My next greatest de-stressor

You want to know what my greatest de-stressor (outside of letting God have all your problems and your whole life) is? It's no secret.

Kids. Yup. I spent five hours with these kids. They are adorable. They are playful. They climb on me. They punch me. They demand attention. They pull me in all directions. They want their turn. They cry in front of me. They want my affection. I try to help with their hurts. I don't know what they see in me, but they love me and I LOVE them. They get downright dirty. They spend hours outside. No video games. No movies. Just nature. They have goats. They have rabbits. They have cows. They have dirt in their fingernails and toenails. They take care of themselves. They use their imagination. They entertain themselves. They have wonderful parents who love them to no end.

 

Five kids or I should say, monkeys, on a trampoline

Excuse the video changing from landscape to portrait, one of the kids videoed us. If kids mean a lot to you, you wouldn't mind putting a crick in your neck to view this video.

 
These kids from the Reinhard family are in addition to other kids I enjoy having around. My nephews, my little cousins, and the students from school I volunteer at. Ever since vacation Bible school in Lesoto, Africa and my pastor shoved me out of my comfort zone, I've spent time with kids and I've learned that I can work and play with them well. Communication is hard sometimes, but the kids don't care. I have one student that will write to me so I can understand him.

I cannot help but be thankful that none of these kids I've played and worked with were not aborted. If they had been, they would never have been a part of my life and they are a HUGE part of my life. I would not have had a chance to love them. I would not have had a chance to de-stress with them, to re-prioritize, and to see life from their perspective. Their perspective is simple and honest and they have the simple faith that we so much desire as adults.

Vincent and Uncle Stanley in Gulf Shores, AL.

Easter 2012

They aren't haunted by the grim reality we adults face or the extensive knowledge that we amass in our minds. You tell children about Jesus and they simply believe. They don't question Him. They just believe and they are awed by the miracles that He did. They are easily influenced or easily forced into reality all too soon, unfortunately, in some cases. I hate that. I want to keep their minds free to imagine and free to learn at their own pace. Who cares if they can add when they are four and can do cursive when they are five? Let them be creative and imagine all they want. They'll come to you with questions, indeed, and you should always think a little bit before answering them. What they are asking may be completely opposite of what you think they are asking.

Raise them to be good men and good women. Teach them about God. Teach them the stories of the Bible. They love stories! Talk to them about everything they are doing and seeing and put God into the equation. Surely they will bind everything about their necks that you teach them about God's Word and His creation. What you teach them, they will always remember and always go by it or apply it. Let's just pray that they, when they become teenagers and then young adults, they will choose God. Let them choose. We cannot do that for them. They must do it themselves. Also, we can pray that we are doing our best. We are just mere mortals and we think we know best for them, but God is the only one. But, remember, God entrusted us with the duty of teaching our children the way they should go. We will make mistakes, we will fail them, but the children forgive. They are so forgiving. It doesn't stop there though; we must go to them and fix whatever hurt we've caused them or let them know that we have failed them at one time or another. They must know that we didn't mean to hurt them or fail them. They must know that they will someday have the same duty of teaching their children and will go through the same thing we went through raising them up. They MUST know about humility and generosity. These two are the basics of living for others and living simply and for God.

This is what I said to the kids' mother in the first photo. "I can't wait to have eight children!" She exclaimed, "Eight?!"

What? She's short only one. Surely one more couldn't be much worse.

Well, well, we'll just see about that. This mother had just been trying to create order in her seven children and trying to get them in the vehicle to make an errand and it took five minutes to do that. Such the life. But it's so rewarding. Am I willing to wear myself out raising my children or spending time with children who always need attention and to be taught? Yes.

Ok. I've said enough now. I'm ready to see some kiddos, but I will need some sleep first when I get home from work. I'm anxious to see my nephews later today.

Look for the next post. We speak of the Passion of the Christ during Passion Week, but what about the passion of the Christian? The Muslims are passionate about killing anyone who is not a Christian. Are we passionate about showing our love to others, winning souls to Christ, and being persecuted for His sake?