It starts with love

Having small children makes it often difficult to take on service projects.  But Rob and I feel it is important to teach our children to serve now while they are still young.  We have struggled with the balance of keeping our children safe versus exposing them to a world in need.
  I truly believe that serving others is a skill that needs to be taught.  We live in a very self centered world, it is in our nature to be selfish.  The whole concept of serving is really a foreign concept by the world's standards.  But when I look at my Jesus and how he spent his time here on earth, I can't help but be convicted to want to help others.  The King of Kings humbled himself to come to be with us and to wash the feet of others, to heal the sick, to develop relationships with the poor and the troubled.  So how can I model that in my own life?  Especially when I have three children that I am responsible for?
   As of late, I feel that God is teaching me to just love these people.  I feel like he wants us to be in relationship with people in need.  So in order to do that, I have to spend time with those needing help and needing Christ.
    So Rob and I were excited to find a program that our church is running on Monday nights.  In the place of  our VBS for the children at our church, we have joined NACC (another church)in holding a special VBS in a low income area serving sometimes more than 300 people that need to know Jesus. I will admit, at first I was a little bummed that we no longer held the grandest of all VBS programs.  But after spending one evening with these kids, my heart was changed.
    Each Monday, we serve food to the families. We have a time of worship, we play games with these kids, we make crafts, we tell Bible stories, and we spend time getting to know them.  Our family enjoys taking a group around to each of the centers, this allows us to spend time with these kids- developing relationships.
   Last week on our way home, Caden says " Mom, we did not do anything to help those kids.  I wanted to help them."   I explained to him that we did, we fed them a meal that otherwise they may not have had,  we taught them songs and stories that planted a seed of Jesus's love, and most of all we gave them our time.  We met them where they are personally, putting us in a situation to get to to know them first, so that we may know how to help them in the future.
    My sweet Maddie simply said "We did help them Caden.  We gave them our love." 
   That really struck a chord with me.  That is all Jesus wants of us, isn't it?  He just wants us to love others.  Plain and simple. 
   Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the details of service opportunities. I over think the whole process and make it so complicated. Then, I end up making excuses for me and my children.  I let Satan use fear, worry, and everyday distractions to keep me from stepping out of my comfort zone to put my family in the lives of others needing to know him.
  My hope is that I can remember to keep it simple.  All He wants me to do is to LOVE OTHERS. It is not a twelve step program.  What he wants me to teach my children about service, is to love others. That love may require us to make some sacrifices and that love may spur us on to meet another needs.  But I can't love others by simply writing a check to my church each Sunday. I can't teach my children to love others if I am not modeling it myself or putting them in situations to do it on their own. 
   So we found a good way to do this each Monday night this summer.  My prayer is that this will encourage us to look for opportunities to help people wherever God leads us every day.  May we remember that often the best thing we can do for others is to simply love them.