Simple Life

The other day we were swinging after school. There's a little plastic swing set tucked behind our center with concrete/tile-ish floors and walls surrounding it and just enough space for a toddler to go "really high".
Though I try not to let my mind go there, sometimes I find myself wishing for green grass and space to run and climb for our little girl and every other child here. Just as I caught myself going down this not so helpful path, sweet words from this darling girl, reminded me of the privilege of this place and our lives here.

"Mommy are we at the park?"

 I'm amazed at how this little 2 year old teaches me. "Out of the mouths of babes..." She doesn't have to say much, and it's not even so much what she says as how she says it: twinkling eyes, sweet smile, a tone that says there's nowhere else I'd rather be...

"Yes, honey, we are at the park!"

And I'm so happy to be here with you. Grateful for this swing set, grateful for simplicity and grateful for your little thankful heart...may God continue to make it grow and grow and grow and continue to grow mine too.

Rescue

Last month I had the opportunity to attend an event called ReScUe hosted by one of the most compassionate people I have ever met, and someone I'm honored to know.

Going in, I knew the night was going to be HeAvY, and that was an understatement for sure. The subject at hand was HuMaN TrAfFickInG. AKA: Slavery in the 21st Century, the ExPloItaTiOn of men, women, and children for labor and/or sex.

I wish I could fully share the night's experience with you. The speakers, dramas, video clips, images, etc. were heart breaking, startling, and quite overwhelming. My heart was stirred.

Here's only a bit of what I didn't know:

• • 27 millions people are in some form of sLaVeRy right now.
  • 50% of these people are ChIldReN and 80% are female.
  • Nearly 18,000 victims are trafficked into the U.S. each year (50/day).
  • The average age of entry into the commercial sex industry is 12 years old.
  • U.S. citizens account for 25% of SeX ToUriStS worldwide.

This issue is not something that just happens OvEr ThErE. It is close to home, in our very own country, and I didn't know ...but now I do, and I can't ignore it.

So what do I do?...

I tell you. I pray. I penetrate darkness with the light of TrUtH. I hope. I give. I speak. I love. I pray some more. I ask. I cry. I remember and not forget. I advocate. I trust in the One who is greater than all these things. I fight. I don't listen to the voice in my head that says this issue is too big. I educate myself. I move.

What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

If you are interested in speaking for those who do not have a voice, loving those who can do nothing for you in return, penetrating darkness, making a difference and joining the fight, please visit the International Justice Mission site, and let your voice be heard. It will take one minute of your time, but it could help spare many little ones a life of pain, exploitation, and utter darkness. Your voice matters. Let it be heard.

Bling, Bling...

It is quite possible that my engagement ring has never seemed so BeAuTiFuL to me as it does today. Let's just say I have been given the blessing of living, in a small way, the Parable of the Lost Coin...

Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and LoSeS one. Won't she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and SeArCh carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, "Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin." In the same way, there is JoY in the presence of God's angels when even one sinner repents.

After a long day with my 28 DaRliNgS, following a night of searching, I am too spent to ReLiVe the tale at present...coming soon, but I can say that in a small way I have been awakened anew to the deep JoY of finding that which is lost and the SoRrOw that comes while longing for its return...

The Present

Some truths that have been staring me in the face this week:

Life on Earth is short.

Life is unpredictable.

I count it a privilege to share in others' stories. My job allows me to share in so many, and my community at Bloomingdale Church affords even more opportunities. I hear bits and pieces of stories from the lives of family and college and high school friends through facebook, phone conversations, blogs, emails, etc. Stories are all around me...

Some heartbreaking quotes from this week include:

"S won't be at school tomorrow. Her step-brother committed suicide over the weekend"
~Our School Social Worker

"I just got called down to sign my pink slip."
~ Friends and Co-workers who lost their jobs this week

"I feel guilty that my parents spend so much money on karate for me. I'm terrified of foreclosure."
~Journal Entry from a Fifth Grade Student

"My lunch mom's husband died last night"
~Colleague and Friend

"The cancer spread to my lungs. Chemo starts tomorrow."
~ Women's Bible Study

I could go on, but I'll stop there. I think you get the idea.

I mention pieces of these stories not to depress you or stir up fear . I mention them because I am being changed by them. These are stories from everyday people. People like me, and most likely, people like you. They remind me of my frailty and lack of control in life. They scream REALITY to one who thinks she (me) is in control and pretends to have a PLAN. They teach me to be content and grateful. They teach me to be generous with time. They teach me to take myself less seriously. They teach me to take myself more seriously. They teach me to care deeply, to weep, and mourn. They teach me to LOVE...

My heart is overwhelmed. As I write this, I wonder if there is any way I can possibly express the awakening happening inside of me. I am moved.

Not knowing what lies ahead in this world gives me a FREEDOM in the PRESENT. Thoughts and worries that so often fill my mind vanish when I consider my lack of control. Instead I am filled with the desire to make the most of each moment...to be fully PRESENT.

I am one who has dwelt upon the past on a regular basis. Sometimes I dwell on the past because hurtful things myself or others have done continue to mess with my heart today. Other times I want to go back because I was so much happier, prettier, skinnier, more peaceful, confident, fun...back then.

I've also been one to dwell on the future i.e. what will we do with our lives, when can we have kids, will we have enough, will we get to do this or that...? What if something happens to _____, _______, _______, or _______?

I foolishly dwell on these things. All the while, I miss out on fully experiencing the PRESENT...the time that, ironically, was once my FUTURE and will soon become my PAST.

I cannot know what my life on Earth has in store for tomorrow, the next day, or any day after that for that matter. The stories I have heard from this week alone give me no choice to deny this fact. All I know is what my life on Earth holds at this moment so I pray that this recent movement in my heart and mind will continue to change me and that I will be given humility and strength to love deeply in all things big and small....to love deeply NoW because I do not know what quotes my story will hold tomorrow.
Whatever may come to pass, it is my HoPe that this quote will AlwayS be the central theme of my story:

Above all, LoVe each other DeePly...there is no FeAr in LoVe.
~ The Author of EvErY story