Lesson In Giving

Recently I have become more aware of society's drive toward 'entitlement', especially in the lives of children, teens, and their parents. It is another good reminder that I need to be aware of the cultural peer pressures that can often engulf you when you aren't really noticing, and instead strive to promote a godly life-walk in my own life and in the lives of my family. It is so easy to fall into the traps around us, to not really realize the dangers that often lay there. So I have been trying to be more 'intentional' (a word used VERY often by our pastor!), about teaching my children to serve others, and to think about ways they can show love and kindness and help to those around us. It all starts with me. If I fail to model this attitude and life-walk, then they fail right along with me. While perusing through Pinterest (my one weakness!) I found an e-book called Teach Me to Serve: 99 Ways Preschoolers Can Learn to Serve and Bless Others and Kristen Summers has such a godly heart of love and service to others and teaching her children to do likewise. It was a blessing and HUGE help to me as I search for ways to make this practical in our everyday lives. I highly recommend it to any family who has preschoolers and wants to, well, teach them to serve! 

Our local Christian Moody radio station sponsors the Shoes for Orphan's Souls, a ministry of Buckner International, shoe drive every year. Last year I bought a pair of shoes and socks to send to them and they in turn send those shoes to a precious little one in desperate need of them. At that time I had a very young toddler and an infant. This year I have two sweet toddlers and one who's little mind is already understanding bigger concepts! She has shown the natural signs of 'entitlement' so we thought it was time to start helping her (and me!) develop an attitude of serving and giving. If we make it a part of our lives often enough, it will become a life pattern, which is my heart's desire. So back to the shoes!

We got up this morning and my husband and I decided the Lord has blessed us so much that we want to pour out the overflow into someone else. So during breakfast we talked about there being children who do not have even ONE pair of shoes to wear and how we have so many pairs of shoes. We asked our eldest what she thought about getting some shoes for those children and her eyes got wider. She was SO excited about the idea. We drove to the shoe store, picked out a few pairs of shoes with her and her sister's help. Then we took them to our Christian book store drop-off location. This is what it looked like:

Dropping the shoes in the donation box.

All our shoes...we were the first to donate!

Dropping another pair in!

 

This is a fantastic project and mission to children around the world and touches my heart. I love children, and cannot bear to think there are so many that do not even have even one pair of shoes to help keep them healthy and protected and allow them to attend school. I love this video about the ministry of Shoes for Orphan's Souls. And if I can purchase just one pair, that's one more child that will have them than otherwise. I am humbled by this work and their love to others. What a blessing to other children to get the shoes, and to my children to learn the joy of giving!