She Has A Heart of Gold

My daughter Victoria, only 10 years old, she wants to love like Jesus does, she wants to honor God in her little life.... Sitting around the computer, we look, we discuss, we compare prices and gifts, what about the soccer balls she says? what are those for? I tell her those are for children to play, that even in countries where they struggle to have enough food and clean water, children still want to play. Suggestions keep coming in, I want to get them a chicken and a cow say's our 4 year old, our son says, yeah a cow sounds good, how about some rabbits? We look some more, we watch videos, we hear the tales from the families that have been helped, we hear them praising God. We decide to buy 12 baby chicks for a family, this is a start, this is where we can start. She asks if we can give them more? can we send them blankets? food? toys? She want's to do more, she want's to give more...We talk about how we don't need everything that we think we do, that their is a difference between need and want, she gets it, she say's "like I don't need a DS, but they need food". Yes her dad and I say, yes... we talk to them about the importance of giving more and getting less, that we have a wonderful opportunity to contribute to God's kingdom work, that the people we give these gifts to will know that a family in America wants them to know that Jesus loves them so much that HE is providing for their family, they smile, they receive these words, and we move forward, 12 baby chicks it is, at least to start.... we purchase them, everyone goes away to go about their business and she returns with a crumpled dollar bill and some change in her hand, $2.16 Dad... she say's "I want to give my money to help pay for the baby chicks" dad takes the money and smiles, we put this gift in her name, the family that receives these chicks will know that it is because of Victoria's love for Jesus and him loving them through her, they have received this gift. As we move forward into the Advent, anticipating the coming of our Messiah, what are we in need of? My guess is that like our children we must learn that their is a difference between what we need and what we want, Is there room in our hearts for him? The greatest gift, God became man and walked among us, to serve us, to love us, to fill us, to be one with us... do we fathom the greatness of this gift? Immanuel..... God with us! He entered in, in a lowly way, he entered into the mess of a depraved world, to save, to show us how, to redeem, to give and not to receive, to serve and not to be served. Is there room? are we eager to have him fill us, change us and to delight in our Immanuel? do we know that this is what we are in need of? do we know that this is what we really want?  

Acts 20:35
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”