When Heart Eyes Are Opened

They sit, eyes wide with wonder, as boxes are cut open and gifts, many of them, are lifted out. Many for each child. And I stand in awe of the work God does, as I watch their faces. Mail lady, desperately endeared to all of our children, dutifully brings packages almost daily now, delivering from many different addresses. UPS man, deathly afraid of dogs, waits at gate with boxes. So, we cut open boxes and lift brightly wrapped packages from their nesting place. After passing out has been done and all put away in a closet to wait for Christmas morning we sit and we talk.

Busily making hot chocolate mix for neighbors.

"Do you see what the Lord has done for you???? Do you see how you gave your money away and your "right" to presents and how He's come blessing over abundantly because He sees your heart??? You invested your money, your heart, your time, and you gave up your own desire for stuff to invest something into someone else's life that needed it far worse than you did. You expected nothing and were happily content to play games, fellowship and celebrate all Christmas day with a huge meal and look how blessed each of you have been for making the choice to sacrifice what we did."

"But, mom, we only gave money and these people are giving us things."

"Yes, but it took their time and money because of their love for you and they invested it into you just as you have invested your time and money into someone else you have never met but you already love. You expected absolutely nothing in return when you gave and were content to embrace all that you already have. You've seen others needs, have chosen them above your own desires, and you have been blessed in ways you never expected."

Their eyes light up with the realization of something far greater than they are. Suddenly all of life becomes real....the concept of giving everything away for the love of another to unexpectedly be blessed beyond words by a God that saw their hearts. It came from others removed from our family and the knowledge of what we have chosen to do for Christmas. It came completely unexpectedly to all of us and awe fills their faces as they begin to know the Lord and see Him work in ways we, as parents, could not teach. Supernatural blessings as the Lord pours forth one abundant blessing after another....this season in life driving husband and I to our knees as we are learn of His ways to such greater depths and our children live out His truths.

8 year old voice speaks up..."But, mom. We have everything we need. We have a bathroom and we all have beds. And we have lots of food. We don't need any of this stuff. They don't even have a bed."...speaking of the sibling group of 5 that had been picked up off the streets of Guatemala just yesterday. Oldest 9, clutching tightly to 1 year old brother on her hip, 7, 5, and 3 year old siblings standing scared and sober by her side. They'd been found eating dirt, were way too thin and living for an unknown extended period of time on the streets of the city. Plea put in for orphanage to make room for them...yet with only 3 rooms within the orphanage itself it was filled to maximum capacity with 32 children already. Still they brought them in, clothed, gave them haircuts, fed them and made pallets on the floor...loving on these children that have absolutely nothing in life and no hope... until yesterday. And our children sit...overcome by the abundance of what they have been given when they already have so much.

Late into the night, long after younger ones are sleeping, oldest asks in deep thought, "Mom...if Daddy gets a job where he will commute and it pays well like what they say....could we go be missionaries and him just commute from there instead?" Could I help build the bathrooms and help with building an addition to the children's home? We've done chickens...90 of them at a time....and I could teach them. We could raise them there. Money would go so far in other parts of the world. We'd have so much of it to pour back into helping the people. We could help, build and teach. We don't need everything we have here. And we can only help a few by adoption but we could help hundreds by living there."

I look into the green eyes of a 13 year old man child. I see his passion for life...to help and the spark that has been ignited by seeing beyond himself...that the world is so much bigger than his little life tucked away comfortably in the rolling hills of North Carolina. I see the same fire being kindled in the heart of an 11 year old girl and I wonder what God has in store for our family...for these children He has given us. He sits at computer mulling over pages..."If you look on here it only costs 25.00 to build a bathroom. They need medical people, birth attendants....you and daddy could do that....and the little ones...they could grow up in a place where they can help." I stand amazed at the things the Lord is capable of accomplishing in the hearts of children with a vision and a passion for life that have been given the tools to help in such a tiny amount. We have so little yet we've used what we had and a vision is fueled within their hearts.

I walk in Wal Mart, 7 out of 10 children by my side. We push cart, 3 year old chatting happily, 4 year old caroling and providing some Christmas cheer. It doesn't take long to discover the horrific attitude sported by most on such a beautiful day. Angry people push carts brimming over with material possessions. I whisper to children to pay attention to the overall mood in the place. It didn't take but seconds to find a gripy, angry, sour world inconvenienced by other humanity at the mere fact they even occupy space. I quickly realized it wasn't even that I had 7 children in tow. It wasn't anything even specific to our family. It was person to person, awful ugliness of even having to maneuver around someone else's physical being. Most would not even bother with eye contact but of the few that did the children and I flashed broad smiles in their direction. To my shock, no one even returned the smile. How angry and sullen the world is. As we shopped the sadness of reality began to sink in. These people...filling their baskets with gifts for others, have totally lost sight of the season and what they are supposed to be celebrating. Something so amazing as Christmas and the festivities that surround it have been totally lost and faded into obligatory giving and rotten attitudes that put the grinch to shame. Over-abundance of toys fill baskets, shoppers crowd toy isles and sigh sounds of utter disgust for others that pass by. Food isles filled with angry people that obviously know no lack of food provision. Such an angry, sullen place to be. These people have lost the vision...if they ever had one...just buying to buy for the sake of a commercialized holiday. And I watch our children, as people shove carts around them in anger..these children that only gave this Christmas....and their joy is unrivaled. They laugh, they talk, one sings, and the bustle of a season does not phase them because they have seen the blessing really is in giving....and they have experienced it now. I examine my own heart....it's light...feathery light and giddy with unexplained joy. My husband has no job, we're 1500 miles away from home, we're not sure how next month's bills are getting paid...but we gave and our children walk in truth. I begin to know to such a greater depth that "I have no greater joy than to know that my children walk in truth." I feel it. I can tangibly see it and we experience the blessings that come from living a life in obedience, despite the discomforts experienced along the way...because it's all just worth it. The joy that is felt is unrivaled..and the joy that lives within our children is worth it all. The anger, the rottenness, the self centeredness, and self focus of the public....it goes beyond saddening the heart. It grieves the soul to know what people are missing. There's so much more.....so very much more..than an obligatory gift to a child or grandchild already overwhelmed by material possessions or the drudgery felt by the gift giving. There's more and it's so far removed from traditional American thinking. How sad it is to be met with the reality of what is and the complete loss of a vision for the existence of others while, ironically, they shop for others, break the bank and live mad and angry. How much they have missed.

Neighbors eyes soften and joy fills faces as children stand at each door with a little piece of their heart...time, energy, effort, money....neatly stacked up in a glass jar..packed tightly with as much love as mess went into it. We return home, their voices tinkling like wind chimes light on air, hearts overflowing because of the little moment of joy they've brought to others. And they see that the mission field is right in their backyard...along with the one they've helped build thousands upon thousands of miles away.

This sacrifice...it's worth it all to see what we are beginning to see in the lives of our children. The discomfort...the pain of growth......the self sacrifice on every family members part to give to people beyond us that live in such greater need than we.....the joy, it overwhelms...the growth in them, I stand in awe. And yet once more...they have physically, tangibly seen the rewards for self sacrifice and how the Lord blesses those who lay down their life for another...even when one has so little to give. The visible blessings...they sit under our tree wrapped in brightly colored wrapping paper....totally and completely unexpected in every way for everyone within our little family.

Heart eyes have been opened wide to the vastness of the needs that lie beyond them.....others they will only know through pictures but they've already begun to love. They have seen that they can be used as vessels the Lord pours through. They're seeing that when you give it all without expectation the Lord comes abundantly filling heart with supernatural joy and unexpected blessing. There are blessings reaped when you choose to die to self.

For more information and to help expand the children's home in Solola, Guatemala click here.