Welcome

If you are new to our site, this blog is sort of a hodge podge of our ministry and family life, and whatever else God lays on my heart to share. The Home Page above will link you to our Sufficient Grace Ministries page. You can read more about the 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization and the outreaches of this ministry whose mission is to offer comfort and hope to grieving parents. The Blog button brings you to the page you are currently reading, featuring a variety of subjects...some ministry updates, some family news, and some biblically-based encouragement. The Walking With You page is a place for bereaved parents who have lost a baby or child to find encouragement and hope. It is an online support group created so that families would know they are not walking this path alone. On the Dreams of You Shop page, you can learn more about the products and services we offer, place an order, or sponsor a family. The Encouraging Women blog is a work in progress. There, we hope to offer biblically-based encouragement to all women. The Resource page has been newly updated with a list of resources that are helpful for grieving parents. Our blogroll is also located on this page. Thank you so much for visiting our site. Blessings to you...

Tuesday, December 7, 2021

SGM Visits The Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity House

 



The first time I spoke to the gentleman from Alpha Sigma Phi, I wondered how they would respond. I walked into the room filled with college boys, wearing ties – some rumpled, some pristine, some sleepy from activities the night before. I carried my Sufficient Grace Ministries bag filled with a Comfort Bear and Dreams of You book on my shoulder and a red flowered headband in my hair. I smiled to cover the intimidation I felt, walking into a room filled to the brim with testosterone.

They’re just “boys in your kitchen“, I tried to convince myself. They continued to file in with their boisterous boyness, lively and noisy. I swallowed the knot in my throat, wondering how on Earth it was that I would find myself in this place, about to talk a bunch of college boys about babies dying. I was certain this was the last thing they would want to hear.

Ian whispered, “Don’t be nervous, Mrs. Gerken.”

I said, “I’m always nervous, Ian. But, I’ll be fine.”

I stood up and began telling them the story of a twenty-one year old husband and wife standing over the grave of their baby girls, our story. I told about choosing life for Thomas and being carried through grief. They were quieted and humbled and moved. Some looked at me and nodded. Some looked down. This is a hard subject for most seasoned adults. But, all of them listened. When I was finished, and Ian suggested they volunteer to make Comfort Bears, they responded with a level of enthusiasm closer to that seen at a rock concert than any church service I’ve attended. In fact, I’ve never seen a church lady hoot, holler, applaud and proclaim  “Let’s do this!” when I asked for volunteers. Just sayin’. Perhaps we could learn a thing or two about willing hearts from a bunch of college frat boys.

I smiled and laughed all the way home that day, thinking how unlikely a pairing, and yet, how just like God to bring together a fraternity and a ministry for grieving parents. How just like God not to be hindered by preconceptions or prejudice or boundaries. He longs to stretch us and grow us beyond the comfortable hindrances we build for ourselves. If we knew the limitlessness of His grace and love, it would humble and shock us to the core. I will be honest, staring into the truth of the realization that “there is no can’t” with God is both exhilarating and frightening.

Yesterday, Kaye, Lynette, Peggy, and I spent the afternoon with about 20 boys from Alpha Sigma Phi at the BGSU campus, stuffing about 40 Comfort Bears, and cutting Teeny Tears diapers, hearts, and ribbon. One of the students even helped sew the bears shut after stuffing. We prayed and stuffed bears and listened to the story telling and laughed, just like when boys fill my kitchen. But, instead of my kitchen, we were stuffing Comfort Bears in the middle of a frat house.


It was a sobering thought for the small group of young men gathered around the table as I showed them a tiny diaper, made to fit a baby that is 20-25 weeks old. I told them how much it means for parents to have something tangible, and to make as many memories as they can with their babies for the short time they have with them. The weight of that reality settled heavy on their faces, as I told them how special it is to parents that each item is made by hand.


 Another boy shared, “It’s something to think that each one of these bears will go to a grieving parent.”

These bears, and so many more. The number is staggering.


In the baby loss community, great emphasis is placed on awareness and advocacy. Many are passionate about breaking the silence, knocking down the barriers, dispelling the loneliness, eliminating the stigma. We stand with you, and understand the passion. But, at SGM, I rarely feel compelled to take up a “picket sign”. Not that I blame those who do…nor do I disagree. But, our mission has been more to come alongside a grieving heart gently, offering grace. Any awareness that is brought into the equation happens naturally, not forced. It comes out in the walking together. Like grace, it flows easily, saying I will meet you where ever you are. It can even happen in a college fraternity. Our form of awareness-spreading focuses not on numbers or forcefulness, but on the heart of each individual.

We were joined by my prayer warrior friend, Lynette, who helps weekly with shipping at SGM, and prays over the mothers on our list with me. She is a tiny mother of four strapping boys, and mighty in her gentleness. She also makes the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had.


Originally posted: April 21, 2013


One young man was a Comfort Bear stuffing prodigy. He showed us a key chain that he carries with him, in the shape of a tiny handprint. He volunteers often with a children’s hospital, and was struck when they told him that the tiny metal hand he now carries on the key ring was the actual size of a premature baby’s hand. He carries it with him as a reminder.


There’s a whole lot of beauty in this life, if we’re looking. And, a whole lot we can learn from listening to one another. That is true ministry, true awareness. A heart that listens with love and grace, and hands that work willingly alongside one another.

Another one of the “boys from my kitchen”, Brett, attends the University of Cincinnati. In one of his classes, he was asked to do a persuasive speech about a non-profit organization/charity, with the objective to convince the class/professor/audience that it would be a worthy cause to support. He chose to speak about SGM, and told the story of Faith, Grace, and Thomas and what SGM does for other families. He spent the night at our house on one of the recent evenings I was called to a hospital. The next morning, after being with the family all night, I sat with Brett, Timothy, Hannah and Brett’s mom, Peggy, stuffing Comfort Bears. He felt the heavy of my weariness as I hugged him tight in my exhausted stupor, grateful for his willingness to serve and sit with us awhile. He has a heart that notices. I cannot tell you how it touched my heart when he told me about his speech to his classmates. I’m not sure if he knows just how much it meant to me that he even knew the names of Faith, Grace, and Thomas…that they mattered enough to him to remember. And, that they were spoken aloud by a college boy, in front of other college students.

Because our babies lived, a generation is being changed and inspired, one heart at a time.

SGM Visits the Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity House

 


Originally posted April 21, 2013


The first time I spoke to the gentleman from Alpha Sigma Phi, I wondered how they would respond. I walked into the room filled with college boys, wearing ties – some rumpled, some pristine, some sleepy from activities the night before. I carried my Sufficient Grace Ministries bag filled with a Comfort Bear and Dreams of You book on my shoulder and a red flowered headband in my hair. I smiled to cover the intimidation I felt, walking into a room filled to the brim with testosterone.

They’re just “boys in your kitchen“, I tried to convince myself. They continued to file in with their boisterous boyness, lively and noisy. I swallowed the knot in my throat, wondering how on Earth it was that I would find myself in this place, about to talk a bunch of college boys about babies dying. I was certain this was the last thing they would want to hear.

Ian whispered, “Don’t be nervous, Mrs. Gerken.”

I said, “I’m always nervous, Ian. But, I’ll be fine.”

I stood up and began telling them the story of a twenty-one year old husband and wife standing over the grave of their baby girls, our story. I told about choosing life for Thomas and being carried through grief. They were quieted and humbled and moved. Some looked at me and nodded. Some looked down. This is a hard subject for most seasoned adults. But, all of them listened. When I was finished, and Ian suggested they volunteer to make Comfort Bears, they responded with a level of enthusiasm closer to that seen at a rock concert than any church service I’ve attended. In fact, I’ve never seen a church lady hoot, holler, applaud and proclaim  “Let’s do this!” when I asked for volunteers. Just sayin’. Perhaps we could learn a thing or two about willing hearts from a bunch of college frat boys.

I smiled and laughed all the way home that day, thinking how unlikely a pairing, and yet, how just like God to bring together a fraternity and a ministry for grieving parents. How just like God not to be hindered by preconceptions or prejudice or boundaries. He longs to stretch us and grow us beyond the comfortable hindrances we build for ourselves. If we knew the limitlessness of His grace and love, it would humble and shock us to the core. I will be honest, staring into the truth of the realization that “there is no can’t” with God is both exhilarating and frightening.

Yesterday, Kaye, Lynette, Peggy, and I spent the afternoon with about 20 boys from Alpha Sigma Phi at the BGSU campus, stuffing about 40 Comfort Bears, and cutting Teeny Tears diapers, hearts, and ribbon. One of the students even helped sew the bears shut after stuffing. We prayed and stuffed bears and listened to the story telling and laughed, just like when boys fill my kitchen. But, instead of my kitchen, we were stuffing Comfort Bears in the middle of a frat house.


It was a sobering thought for the small group of young men gathered around the table as I showed them a tiny diaper, made to fit a baby that is 20-25 weeks old. I told them how much it means for parents to have something tangible, and to make as many memories as they can with their babies for the short time they have with them. The weight of that reality settled heavy on their faces, as I told them how special it is to parents that each item is made by hand.


 Another boy shared, “It’s something to think that each one of these bears will go to a grieving parent.”

These bears, and so many more. The number is staggering.


In the baby loss community, great emphasis is placed on awareness and advocacy. Many are passionate about breaking the silence, knocking down the barriers, dispelling the loneliness, eliminating the stigma. We stand with you, and understand the passion. But, at SGM, I rarely feel compelled to take up a “picket sign”. Not that I blame those who do…nor do I disagree. But, our mission has been more to come alongside a grieving heart gently, offering grace. Any awareness that is brought into the equation happens naturally, not forced. It comes out in the walking together. Like grace, it flows easily, saying I will meet you where ever you are. It can even happen in a college fraternity. Our form of awareness-spreading focuses not on numbers or forcefulness, but on the heart of each individual.

We were joined by my prayer warrior friend, Lynette, who helps weekly with shipping at SGM, and prays over the mothers on our list with me. She is a tiny mother of four strapping boys, and mighty in her gentleness. She also makes the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had.


One young man was a Comfort Bear stuffing prodigy. He showed us a key chain that he carries with him, in the shape of a tiny handprint. He volunteers often with a children’s hospital, and was struck when they told him that the tiny metal hand he now carries on the key ring was the actual size of a premature baby’s hand. He carries it with him as a reminder.


There’s a whole lot of beauty in this life, if we’re looking. And, a whole lot we can learn from listening to one another. That is true ministry, true awareness. A heart that listens with love and grace, and hands that work willingly alongside one another.

Another one of the “boys from my kitchen”, Brett, attends the University of Cincinnati. In one of his classes, he was asked to do a persuasive speech about a non-profit organization/charity, with the objective to convince the class/professor/audience that it would be a worthy cause to support. He chose to speak about SGM, and told the story of Faith, Grace, and Thomas and what SGM does for other families. He spent the night at our house on one of the recent evenings I was called to a hospital. The next morning, after being with the family all night, I sat with Brett, Timothy, Hannah and Brett’s mom, Peggy, stuffing Comfort Bears. He felt the heavy of my weariness as I hugged him tight in my exhausted stupor, grateful for his willingness to serve and sit with us awhile. He has a heart that notices. I cannot tell you how it touched my heart when he told me about his speech to his classmates. I’m not sure if he knows just how much it meant to me that he even knew the names of Faith, Grace, and Thomas…that they mattered enough to him to remember. And, that they were spoken aloud by a college boy, in front of other college students.

Because our babies lived, a generation is being changed and inspired, one heart at a time.

To Better The Man

 Repost from November 22, 2013



A couple years ago, Ian, one of my son’s best friends, used to sit in my kitchen telling me how fraternities weren’t all about partying and mayhem. He spoke of philanthropy in flowery words filled with conviction. An excellent spinner of the words, I listened to his spiel with a smile and allowed him a slight victory this time. His examples were valid and respect worthy. Still, I wondered as a skeptical and protective mother does.

The years my son and his friends spent in my kitchen, eating and telling their boy stories were the most fun season of my life thus far. It was easy. I felt like they always blessed me more than I ever did for them, even then. They went off to college, and one in the Navy. Sometimes, they come back for visits, and tell their stories again, in my kitchen. Those times are sweet gifts.

Last year, Ian’s fraternity, Alpha Sigma Phi Gamma Zeta Chapter at Bowling Green State University, invited the ladies of SGM to bring our Comfort Bear supplies so they could help us stuff bears for mothers with grieving hearts. We gathered in the middle of their frat house and worked. It was such a blessing. I’ll admit, my heart softened a lot that day toward the idea of a college fraternity. All that I love about grace and way our Jesus accepts us as we are, well making our bears in the middle of a frat house…I think that sounds about right.

Last month, when Ian called me to ask if the gentlemen from Alpha Sig could host a fundraiser/service project for us, we were thrilled with the idea. We would set up in the middle of the student union and students could donate $5 to stuff a Comfort Bear for a grieving mother. So, not only would they be raising money for SGM, but also making bears! The boys worked and planned the event, making beautiful flyers and precious ribbons, all themselves. Those who couldn’t stuff a bear due to time constraints, could donate $2 for a ribbon. Ribbons made with the hands of these fraternity boys. The SGM Comfort Bear Team of six ladies worked hard, as well, cutting and sewing 125 bear shells to be stuffed in less than a month’s time! So grateful to the dedicated and hard-working volunteers at SGM. You ladies rock!



We arrived to find the gentlemen of Alpha Sig well prepared.

Students stopped to inquire about the enticing cute bears, and I listened as college boys explained to each one that these bears would be offered in packets sent by Sufficient Grace Ministries, to comfort grieving moms who have lost a child in pregnancy or at birth. My heart swelled with pride and a myriad of other emotions as I listened to Ian speak words that many seasoned adults would ignore listening to, much less have the courage to speak. Because people don’t want to know that sometimes babies die. Some members of my own family do not come to SGM or speak the names of my children. But the boys from my kitchen know their names. The faces of the students changed when they heard that these bears had such a somber purpose, and one by one, many dug into their wallets to donate $5 to stuff a Comfort Bear.

The managers of Starbucks came to ask about our setup and donated $40 after the gentlemen explained about SGM.





 












Above is my son’s beautiful girlfriend, Hannah, a student of BGSU and fellow SGM volunteer.

This is my Ian, the young man who used his position as philanthropy chair of Alpha Sigma Phi to make this amazing Build a Bear for Moms event possible. His incredible efforts and hard work, along with his team of brothers and the generous students and staff of BGSU earned $900 for SGM and stuffed 85 Comfort Bears to be sent around the world in Dreams of You care packages!!!! I love him like a son, and could not be more honored by him or proud of him for what he accomplished on Tuesday, and for his willing and beautiful heart to do it.



The motto of the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity is to Better the Man. On Tuesday, I would say these brave young men took giant steps toward being better men than most. The courage to show compassion, to look on the pain of another and offer something…even if just acknowledgment, to look even when it hurts or makes you feel emotion, the willingness to stand in the gap with another, to lay down your own comfort for someone else, to speak while others remain silent…that is the making of a better man. Those are the kind of men worth following.

Tears fell from my grateful cheeks as I struggled to find the words to convey to these gentlemen what their efforts meant for me and every other parent who has said goodbye to their sweet baby. I still can’t find the words, or stop the tears. The beauty of their hearts and their willingness to stand with us awhile, to offer all they could…well how can a mama find words for what that means to her heart? The ladies of Sufficient Grace Ministries love the gentlemen of Alpha Sigma Phi. And, you boys are welcome in my kitchen anytime. You will always have a place in my heart. Thank you is not nearly enough.

Bereaved parents, this day, the students of BGSU stood with you.



*You can read more thoughts on this day and a bit about another Alpha Sig member named Zeke on my Still Standing post.

More pictures of the event are displayed here.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Missing You

In case you haven't noticed, The Beauty of Sufficient Grace has moved to a new address at http://blog.sufficientgraceministries.org and changed to Wordpress. Unfortunately, I didn't do the best job at announcing where to find us, and also letting you know that you have to update your reader or whatever you use with the new address, if you'd like to keep in touch with us. Also, Google has made many changes with Friend Connect, which also hasn't helped the dilemma. All blogs without blogger addresses are no longer included. We don't have a large number of followers, and readership has dropped since switching to Wordpress (because I think we've been lost already to some!) but certainly don't want to lose track of those who are still visiting.  We love connecting with all of you. I posted on our new blog about how you can follow the Sufficient Grace Blog at Bloglovin'. I hope you'll join us there. So far, only 11 of the close to 400 followers have found us there! =) 1. We've joined Bloglovin' and you can follow there by clicking the link above. 2. If you're not already subscribing by email, you can do so by signing up on the right sidebar. After entering your email address, you will have to verify the subscription with the email they send you. Then you will automatically receive updates from The Sufficient Grace Blog directly to your inbox! If you are currently subscribing, you do not have to do anything...you will continue to receive emails from our blog. 3. You can click the link on the top right to Follow the RSS Feed. 4. You can also follow Sufficient Grace Ministries on Facebook. Thanks for those who are still reading: You are a blessing and encouragement to us. And, we pray that we can be a blessing to you, as well. Love to all....

Monday, October 3, 2011

Remember With Us ~ October 15th (And a My Forever Child Giveaway!)

For the last couple years on October 15th, we honored and prayed for many families who lost a baby or child. And, I would like to do it again this year. I hope you will join us. Here is an excerpt from last year's post:

October 15th is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. I have met so many beautiful families through Walking With You, this blog, and through Sufficient Grace Ministries. Your stories have touched my heart, and I want to remember each one of your precious babies. Every life is precious in the eyes of the Lord. Every life has value and purpose. While I have prayed for everyone who has crossed my path, it would be nice to have a list to pray for all in one place...with names and birth dates (and heavenly home-going dates). I thought it would be special for us to compile a list of our precious babies and post it here on October 15th. So, if you are a mother who has lost a baby/child and would like to include your family on our list, please leave your information in the comments below or email it to me at sufficientgraceministries@gmail.com. If your information is on last year's list, please note I will be including those previously listed and just adding any new names and re-posting the list. 

Even if we've never met (in real life or blog land!), you are welcome to participate. We want to remember all of the precious babies and their families. On that special day, I will post the list here and pray throughout the day for each of you...as we remember together. If you would like to help us spread the word on your blog so that we could include more families, please feel free! If you would like to include your child on the October 15th Remembrance Page, please leave the following in the comments below (on this post):

Child's Name
Parents Name
Birth Date
Entered Heaven:
Any message you may wish to share...or bible verse that brings you comfort



Also...if you are a grieving parent, and new to our site, please visit the Dreams of You Shop. If you would like a Dreams of You Memory Book or Comfort Bear, please email the shipping address listed on that page. We do not charge parents for our products or services. It is our desire and prayer to offer comfort and hope to every family who crosses our path.


*We would also like to bless a mama with a $50 gift certificate from My Forever Child!! So, if you would like to enter to win the gift certificate, please mention that you want to be included in your comment. 

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Musings and Happenings (and Puppies-Oh My!)

This morning, I'm finally working on some overdue Dreams of You Shipments and SGM thank yous. It has been difficult to keep up in this busy season, but if you are waiting to hear from us, please know you have not been forgotten. Shipments continue to go out to families all over the United States and beyond. If you are a supporter of this ministry, we thank you for your continued support and ask for your prayers for us as we reach out to grieving families, and for the beautiful families we serve as they walk this difficult path.

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month, with a special Remembrance Day on October 15th. Sufficient Grace Ministries will once again honor the lives of the precious babies who leave this earth too soon, as we have in the past. Candles will be lit, and prayers will be lifted on behalf of each family. We will also be hosting some giveaways to bless a few mamas in the coming weeks, so please stay tuned for more information. We've listed names for the past couple years here: October 15th Remembrance Page. Information coming soon about how you can add your child/family to the list.

Franchesca from Small Bird Studios has been working on a redesign of the Sufficient Grace website and this blog. I'm excited to reveal those changes when they are complete. The process included a photo shoot, (once again in the pouring rain) with Raechel Feehan (who was such a trooper to give her time and stand in the pouring rain with us...coaxing smiles out of my not-loving-getting-their-picture-taken guys). She does an excellent job of "capturing" our family. So excited to get an updated family picture on our wall...and to update the blog as well! Thank you beautiful Raechel...love you, girl!

I've been adjusting to a new school year, and loving spending time with the fourth grade students I work with each day. James is acclimating to middle school, and Timothy is well into his Senior year. Time is flying, golf clubs are clink-clanking, I'm following behind...sometimes a sappy puddle, acutely aware of the endings this year brings...even as we anticipate the adventure of beginnings. It has been a gift to watch him achieve some accomplishments on the course the past few weeks, and I'm missing my mom (who would relish every inch of it all). You know, you can't freely brag on your kids with anyone except your mama...at least it doesn't seem acceptable to do so. Only our mamas love them like we do. But, it has been a blessing to see his hard work bring some fruit this year (including his first hole in one last week, which was a fun surprise!). I'm looking forward to watching him compete at the district tournament this Thursday.

Our band One Way has been preparing for an upcoming performance at Oakdale United Methodist Church. We will be sharing some praise songs, and I will be speaking briefly about Sufficient Grace on Sunday, October 9th. Please keep that upcoming event in prayer.

After working as a concrete/excavating foreman for more than 16 years, my husband started his own business last month. He has been quite busy, and it has been such a blessing to see him use his gifts and abilities in new and creative ways. You can check out his website here: Gerken Construction. Stop over and give him a word of encouragement. He does beautiful work...and I would say that, even if he wasn't my husband. =)

Oh...and in the midst of it all, our beagle had puppies on the first day of school. She had a litter of eight, but two did not make it. So, it has been a roly-poly, tumble-bumpling romp of puppy goodness and cuteness around these parts...James has been in heaven! =)




They are seriously so cute, I cannot even deal!

Friday, September 30, 2011

I've Looked Away

For most of my life, while nestled on my comfy couch, indulging in some yummy food, when those commercials interrupted my entertaining television programs, I turned the channel. You know the ones. Bedraggled children with the lost look in their eyes. Hungry. Alone. Desperate. Bellies distended from malnutrition. Tattered rags falling from their shoulders. I turned the channel. I looked away.

My days are busy and full. Soccer games and golf tournaments. Baseball games in the summer. Finding the perfect dress to wear to a friend's wedding. Making sure the boys have nice new clothes for school. Shopping for the items on their Christmas list. Going to work to help pay our bills. Supporting my husband in his new business. Trying to find time to reach out to others through SGM.

But, when the least of these stood before me with  haunting brown eyes, I have looked away. Over and over again. No time to be bothered with images that are unsettling. The kind of thoughts that shake a faith with a firm foundation to it's knees. I looked away, because I was busy. I looked away because I didn't want to be uncomfortable. Because it's too hard to look, to really consider that children are living in such a hopeless state. I looked away, because I knew that if I ever really looked, I would be consumed with the idea of their suffering. I looked away because I am a selfish coward....because the task seems insurmountable....because there is nothing I can do to save them.

My heart's passion is to reach out to mother's who grieve the loss of their babies...to look on the kind of sorrow that many find uncomfortable, untouchable, that many look away from. And, yet there is a suffering that, as a mother, I cannot wrap my mind around...a suffering that seems too horrible to imagine. So, I have looked away.

But, something happened last Sunday. A speaker from Gospel for Asia came to share about their outreach for the children of India. He spoke of the desperation and poverty, the children cast aside and abused in unspeakable ways...rejected by a religion that tells them they are worthless, less than human if born to a certain "caste"...digging in garbage to find a scrap to feed their starving tummies...filthy from the slums they live in...drinking from a sewer to quench their thirst. I looked over at James, listening intently to the desperate tales of woe suffered by millions of children and fellow human beings on planet earth just minutes after proclaiming his determination to one day own a Playstation 3. I thought of how we cannot determine the conditions we are born into. It could have been me, or one of my children born into the same hopelessness. We know this life of comfort, freedom, and safety. But what if we didn't? What if we only knew the horror of waking everyday to such an agonizing existence? What if we didn't know that a Savior came to die for us? What if we didn't know we had worth and value? What if every moment of our lives screamed the opposite? What if I was the mother forced to watch my children starve to death? What if my child were the one begging on the street and digging in the garbage? I cannot tell you how difficult and frightening it is to even type such "what ifs".

The usual protective numbness that surrounds my heart when such things are discussed was no where to be found. I couldn't look away. I took the books and the picture of a child to sponsor.

These words from the book No Longer a Slumdog (by K.P. Yohannan) have haunted me for several days, piercing my cold heart:


"Remember that you have only one soul; that you have only


 one death to die; that you have only one life, which is short


 and has to be lived by you alone; and that there is only one


 glory, which is eternal. If you do this, there will be many 


things about which you will care nothing. ~ Teresa of Avila




And yet, none of it seems like enough. While I don't believe we should feel guilty for living in a warm, safe house with plenty of food and freedom, it is difficult to reconcile that there is such suffering while we do so. I opened my full cupboard after Sunday's service and made chili and apple crisp. We stuffed ourselves while watching the Cleveland Browns and enjoyed a peaceful Sunday nap. Across the ocean, a starving child digs in the garbage hoping for a scrap someone tossed away.


I don't know how to reconcile that the same loving God sees us both. I don't know how to reconcile the things we think matter so much in the day-to-day world we are living in with the truth of what matters in eternity. I don't know how to reconcile the helplessness I feel that there are so many, and the sudden desperation to take at least one of these children in my arms and let them know that God sees, that they are loved and wanted, valuable and precious in the eyes of Jesus.


I don't know what to do with it all....but one thing is certain...I can no longer look away.


*For a free copy of the book, No Longer a Slumdog and for more information on how you can help Gospel for Asia bring hope and healing to people in desperate need, please visit: Gospel for Asia


And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
~Matthew 25:40