October 1, 2012
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Who Loves You?
While visiting the children’s home today with my wife Sky, we stopped by the baby room. I used to go to the baby room often when I lived in the home, but after moving out at the end of 2008 my visits there became less and less frequent. The dorm moms (social workers) changed and the little ones I had spent time with the most had grown older and moved to other rooms. I would still visit from time to time, but it had been a very long time since my last visit.
We came in to see a young woman with the youngest one in the baby room (he is a year and a half). We found out she is his mother and he was crying a lot because it had been a while since her last visit and he didn’t recognize her. It saddened me because I knew his mom likely had her own broken story, and the thought of having her own child cry in fear of her could hurt her and actually cause her to not even try with him in the future. When I first came to the home I would get upset at the thought of how the parents of many of the kids could leave them in a children’s home, but soon I came to realize that many of the parents are just as broken as the children and are also in great need of love and healing. It’s hard for the unloved to be able to love.
But despite it being a while since my last visit to the room, I was surprised when two of the two year olds immediately recognized me and with big smiles ran to me to give me high fives (I always react dramatically when the little ones high five me as if they are super strong… they love that =)). I spent some sweet time with them including going to a nearby park with them and some of the other younger kids. Another young girl in the home, now in kindergarten, was also with us and she noticed that Sky had cut her hair. Sky was surprised because it had been even longer since she had been able to visit and yet the young girl had noticed her haircut.
While it might just be coincidence that these kids remembered us so well, I do know that kids inherently know who truly loves them. For new kids at the home it always takes time to establish trust, but once it is established, regardless of age, there is a safety and security they feel that is evident in how they respond and act around me. There is never fear or insecurity, but instead joy and even silliness, even when it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.
This is the same safety and security God desires for us to feel with Him. Before we can effectively release true safety, security, and love to others we need to receive the truest safety, security, and love from God. He wants us to know Him and spend time with Him. And He wants us to know that even if we haven’t seen Him in a long time, He is still just as loving and joyful as before. We can trust Him!
The Lord loves you so! God bless!
