yet.

What am I doing with it? I mean, really, when I am gone from this world, when I am standing before Jesus in eternity and we're looking back over my life, He's going to say "welp, you had a beautiful family and some nice stuff. Great."

I have a burning desire lately to serve more. To do more for His kingdom. To do as Jesus said and love widows and orphans, and feed the hungry and clothe the naked and visit the imprisoned. To be His hands and feet. I've been praying that He will show me how. For the past few weeks I've been hearing Him say "Go, sell your possesions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven." Ok, I thought. Just sell my stuff? And then I'm good? This anxious, uncomfortable feeling that permanently resides just under my sternum will go away? I can totally do that. Here you go, poor people! Here's my old clothes I don't want anymore. Good thing there's an Old Navy right here next to Goodwill so I can get new stuff!

Through a friend of a friend, I heard about the book 7 by Jen Hatmaker. And oh my goodness is all I can say. It totally has opened my eyes to the wastefulness in my life and my children's lives. People are starving in the world, even in our city, and I'm throwing away perfectly good food because no one feels like eating it. Children are dying of exposure and I'm buying myself new shoes because I'm bored with my old ones. People are being abused, being sold into slavery and I'm on Facebook. This book has simultaneously rocked my world and scared me to death because I'm pretty sure I have to make some big changes. And I'm scared to death of big changes.

So what does this all mean for me? I'm not sure. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go through our stuffed-to-the-gills house and donate lots and lots of stuff. I'm pretty sure I will be selling books and movies and giving money to the poor. I'm pretty sure that I have to take a Facebook hiatus (gulp). I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a babysitter so I can work with Girls on the Run, and I'm pretty sure that I will run my first marathon in October for Team Hope. But beyond that I'm not sure and I'm hoping you all can help.

How do I open my girls' eyes to the world outside of themselves? How can I get them involved with feeding the hungry and helping the poor? What do those of you with young kids do to involve them in missions?



2 comments:

  1. I'm reading this book by Bob Goff called love does, and he has a chapter called 'putting skin on it' and he discusses how in order to be involved in causes, missons, etc...that you need to put a name to a face. For example, when people talk about orphans or foster care, that you shouldn't think about all those poor orphans but actually know some kids who used to be orphans or are in foster care.

    For our our girls (who are now 6, 5 and 2) we used to help out as a family at soup kitchen once a month, where we would let the girls hand out utensils, serve desserts or even lead the prayer. They would sit with Justin while he chatted with people and listen or play with kids who were there. We want our girls to not be afraid of the homeless but realize that they are just like us.

    A friend of mine had her daughter ask for jars of peanut butter for her birthday instead of gifts. She was able to collect over 40lbs of peanut butter to donate to a local shelter!

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  2. I love that, Karena, and I was totally hoping you would chime in! I wondered if the girls were too young for a shelter but you're doing it right. 7 talks about putting a name to a face as well...actually quotes Shane Claiborne when he says it's not that American Christians don't want to help the poor, but that they don't know the poor.

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