Finding Jesus in Her Smile

Ever wondered about that cliched little phrase, "That kid's eating me out of house and home"?

Me neither. 'Til now, that is. It's such a parental phrase--therefore one that should weigh on my mind kinda like a helium balloon weighs in outer space.

Keeping all of this in mind, let me just tell ya--These kids are eating me out of house and home!

Yup, secret's out: I've got kids. Two of 'em. I sponsor two children through Compassion International and World Vision.

I've sponsored Grace for over two years now, and (how parental does this sound?) I can't believe how fast that time has gone. Grace is eight years old and lives in Ecuador with her parents and brother. She sends me letters and pictures, and she's already gone from awkward scribbles and misspelled words to beautiful and flowing cursive handwriting. She sends me drawings of Winnie the Pooh. On my birthday, she prayed for me, that God would enlighten me wherever I go. She's in third grade, and gets good grades in school, where Language is her favorite subject (a girl after my own heart!). I'm astonished at how beautiful she is becoming. Grace has changed so much in the two years since I began to get to know her. Her letters tell me that she's one smart cookie, and her pictures show me that she's healthy and has kind eyes. Did you know that you can fall helplessly in love with a little girl you've never met?

James has been in my life for one year and four days now. My sponsoring James was a step of faith, but it's sure paid off. I chose him because I'm passionate about AIDS relief in Africa, I could pronounce his name, and he looked needier than the other boys. He's from an AIDS crisis village. He looked sick and tired and hungry and small, and my heart broke a little inside, and I couldn't leave him that way. (Hmm, that line seemed a little bit like something out of God's diary...) He sends me tiny drawings of little African stick men. I can tell they are African because they're wearing little stick-skirts, and they are dancing, and they clearly have more rhythm than I do. He's eight and in the first grade. I got an updated picture of James a few months ago. He is wearing a white button-up shirt and an impish little smile, and is looking away from the camera to the corner of his eyes, and looks happy and healthy and playful. When I look at his picture, I think that he is possibly the most adorable little boy who ever lived. He's got my heart wrapped around his little finger, and he doesn't even know it.

Whoever said that kids are expensive was sure right. Mine are. In fact, they require approximately 105% of my monthly income. You read that right--today was payday, and I got $65. Yet my kids cost $67 a month. And somehow I always have a little left for groceries and the a coffee from the Mill. You do the math. Miracles exist. Remember the widow and her son who never ran out of oil and flour to make bread? God still does that.

I can't tell you how passionately I believe in child sponsorship. We've been blessed with so much, and I just think that taking care of others is one of the most Christ-like things we can do. When you sponsor a child, you are feeding her, clothing her, protecting her, and educating her. On top of it all, you're introducing her to Jesus. Can it get better than that?

And it's not nearly as selfless as it sounds--it's so incredibly rewarding. I believe that sponsorship changes the life of a child, but it will change yours as well.


This is Saneela. Today is her birthday. She is seven years old. Sponsor Saneela today. That link will take you to Saneela's sponsorship page, where you can sign up to help World Vision provide everything she needs to grow and learn and live a better life. What better birthday gift could you give to such a precious little girl? What better Christmas gift could you give yourself?

If someone's already snatched her up (who could resist her, anyway?), then consider sponsoring Faith through Compassion International. Meet Faith:

Faith is five years old and lives in an AIDS affected village in Kenya. She has three siblings. Her immediate family may or may not be impacted by AIDS, but you can be sure that Faith knows first-hand just what devastation the disease brings. Her village is probably full of widows and orphans and sickness. You can bring hope to her life.

There are people in my life whom I love with all of my heart that have these big knotty balls of lonely inside of them. I try to help them and to fix them and to love them like Jesus, but I don't do a very good job of it. God and I were talking about this today, and He reminded me that we don't have to fix people--that's His job. We've just gotta love them, and He'll do the healing.

Child sponsorship like that--it's one of the best, most tangible ways of really and actually loving a person that I know. It is loving a child in ways that can be touched and felt and known. It's being like Jesus when He spit in the mud and healed a man's eyes--it's fixing their outsides so that God can fix their insides.

They're waiting. Little boys and little girls from countries all over the world, of every age and circumstance. Choose one who shares your birthday. Choose one who deals intimately and personally with AIDS every day. Choose one whose smile touches your soul.

But choose one. You'll find Jesus in each other's smile.