Lessons Learned from my Kids

The past couple of months I have been noticing my kids teaching me lessons.  Lessons on how to serve and love others, how to be a better person.  My son Dustin goes every year on the youth missions trip with our church.  I am always amazed at the stories he comes back with.  One of the first ones was how he helped a handicapped man rebuild his house after Hurricane Katrina, I don't remember what he told me about the story but I do remember thinking how wonderful it was for my then middle schooler to love a stranger. Another story that comes to mind is his trip to St. John's Island near Charleston, SC.  They were going to a store looking for a new patio table for a family and when they told the store owner what they were doing, the store owner gave them the table.  This year they went to Baltimore, MD.  I must admit I was a little more nervous about this one.  I remember texting with him on his half day of work and all he wanted to do was get back to the church he was working on and get the septic job done so the church could use their restrooms again.  He really did not want to take time off, he wanted to make sure the job was completed before they left in a few days.  That to this day brings me to tears.  Well they did get the job finished after a week of hard work and now the church they were working on can use their restrooms again.   The week after the missions trip our youth joined forces with others from our church as well as other churches and went a local park to serve dinner to the homeless.  That one night was all it took for my son to get hooked.  He was so excited when he got home, telling us all about his plans to get donations of money and supplies to take back out to the park the next week.  He kept to his word and has worked very hard to get donations to purchase water, snacks and clothes.  After a couple of weeks of hearing his stories, I felt a nudging from God to go help as well.  My daughter was being nudged as well so she and I decided to go out to help.  I was hesitant and nervous, not sure what to expect. A little worried I would run into someone I had come in to contact with from my work.  Satan put every negative thought he could into my mind. Allie and I joined up with another great kid, Brennan, on the drink station.  We served lemonade, tea and water.  Watching Dustin and his girlfriend was great.  But this night my daughter would be the main one to teach me.  She started serving without even a hint of hesitation.  She jumped right in with a smile and grace.  She showed so much love to each person that came to the table.  It was amazing!  All I could think was WOW!  Look at my kids...serving the Lord and serving others without reservations!  I knew that was how God wanted me to serve as well.  I didn't need to worry about who I would see, what would happen because He is always in control.  He has already been there and made the way for me.  Well we have now been going weekly to serve.  I even got my husband to go one night.  Amazing!   This is an amazing mission and I am so glad my kids encouraged me to help.  I love the way God has used my kids to lead me and my husband!  I am always looking for God and here lately it's been in some many ways I never expected but then again I guess that really is the way God works.