Hope

Yesterday I was talking to a mom of 2 of our children enrolled in our after-school program. They have been acting out a lot lately, and she wanted to share with me what has been going on in their home. Her and her husband are recently divorced, he has been stationed in Iraq for about 15 months now and just called to say he was getting remarried. WOW- my heart just broke. Here I was frustrated at the way to children were acting, thinking they don’t have any discipline at home or that their parents just don’t care. As I stood there listening to this mother, with tears in her eyes, talk about how her only hope is in Christ and how she daily has to pray for wisdom in how to encourage and explain to her children what is happening in their lives, I was convicted and burdened.

Convicted: That I often pray about the “trials” in my life, but rarely think twice about those people around me who are truly dealing with difficult, life-altering issues.


Convicted: In my thinking that just because this family is classified as “low-income” means they don’t have love and faith in their home.


Burdened: For these kids who, in their 5 and 6 year old minds, have no way to deal with the feeling of abandonment they are facing.

I went to a bible study later in the evening where we discussed Hebrews 11:1

“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for…”

I was reminded that this family has HOPE. The Lord is not through with them; He will guard, protect, build up and love them more than any earthly human can. This is the same for every child I see that from the outside doesn’t look like they have a chance. Those whose parents see them as a meal ticket and nothing else, who are struggling academically, physically and emotionally, who are stuck in a vicious cycle of poverty and immorality with no apparent way out. As much as I want to fix them, I can’t. I can love them, encourage them, and help them as best I know how, but it is only Christ who can give them hope, only Christ who can change their hearts, only Christ who can truly change their lives.


I am thankful for the hope I have in Christ, I am thankful for the assurance that one day this hope will be realized. I am thankful that this hope isn’t just reserved for me, but for everyone who believes… EVERYONE!

Thanks for letting me ramble a bit, sorry if the thoughts were random and incomplete- I am still processing. I will post some pictures of the kids soon, they are super cute! In the meantime, pray for their hearts to be opened to the gospel.