**Disclaimer... this might be a long one. Something happened this morning and thoughts are stirring all around. So excuse the jumbled mess this might turn out to be.**
Dagwood and I have tried to instill in our kids how overwhelmingly blessed we are. We
- live in a mansion (not really in American terms but in world view terms, absolutely) with running water, heat, a/c, and all the common ammenities we desire
- we have a bed with warmest of blankets and cuddly stuffed friends to sleep with
- the kids never have to worry about if they will eat today at all (they have 3 meals plus snacks and seem to always be "starving")
- have 2 cars and money to pay for gas
- have more than enough clothes to have a different outfit every day for several weeks
- the list could go on and on and on!
Another part of this is trying to teach them about missions and talking about what missionaries do.
What does being a missionary mean to you?
For me it is spreading God's love to everyone you meet. Being the hands and feet of Jesus to the world. Whether you bless someone who just had a baby with a meal, give shelter to the homeless or feed the hungry in your home town or you do these things in a different country you are a missionary. Spread God's love to all of His children no matter what your personal situation.
Dagwood and I have been to Honduras and this was truly an eye opening trip to how we take the smallest things for granted. We were there to bless some families with food, children with shoes and toys and do some harder work preparing a warehouse for these items. But I came away with so much more. I was there to bless them but ended up feeling that they blessed and showed God's love to me more than I was able to do for them. There was a common bond between me and mothers who I could barely communicate with. We felt it in the mutual love we have for our kids, how we take pride in our home and hospitality when we have visitors. Speaking of, these families welcomed us in and would give us their very best when they have so very little. But they did it with great joy and love.
Skipping to what happened this morning and then maybe I can tie it all up with a pretty bow. Not so much but we'll try to at least wrap it up for now...
Where SK goes to school she is exposed to a lot more culture, shall we say, than the side of town that we live on. I also work in the same area so I am aware of what her little eyes might see sometimes. Again, we have talked about this with her but this morning her innocent little eyes saw it and it seems to have really got my deep thinker thinking. As we were in carpool line she looked over and saw a bundle of blanket and bag in an unoccupied doorway. Just barely visible above the blanket was a woman's head. "Mommy, who is that lady and why is she right there?" Teaching moment for mom...don't screw this up. I did my best to explain that this is what Daddy and Mommy talk to her about when we talk about our blessings and how some people don't have even a small portion of the physical things we have. And that this woman was most likely what we call homeless. "But she has food to eat right, Mommy?" I tried to explain that she probably doesn't have food that she can rely on and most likely will have to find food somehow throughout the day.
Did I explain this good enough? My sweet baby's forehead crinkles like it always has when she is in the midst of trying to sort through what she has seen and/or heard. It was time for her to get out. Wait! I wanted to scream. I wanted to pull over and talk with her more. I wanted to make it more of a teaching moment but she was off. On to her typical Friday at school filled with innocent play and learning with other sweet, innocent 6 & 7 yr olds friends.
But, I do know that our deep thinker is going to be pondering this and will at some point in possibly the near future have many more questions for Daddy and Mommy. And I can only hope we are able to show her more of what it means to be the hands and feet of Jesus. When she and her brother (and soon to be other sibling) are old enough we do want them to see Honduras or maybe even somewhere else to open their eyes to more of how blessed they are.
While we are in this point in our life (with young kids) all of us going overseas is not tangible but we can do more here in our own city. What does that look like right now I do not know.
What do you do to teach your children about the abounding blessings they have?
I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas!
