The glory of it all

This weekend at work I had the cutest group. A new visitor - 6 years old, although she looks like she's three, with the smallest little wheelchair who can walk with some help holding your hand. She has such a sweet and gentle nature - she never cried or fussed even once. And then another young girl whom I've had before. This little one has a seizure disorder. She has several a day lasting anywhere from 5 to 20 seconds. She may fall quick to the floor, but a few seconds later she has the biggest grin as if nothing had happened. She can be super mischievous & thinks she's being the funniest thing in the world. I can't help but smile when she flashes her mischievous grin, even if she's taking her shoes off for the second time after I just put them on.

The main purpose of Jill's House is to provide a rhythm of respite for families. To give families a chance to rest, to sleep, for parents to go on a date, to go grocery shopping, whatever it might be that they aren't able to do as easily with their child who takes some extra care.

On Sunday afternoons when the parents come to pick up their child - we get to take the children that we cared for out to their parents. When I took Ms. Mischievous out, her mom greeted me with the biggest, warmest smile - "Thank you! Thank you so much! You know, I didn't know it at the time when I signed her up for this weekend 3 months ago - but you being able to care for her allowed me and her sister to spend time in the hospital taking care of my mom. I didn't have to worry about who would care for her. I just really thank the Lord for you."

Wow. And I thank the Lord that a place like Jill's House exists and that I've had the opportunity to work with each kid that's been put in my care & that I'll never be the same.

Oh, the glory of it all
Is He came here
For the rescue of us all 
That we may live
For the glory of it all
Oh, the glory of it all

After nightComes a lightDawn is hereDawn is hereIt’s a new day, a new dayOh, everything will changeThings will never be the sameWe will never be the same

God's love

Your love never fails, never gives upNever runs out on me
Higher than the mountains that I faceStronger than the power of the graveConstant through the trial and the changeOne thing remains
On and on and on and on it goesIt overwhelms and satisfies my soulAnd I never, ever, have to be afraidOne thing remains
In death, in life, I'm confident and covered by the power if Your great loveMy debt is paid, there's nothing that canseparate my heart from Your great love
It overwhelms and satisfies my soul

Last night at work, after the children placed in our care had all been put to bed, all the staff were hanging out in the staff area talking.  One of the guys mentioned how his brother could never work there because "he wouldn't want to change diapers."

I don't want to change diapers. Really. I don't particularly look forward to changing a 16 year old boys diaper. But he can't, someone has to, & I can. I can for a weeknight or a weekend and give the caregivers who do it all the time a break.

A friend last night mentioned how amazing it is - the things people do, that anyone can do - but people do it for the Lord. That's why they do it. Because God loves them, his love overwhelms & satisfies their souls, so they love Him and they love & serve him by loving and serving others.

Joy in Serving

Of all the things my job demands of me, of all the things my Lord asks of me in working with these kids, the hardest of all is to have joy in serving. It's hard to see the joy, to feel the joy, in the midst of changing diapers, working unconventional hours, being hit, kicked, and scratched.

Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Colossians 3:22-24 

 One more weekend until I have a break for Christmas and New Years. I'm going to need these words this weekend.

When it's hard to feel the joy in serving, I have to remind myself that I'm serving Christ by serving these kids and their families. I have to remember what the families are getting. A chance to rest. A chance to do things they don't normally get to do because of the demands raising these special kids requires. I have to remember that I would have never chosen this for myself. That the Lord drew me to working with these kids. That this is what He's calling me to do, how he's calling me to serve him & his kingdom for his glory. And I'm thankful that the Lord has given me work to do that I couldn't possibly do on my own. Work that absolutely, 100% requires me to rely on Him. I can't even fool myself into thinking that I'm doing any of it on my own.

This past Wednesday morning the staff & fellows delivered gifts to 74 of the families we serve. We all split up in groups of 2 or 3 to deliver the gifts. Me and my buddy were invited into one of the 4 homes we visited. The mom of one of the children we serve, warmly invited us in, to have a seat, to chat. Her husband came in shortly after us. We said our introductions, then he went into the back of the house. The mom went on to tell us how on Tuesday nights when her daughter stays with us, her other daughter has Hebrew school for 2 hours, and her and her husband are able to have dinner together and just talk. As she was saying this, her husband in the back room, walked across the hall to place something on a table, and I could see the biggest smile on his face, as his wife talked about how great it was to have those 2 hours. I'll remember that story and that smile this weekend.

Sunday Morning Encouragement

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 

By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment  that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. 

1 John 3:16-24 

Serving

We're a quarter of a way through, 9 more months, and we're feeling it in our bones. It's heavy. This work is heavy and it's emotionally, physically, and spiritually exhausting. And we're thankful for each other. That there are others we can talk to who understand. But on days when you're all feeling low you can weigh each other down instead of building each other up. It's hard and it's tough and we're feeling overworked and burned out.

When service is unto people, the bones can grow weary, the frustration deep. Because, agrees Dorothy Sayers, "whenever man is made the centre of things, he becomes the storm-centre of trouble. The moment you think of serving people, you begin to have a notion that other people owe something for your pains... You will begin to bargain for reward, to angle for applause." 

When the laundry is for the dozen arms of children or the dozen legs, it's true, I think I'm due some appreciation. So comes a storm of trouble and lightning strikes joy. But when Christ is at the center, when dishes, laundry, work, is my song of thanks to Him, joy rains. Passionately serving Christ alone makes us the loving servant to all. When the eyes of the heart focus on God, and the hands on always washing the feet of Jesus alone-the ones, they sing joy, and the work returns to its purest state: eucharisteo. The work becomes worship, a liturgy of thankfulness. 

"The work we do is only our love for Jesus in action," writes Mother Teresa. "If we pray the work...if we do it to Jesus, if we do it for Jesus, if we do it with Jesus....that's what makes us content." 

That is what makes us content-the contented, deep joy is always in the touching of Christ-in whatever skin He comes to us in. [One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp]

I picture a bucket full then emptied out. Some days I just feel empty. I am empty. And I know I need to spend more time filling up on His word and spending time with the Lord. I've got to stop starting days empty. I've got to fill up, empty it out, then fill up again. We're not meant to stay full and we're not meant to stay empty.

This is my life on the 4th of July

The last time I wrote a nice long thoughtful blog post was last year on July 4^th. So, I thought it would be appropriate to have an entry about this July 4^th, which was drastically different from last year.

Before moving up to NOVA (that’s the local lingo for Northern Virginia ;) I had been told by a couple of people that I should go into DC for the national firework show. I was told that it was really something and completely worth the crowds. I came up here with plans of doing just that. But after mentioning it to the other fellows a couple of times it became clear to me that I was the only one interested in going. Since I wouldn’t be comfortable going by myself and I don’t know anyone else up here besides the other fellows, I woke up on the 4^th expecting to just stay in Fairfax and see the fireworks here.

I was happily surprised when I got a text message from one of the girls (whose family lives in Fairfax) saying we would grill out at her parents and then go see the national fireworks right outside DC by the Iwo Jima statue. We went over for dinner and left immediately after to head to where we’d watch the fireworks to get a spot. I took my first trip on the Metro since I’ve been here and we got there with a spot about an hour before the show started.

The firework show only lasted about 10 minutes but it was the best firework show I’ve seen so far in my life. They were right above the Washington Monument and I kept thinking how cool it would have been to be on the mall, but thankful that I was able to see them at all. We started the night with everyone glad that we came to see the fireworks since we probably wouldn’t have the opportunity to do so again.

Things started to go downhill from there. Once the show ended we met up with one of the girls’ brothers who drove and was going to drive us back to her car rather than us riding the metro. We then spent at least 30 minutes if not longer searching for his car. He couldn’t remember where he parked. He had no idea. Eventually we all gave up and decided to take the metro. He decided he would just have a friend drive him back to try to find his car. (By the way - he found the car two days later.)

We get to the Metro and it is packed. I mean like I don’t think I’ve ever been around so many people. Each train that comes is packed, just people on top of each other. We had to wait as several trains went by only a couple people getting off and then a couple of people let on. After waiting for about a half hour we finally cram into a train. There were five of us, I was the last one in, and I didn’t think I was going to fit, but we did it. Everyone was hot and sweaty and on top of each other. We probably laughed for a good 5 minutes once we got on at the ridiculousness of it all.

We finally got back to the car about 2 hours after the firework show had ended. Everyone was in pretty poor spirits and came to the conclusion that it was totally not worth it and they would never do it again. I for some reason remained in a pretty great mood despite everything and decided that I would totally do it again except if I did I would go all the way into the city.

It was a good 4^th of July. 

The Civil Wars

Thanks to my awesome roommate I got to see The Civil Wars last night. They were really amazing live. The way they can use their voices kind of blows my mind.

I've had this song stuck in my head all day...

They said it was their one happy song.

"Some people are put here to cheer you up. We are not that band."

Ahhh but they're so good.