There are a lot of people in this country, in this world, that could use a helping hand, a kind word, a little encouragement.
So, I was thinking.
I do a lot to make a difference. I give a lot. I have a sponsor child for whom I provide health care and an education. I also provide birthday and holiday gifts for her and also sometimes for her family. Most years I provide Christmas gifts and food for a family in my own country who cannot afford it otherwise. I also have taken in a homeless young man, and fostered 3 girls, one of whom I am now raising as my own. I have provided care on a much more temporary basis for children whose foster parents need a hand. I tithe, have participated in two capital campaigns and give to various smaller charities throughout the year. I have volunteered at various functions in the community for worthy causes. So, I give a lot. To make a difference. That‘s what I could say. That’s how I might see it.
Or maybe, maybe that isn’t true. Or at least, that isn’t the whole truth.
God has created me in his image. He has blessed me with great wealth, in terms of health, education, awareness, time, and freedom. He has given me many opportunities and created within me a unique combination of talents and desires. And he has given me the ability to choose, to see for myself what I can do with the many blessings he bestowed.
So, with some of the financial blessings we enjoy, Ren and I bought a big house. I choose to fill it with children, because of the desire with which God blessed me. God allows us to use our home as a safe haven of sorts, where kids can feel safe, and cared for. And maybe in this home, they can begin to discover their own mix of blessings, talents and desires.
I was also blessed with the ability to have children of my own. I had two boys who grew my patience, my love, and my faith. Without them, I would not have realized how much I am loved, regardless of my behavior. I would never have known my capacity to love, perhaps the greatest personal blessing anyone can realize.
I was blessed to adopt a beautiful little girl. She also grows my patience, but she is teaching me to delight in being female, with all that entails, as I teach her how she is wonderfully made. As I praise her strength, her heart and her spirit, she offers me chances to consider my own. And she affords me chances to dive into parenting again, this time with less regard for the opinion of others, and more confidence in my own ability and experience, both results of gifts from God.
So, I am not the answer. I don’t have the answers and I can’t be praised, in my mind or anyone else’s, for being blessed. It is inappropriate and inaccurate. That I use the blessings with which I have been gifted is expected, it is the reason I have them.
To God be the Glory, for loving us and for enabling us with the ability to love each other. In doing so, we honor Him and find ourselves fulfilled. That was his intention all along.
“Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world.”
–Teresa of Avila
What are your thoughts about the blessings in your life? How are you using your gifts? What talents and desires has God gifted you, and what brings you fulfillment?