Soon we will be entering the Holiday season.  For us that means Christmas lights, hot chocolate (even if it is still 80-something degrees outside), and time spent with family and friends.  As we approach this time of gift giving and cheer, I find myself having more and more conversations lately about children who have so much, and yet maybe don’t appreciate that like they should.

The reality is that we all want to give our kids nice things.  I don’t know a single parent who wishes to withhold from their child, but we live in a society that makes balancing giving our children what they would like to have and raising adults who help meet the needs of others more and more difficult to achieve.  We are constantly being shown bigger and better things.  Just think about it – most of us carry a smart phone in our pocket and by the time we have had it two years, we are ready for another one; leaving the one we have to sit in a drawer because we don’t want to throw it away.

I was driving home tonight thinking about these things.  I remember vividly being the family who would have someone knock on the door around Christmas and drop off food and presents.  While I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, I do think it has always made me aware that everyone won’t have the same Christmas that I will have in this house.  Should that make you feel guilty? Absolutely not. I know that we all work very hard to provide, and giving gifts is something that should bring happiness to both the giver and receiver.

However, if you find yourself wanting to find a way to reach out and do something with your kids this year, please know that Families First Network has plenty of foster kids who they try to provide something for Christmas. Especially as they get closer to Christmas and realize that there are some kids who will fall through the cracks if someone doesn’t donate. Maybe you want to adopt a child or family.  There are social workers in every community looking for people to help provide a Christmas for needy families. When I used to pick a family for our department to support, I know the list our social worker was making was full by middle October. Our church adopts families every year and sends people out to specifically buy for each person.  This is something JD has been a part of his whole life, and while you might think your child is too young, trust me when I tell you that they pick up on these things at a young age, and look forward to it.

Do you bake or can you buy a baked good?  One of the things that has most impacted my heart in the last couple of years is knowing there is a boys’ home not too far down the road filled with boys whom the state has deemed un-place-able in foster care.  Knowing how much joy they got just from having people decorate their house while they were at school, and drop off baked goods for a week, is something that still makes me tear up. While you probably won’t ever get to meet those kids face-to-face, as there are parameters around when people can be in the house, you don’t have to see the joy on their faces to understand it when they send thank yous or you hear from the home parents about how excited they were. Young men, caught between childhood and being an adult, needing a reminder that maybe there is a warm place in the world.  And maybe, they might find it for themselves one day.  Yes, as small as it seems, you might just give that in a pan of brownies.

Maybe you have a heart for the elderly. I can tell you that my friend, Courtney, is always looking for blankets, socks, coats, toiletries, and other small items to give to her elderly clients. She is a social worker, and they do a drive each year. Often we think about the children, as we should, but we should also remember those who maybe no longer have someone to help take care of them.

My last suggestion is not just a Christmas thing, but a year round commitment. Back in September, we had Bill Wilson of Metro World Child come speak at the church.  If you are unfamiliar with Bill, you should really check out his biography.  Abandoned on a street corner at age 12, he waited for his mom to return for 3 days before being rescued – not by a minister, but by a regular ol’ person who saw a need and took him in.  Thankfully, he was taken in by a kind hearted person who only had his best interest at heart.  In turn, Bill made a life ministry out of reaching children.  His programs allow his team to be in contact over 150k children each week in New York City, as well as countries and cities in parts of the world that we can hardly imagine. They are a boots on the ground organization. While it is easy to look at these types of adopt-a-child programs and wonder if they are a scam, this program allows you access to see how your child being helped and what you are contributing towards.

My child’s name is Jessa Mae – which made my sisters smile because that legit sounds like something I would name a daughter of my own.  The welcome package is full of all kinds of information on your child – including exactly why they need help.  For my girl, it’s not so much that she doesn’t have family, but that her family struggles meeting all their needs.  While there are some who have health issues, or who have a different family life, there are those like Jessa Mae and her family who are just living in a poverty stricken country and need some help with necessities. Maybe it’s a way to introduce different cultures, and countries to your children. Maybe you can’t commit for a whole year.  They are doing a Thanksgiving dinner drive right now for a $25 donation per box.  If you have a minute, I’m telling you that visiting the metro world child website might change your life….or the life of a child.

You see, to me, the greatest gift is the one that keeps giving. It’s the one that brings a smile, but even more important brings a glimmer of hope.  Isn’t that what the Christmas Season is about?  Maybe it looks like bows on packages. Maybe it looks like baked goods. Maybe it looks like a sacrifice of time. Yet to the receiver it could be the gift of hope they have been longing for.

~A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices~

This is a beautiful life.