Editor’s note: This “Back Porch” originally ran in the Sept. 1, 2006, issue of The Land.
During our summer vacation, the girls and I spent time in a quaint little shop that sold singing stuffed animals.
Their favorites were a Teddy bear dressed as an old west dancehall girl that sang the world famous lyric “I want to be loved by you, and nobody else but you, boop-oop-a-doop,” a duck dressed in a yellow rain coat that sang “Singing in the Rain” (something my husband threatens to do in his birthday suit if it would just rain this summer), and a dog dressed in motorbike gear that sings “Born to be Wild.”
Feeling sorry for the store owner who must sing these ditties in her sleep, I decided to prompt some small talk to divert her attention from her lone customers, three giggling teenagers whose silliness intensified with each animated animal.
Five songs into our conversation, I learned that this shop owner doubled as the executive director of Sunbeam Boys Home, an orphanage for boys located in Bushy Park, Jamaica. She explained that boys as young as 5 years old were often removed from their homes because of abuse, poverty, family illness, difficulties with the law, a death in the family, etc. Her eyes brighten as she shared the hope their orphanage was radiating into the lives of these needy boys.
Recognizing a kindred spirit I told her my excitement that GEMS Girls’ Clubs, the ministry that I’m on staff with, had a team that was leaving that week for Zambia, an African nation that has overwhelming needs because of the AIDS crisis. The team plans on building a home for a house mom and the orphans under her care, and training Zambian women to begin GEMS Girls’ Clubs mid-week programs in their churches.
We never noticed the now-muted animal choir, so engaged were we in sharing our passion to help needy kids.
Needy kids. You’ll find them in Jamaica, Zambia, Mozambique and right here in United States in the neighborhood that you call home. AIDS and abuse, poverty and illness, gangs and custody battles, addictions and disabilities, children are victims of war, pornography, prostitution and parental busyness, and wounded by a lack of funding, feeding, educating and protecting ... How do we rise to the challenge?
Wess Stafford, president and CEO of Compassion International and author of the must-read book, “Too Small To Ignore” (Waterbrook Press, 2005), encourages us to rise to the challenge one child at a time.
He writes, “It begins now, here, and with you! It begins with the very next child God brings across your path. Every child you encounter is a divine appointment. With each one you have the power and opportunity to build the child up or tear the child down.”
For those of us blessed with children living under our roof, that opportunity is a daily one. What are we doing with it?
Sadly, I think back to a time when Stephanie was in first grade and had designated amounts of time that her teacher required her to read aloud to a parent each week.
During an evening routine of folding clothes, washing supper dishes and picking up toys, Stephanie said, “I know you’re busy, Mom, I’ll just follow you around and read.”
Not knowing how everything was going to get done before bedtime, I let her.
Regrettably, I missed an opportunity that night.
“Why are children easy to ignore in the mainstream of human life?” Stafford asks and then answers, “They rarely cry out if overlooked — or worse, traumatized or abused. Yet it is vital for the future of humanity that we make children a priority in every area of life.”
How do you make children a priority in your life?
Parents, are you deliberate in arranging your leisure time so you can be with your children? Do you shut off the TV so you can talk or play games? Are your bedtime rituals rushed or relaxed, allowing you to soak in precious bonding time with your children?
Citizens of this great country, if there’s a need for Little League coaches, school safety patrol volunteers, Sunday school teachers, or other just-for-kids programs, are you quick to volunteer?
Do you go to youth events to encourage the next generation, even if you don’t have a child up on stage or on the court? Have you ever considered being a foster parent or going halfway around the world to help children who desperately need hope?
There are those who count the years until the kids are out of the house and on their own. How much better if we’d count the opportunities that we have to really make a difference for this world by investing in the lives of children.
If you make the commitment, Stafford shares this certainty, “Few gifts on earth are as wondrous as the love of a child. Advocates for children know deep in their hearts the truth of the saying, ‘You never stand so tall as when you stoop to help a child.’”
