Two 2-year Olds

April 14, 2016:  

Carver and I head to Ms. Pearl's most every Thursday... it's always an adventure and we never know exactly what to expect.  Sometimes I am super excited to go and sometimes I have so much "stuff" to do at home that it's hard to give up an entire day.  It's on these days that "I really don't want to..." that God often shows up the most.  He reminds me of why I serve and why I teach my kids to put others first.  He fills my heart so full of Joy that it naturally spills out to my family and friends.  I have seen again and again that when I trust him with my time and talents, it is never in vain.

On this particular Thursday in April, we took the kids for a walk to Wendy's to eat lunch--Carver especially loved his frosty.  As we were walking home, I had Carver's hand on one side and another sweet baby's hand on the other side.  The thought struck me that I was walking with two two-year-olds who lead very different lives.  My brain kept focusing on how different these two sweeties were--everything from where they lived to how they spend their time each day.  I began to wonder why some children get placed in loving families where they have every advantage to help them succeed in life and other children are placed in broken families where nothing is easy and they may go to bed hungry on any given night*.  This way of thinking can easily lead to feeling sad and hopeless; however, I felt God speaking to my heart in that moment.  I could hear Him whisper, "These children are more alike than they are different.  These children were made uniquely by ME and I cherish them both more than you can imagine."  I could feel a peace washing over me that was only from God.  I knew in that moment that although we live in a broken world, our God redeems brokenness.  Want to hear the best part?  If we are obedient; if we give generously-without an agenda-of our time and resources; if we seek to "offer our bodies as living sacrifices"; our GOD, in all his holiness, lets us be a part of His redeeming work.

*This statement is not a reference to the girl in this picture.

Stopping to sing for a man working outside in his garden.