Purposeful in Parenting – Serving Others

Galatians 5:13-14 (English Standard Version)

 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Serving others…….I want my children to do that….to look beyond our teeny tiny part of the world and see the world as Jesus did……full of people who need help!  People who need to know the Light Of The World.  But serving others is not always very comfortable or easy.  Most of the time when I see need in the world it makes me feel so uncomfortable, my life is so comfy, so cushy, so neat and orderly and clean.  And I-like-that!  But God has called me to serve others and it starts with my neighbors.  And guess who my closest neighbor is……yep, my husband.  And no I’m not saying that Stephen is disorderly and unclean, but sometimes I forget that my primary responsibility right now is to love (serve) Stephen, to love (serve) our children, to work at home to be kind……(Titus 2:4-5).

I love the verse in Ephesians 2:10:

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

We were made to do good works (to serve others) and God especially hand picked those works out for me and those works out for you to do!  Isn’t that great!!  How freeing it was for me to know that God has selected the works He wants me to do and they don’t and won’t look like the same good works as He has picked out for someone else!!

Ok, so back to being Purposeful in Parenting.  I want Carlos, Jeremiah, Natalie and Ben to learn to look beyond soccer-and-crackers-and-superman-and-shoes-and-toys to reach out, even in their own little way to someone in need.  So I started praying several months ago that God would raise up ways for us to serve others.  Ways that even Jeremiah and Natalie could do.  I did not know if that was even a remote possibility, I mean, come on, how could a 2 and 3 year old serve someone else.  But you know, God always makes a way!!

In April we learned that Sunday School student of mine from a LONG time ago had once again been diagnosed with a debilitating disease and of a young mom who was hospitalized and unable to see her children.  What could a 7, 3 and 2 year-old do to help these people.  Not a lot….but we could encourage them.  So I explained to my children who these people were and that we would send them some cards to encourage them. 

Even though we can’t be involved in the daily ministry our local pregnancy center, I love finding ways for our children to be involved in ministry and showing our support in a tangible way for LIFE!  The Blue Ridge Woman’s Center and the service they provide has always been very close to my heart.

Around the end of April we learned that a client The Blue Ridge Woman’s Center was in need of food.  So I had Carlos, Jeremiah and Natalie each pick out several of their favorite kinds of food from our pantry and we packed it up in a pretty bag delivered it to the Center.  But what really surprised me was how excited my kids were to go “shopping” in our pantry and how willing they were to give away their favorite food, even when it was the last one we had.  And we have prayed many times for this client who we call Esther (Carlos picked out this special name for her because we did not know her real name and it sounds funny to pray for “the lady without a name”).

On May 10th we got up at the crack of dawn and went to the Blue Ridge Woman’s Center Walk for Life.  For several week prior Carlos faithful asked different people at church and our neighbors for sponsorship donations.  And just about a week before the walk Jeremiah asked if he too could “walk for life” and collect money.  Carlos raised $198.00 and Jeremiah raised $216.00, so between both boys they raised over $400.00!!  I will admit that we “helped” Jeremiah quite a bit, but he did ask, all on his own, several people for sponsorship!!  And our entire family was able to enjoy and beautiful spring morning in support of LIFE!

I am excited to see how God will use my little children to serve the needs of others.  And I’m excited to see how He will use their service for His Kingdom and Glory.

So if you have made it to the end of my very long post congratulations!! And would you leave a comment and tell me the ways that God has used to teach you and your children how to serve others?