Totally worth it?

Christmas is in a week and I'm not sure I'm ready for it. This is the first year we'll have kids in our home. I've wrapped presents, but only for family members. Not a group of kids. I'm looking forward to that part! I'm just not sure I'm ready for all the excitement!

This is the time of year that I love because all the kids get a lot of gifts that they normally wouldn't get if at home. I know that sounds crass, but hear me out! People give out of their hearts and take time out of their own busy schedules to go shopping for [my] kids. I love that! And there are always other things happening! We have youth groups coming in the summer. We have groups during the school year. It's just awesome!! There's one thing that I've noticed though. In the age of social media, I've noticed that people are just ready to pounce on announcing that they've donated toys for kids for Christmas, or they've donated a meal for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Or they've given to a certain organization such as the one my husband and I work for. That's fantastic! Keep doing that!

I have a point to make. Bear with me! We are trying to serve the Lord daily by helping kids heal from past trauma and looking to a bright future. Some kids are harder than others. There's abuse of all kinds, drug use, alcoholism, and neglect. The main goal is reunification with parents or other immediate family members (grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.) and if that doesn't work out, a forever family through adoption. We're looking to adopt a child or two ourselves. Back to my point. I know that lots of people give of their time and money for the kids in care at my facility. Especially around this time of year. And there are always donors who send money once a month for birthdays, new school years, new intakes, etc. And that's great!

My point: Why do 85% of people, that aren't already donors where I work, give year round? Instead of just around the holidays. I'm not doubting that people have their own budget issues and life events that can't always be helped. New babies, new houses, new cars, car accidents, car repairs, moving, job changes. I'm not denying any or all of that. It's happened to me and my husband, both married and apart. That's not what I'm saying. I'm asking: Why is it that you only do it around a certain time of year? Why not all year? It's the 'teach-a-man-to-fish' concept. For my husband and I, it's year-round for us. It's our ministry. We are in love with this ministry! I'm not saying we're better than anyone. Because we're sinners just like everyone else on the planet. And until we got this job, I had NO STINKING CLUE what to do to serve the Lord better. I really didn't. I knew that I needed to be a Godly wife, to pray for my husband, listen to him when it came to his leading and decision making. That aside, I didn't know what else to do outside of that realm of caring for my husband.

We use the Sanctuary model. Teaching these children how to heal from their trauma, look to the future while serving God, and using tools like Growth and Change, Social Responsibility, and Emotional Intelligence, along with other things, to move forward in that service to God. Helping them believe that not all adults are criminals, drug users, alcoholics, and/or abusers. Helping them grow to know that Jesus is the Ultimate Sacrifice and to let That Light shine wherever they go in life. So in essence, what I do is TOTALLY WORTH IT! If I can help five out of twenty kids that come in and out of my home, I'll praise God in that! If it's only one child, I'll still praise God in that! It's about praising Him in the more than just the eye of the hurricane! Praising Him while being frustrated at her for not telling the truth, praising Him while being very upset that he's broken a plate for the fifth time in two weeks. It's totally worth it!! As long as the Lord gets all the glory, I will always say that what I do is TOTALLY WORTH IT!