What is True, Unconditional Love?

      "We Love because He (God) first Loved us".

"Children need love, especially when they do not deserve it."

            I wasn't going to start this entry with a verse from the Bible but I thought it went right along with it. That is what True, Unconditional Love is. It it giving up your life for someone else. It is sticking by them through the hardest times. It is trying to find a way through for them so you both can be happy and stop worrying for each other. It is supporting someone else even if you have to give up your own dream. We usually don't pay attention to unconditional love in everyday life but God has been pointing that out to be lately and it has made every day great and easy for me in ways but then some ways not. We tend to go about our days just doing what is right and no more and sometimes those little things might be love but we don't notice until the person or thing we love is gone. I have a couple of examples in my life right now that I will share and it will be along one. :)
            First one is about one of the children I work with and that is what I mean when you don't know the difference you made until a child is gone. I started with this child by myself because of the way things were at my job and it wasn't easy but I got through it. The child came from a environmentally bad home and was a year or 2 behind his normal age. He could not listen either because he had too many ear infections. This child did not know how to eat or even sit at a table. When he first came in and ate, he sat right on the floor. He would throw his food off the tray. He would scream and cry non-stop. He didn't know how to play with toys so he would just throw them everywhere and at everybody. He also screamed because that is the only way he knew how to communicate. He did not like baths at all when he first came. He also wanted to be held all the time and if you didn't do that he would kick and scream. He wanted held but wouldn't cuddle. He doesn't like transitions at all and still has a hard time with them.
             That all changed in only 3 months. It was a miracle to see it happen and I got to be a part of it. Where I work got him into all therapies (OT, PT, ST) and those seem to help a lot. He got tubes put in his ears while staying where I worked and that opened up a whole new world for him. He became more active after the surgery for his ears. He babbled more instead of screaming. He sits in a high chair now and at the tables sometimes. He eats with his silverware now where before he didn't know how to use them. He will try a little bite of different foods but he still loves any kind of rices and baked beans. He will have 2nd on those. He will sit by himself and try to play and build with toys. He was just starting to play with the other children this month. He loves to swing now and he will go up the climber and down the slide is a staff will go with him and he laughs about it too. He lets me cuddle and rock him for bedtime where before he wouldn't. He would give me butterfly kisses on the nose and laugh about it. I am going to miss his laugh and smile and his beautiful blue eyes. I got to where I could understand his babble and if not I would just say "oh! really!" and that would seem to be okay with him. You had to get really excited and happy with him if you wanted him to do something that he didn't like.
             I'm saying all the good things about this child but there was a lot of true, unconditional love at the start when he came in. God helped me through that is for sure. He gave me the peace and patience for this child. He would kick and hit like no other when he first came in. He would throw toys at staff when he was mad or just in a general direction and sometimes we would get hit. First few baths were hard because he was hitting.
             There was not a smile on that child's face when he first came in to where I worked but I know that there will be a smile on his face when he leaves because of what we did for him. As one of the workers said, "I have no idea how you did it with him but he connected right to you. You were like a angel sent for him. You had/have the gift to help him when no one else would have." I kept thinking, "It was all God, all this time." There is just no way of explaining the whole 3 months. You just had to be there to experience it.
             I will share the 2nd story of unconditional love later this weekend. This story was long.
         

Love, Faith, Glory

         Love is most important that is why it is first. We have to love first. Without love,  nothing else can happen. It reaches to the lowest and highest places. It could reach as high as Heaven. Heaven has no limits just like unfailing love should have no limits.
          Faith is the 2nd important  thing. When you have love then you can have faith. Faith is believing in someone or something enough to encourage on in their pursuit of life. But it can't go as long as love. Faith can only reach the clouds. Faith has a limit because a person can only believe so much.
            Glory is the 3rd important thing. When you have love and faith, then you are able to show glory to God. He has given you that love and faith to show Him to other people. His Glory has no limits either. It may shine all over the Earth so everyone will know Him.
           This entry is based off of Palm 57:10-11. I tried to summarize what it meant to me. It is interesting that those three things are in that order and that there is a limit on each. That is what got me the most. Why would God put those verses in His Word like that? He is the God of order. That is one reason but are there other reasons. Sorry this entry is short but I promise the next one will be really long.

God's Peace Brings Victory Over the People

       "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the Lord, who had compassion on you. "-Isaiah 54:10

         How great a promise that is to those who believe in God! No matter what happens, God will be right that by us. He will give us His Peace to win His people over. We might fight it a lot because we might not know what His peace is at first or who we need to tell the good news to. Having His peace in our lives is one of the greatest childlike delights that we often overlook.
         This verse was in my yesterday's devo about how we should have childlike delights in God and follow Him. I agree. If we look at everything like a child does then we would have a worry free life. Peace would be around us all the time. Just think of how children play around with each other and say things we think are funny yet so True but they aren't scared to say it. I love being around children because there is a Peace there for me.
        Not just any children for me but abused and neglected ones and ones in poverty. Within there, lies the victory for me and the children are my kind of people. Sometimes even their family could be a victory too depending on the situation. That's my mission right now is to bring hope and love to those children and when I know it I will know I have a victory.
        I see little victories everyday though. A child learning how to talk (aka saying all done) to a 3 year old just learning how to eat and play with toys. It could also be to see how they just start to play with their siblings if they never have it even other children, going down the slide with someone else with a smile on their face, or kicking a ball for the first time. Forgot an important thing to could also be when they are just getting  the routine that you have been doing over and over for 3 months at least. God amazes me everyday! It is when I see those victories that God's Peace hits me again and again because it reminds me why I'm doing what I'm doing. It gets me through the day sometimes. Some days I ask myself how did I get through that and the only answer is God's Peace.
           Again you might have mountains or Hills in your life, whether job or personal. I know I have some personal ones too right now that I need God's Peace and help  over to have a victory in those situations. I just don't want the whole world to know those situations so I don't write about them as often. Sometimes it is an ongoing thing that you have to keep praying about until God gives you an answer.
            EVERY MOUNTAIN OR HILL CAN BE A VICTORY WHEN YOU HAVE GOD'S PEACE WITH YOU! :) Don't ever forget that! :)
           Maybe another title for this entry could be "God's Peace Brings the Appearance of God". Which title is better for this entry?

God is a Foster Father

         Now I know most of you are thinking has she gone crazy because of the title. I won't answer that. You can after you read this entry. It is a different way to look at it but for some of might be the perfect picture.
        God is a Foster parent before He is the Father of our personal life. Now don't get me wrong, the Bible does say He is The Father and there is no way I'm disagreeing with that. If you look at your life through steps with Him this could be a step. The Bible also says that we are adopted into the Family of God as one of God's children. I am along with you His Child.
        Do you know that moment where things are iffy before giving your life over to him? Before you say, "OK, God I'm yours".  Those times you have questions about who He is and who you are in Him. Doesn't a child have those same questions about their foster parents? We have no idea what we are getting ourselves into yet God knows exactly. A child is scared about going to foster parents especially when they have to do it a lot of times. Thank God that we only have to go once because the gifts of grace and unfailing love.
          It's when we give our lives over to God that we are adopted into the Family of God. It is when we can say,  "okay, God, I love you and trust you with my life." It is when we stop trying to run away and go to Him thinking He is a safe refuge and He does love me. Sometimes I wonder why the Church becomes more involved in children's lives especially foster children and families because we are all the same. We just have a bigger God that will never fail us.
         Next time you look into the eyes of a child, especially a Foster or adopted one, think what can I do to help them? I was Iike them once spiritually. What did God do for me in my time of need? I'm sure the foster families would love your help to because it can take a community to raise a child just like it takes a church to raise a believer.
         We are adopted into God's Family because He first Loved us in our sin and messed up lives. God had a choice to love us and He chose to in the painful way. Why can't we love the innocent children when they have no choice about their lives yet? It's hard but the reward is so great!

Crowned with the Appearance of God

       I'm outside lying on the ground in a park with the sun shining through the trees.  I have my own spot of trees and grass around me. I've been writing in my notebook and on here. Sun is trying to poke through the trees.
        As I lay under the trees, I feel like I'm being crowned with the Appearance of God. Just think as the sunlight coming down on me in the shade. I feel like I'm getting some of God's Light so I can show other people Him. It might seem like a light picture but it's not something to take lightly in life.
        When you are crowned with the Appearance of God in life, you have one, big purpose that God gave you and that I'd go make followers for Me. He has called us to be appearance of Him everyday, everywhere, home and work. For me I take it seriously at my job because I the children need God's Love and Face. I know to some of them I must be God, which is sad
          You might even have to have someone else to put that crown on you.  You might need a supporter or support group like Co workers or friends or even family. Someone should encourage you enough by putting that crown on for Christ that you want to do it for other people. It might be along with that person or not. We need to earn that crown. We need to work for it everyday. Get up and start a new.
          You hear the saying, "People where many hats"? Well, whoever has a relationship with God only wears a crown for Him because that is our job. We are Princesses or princes for Him.

         Challenge: Are you wearing your crown for God so people can see His appearance through you today?
        

Words are Spoken

       This entry will be short but full of a miracle. One God moment changed my day yesterday and it was during evening snack time at work.
        There is this little boy at work that is a year developmentally behind so he has a hard time doing things but we are making a difference and you could tell yesterday. He did want snack so instead of throwing it on the floor like he usually does, he got up and threw it away in the trash without being told. Then he handed the bowl to me.
           While he handed me the bowl,  he said, "All Done" clearly as day. That is a big step for this little guy because usually he just jabbers like a 2 year old. This is proof that having a routine for children work especially if they are developmentally behind. It's my first time really seeing it work and why. I've always heard it worked better and easier but this time I saw it with my own eyes. We have had him for almost 3 months now.
          It's little moments like these that humble me and reminds me why I do what I do and love what I do. It's really see  God work both ways.

Creativity is from the Lord

        Once again, I'm writing on phone so this is more for memory. I hate it that I have to write on here through because I have so much to write but I'm just doing the summary of my thoughts. I don't write as often as I should because it takes forever.
         Anyways, I have been thinking a lot about creativity and God because one of my morning devos was about that. If we really think about it we are more creative then anyone thinks. It might be at different things in different ways but we are made in the image of God.
         GOD IS THE CREATOR OF THE WORLD!
         What my devo was talking about through was finding creative ways to be with Him instead of the old routine. Change it up a bit because that is one way you'll get closer to the Creator. It's good to pray about the same things over and over but it could get to the point where it doesn't mean anything anymore. I asked myself, "What does that mean in my prayer life and life in general?" Do I need to pray in more of a poem way or somewhere else like pick a spot and pray,  or pray little prayers throughout the day that's not a bad idea. That could be a start!
          Then I got to thinking about some of my friends and what they are using their passions for and how they are using them to bring Glory to God. Some of them have a very creative way. It could be as simple as taking a photo or painting a picture. It could go to your life's work and make a whole new TV show about your passions. That is using your passion and bringing you close to God especially if the show is an outdoor show. If you want a good show to watch about God and creation, go to: www.thg-tv.com.
           I want to work the creative way with children since that is my passion. Sometimes God might not show us right away. He might give us steps or ideas. With the children, mine could be art projects, games, or ways I tell them to behave because with some children you really do have to be creative. I know, though,  that God has a more creative way for me to take care of more children. I just have to ask Him to show me.

Challenge for Today: Think and pray about how you can be creative for THE CREATOR.