A few nights ago, the kids and I read the Bible story about Lot and Abraham. The children's Bible storybook we were using described Lot as a "taker" and Abraham as a "giver," followed by some reflection questions for the kids to consider which description fit them best. I've thought about this several times since then as I have watched our children interact with one another and with their friends.
Isabel is definitely a "giver." The day we brought Owen home from the hospital, she surprised him with a special gift on his pillow ... a bag of mints we had given her money to buy for herself but she chose to give to him instead, a Haitian coin we had given her upon our return, and a little picture she drew just for him! She did it all by herself, and it was so sweet.
It is my wish that all of our children will learn to be this way, to understand how much they have been blessed and want to share with others. A part of me wished that they could have made the trip to Haiti with us so that they could catch a glimpse of the needs and poverty there. The children we gave gifts to were so delighted with them, even though most of the toys were simple ones our kids had received in Happy Meals at McDonald's. (I'm sure the children there could not even imagine such a thing - receiving a meal and a toy all wrapped up in one on a somewhat regular basis.) Probably the most ironic thing is that even though our boys will have lived in this situation for the beginning of their lives, they will not remember much of it and will need to learn the lessons of generosity just like our other kids.
And the truth of the matter is that I need to learn this lesson, too. Don't we all??
Isabel is definitely a "giver." The day we brought Owen home from the hospital, she surprised him with a special gift on his pillow ... a bag of mints we had given her money to buy for herself but she chose to give to him instead, a Haitian coin we had given her upon our return, and a little picture she drew just for him! She did it all by herself, and it was so sweet.
It is my wish that all of our children will learn to be this way, to understand how much they have been blessed and want to share with others. A part of me wished that they could have made the trip to Haiti with us so that they could catch a glimpse of the needs and poverty there. The children we gave gifts to were so delighted with them, even though most of the toys were simple ones our kids had received in Happy Meals at McDonald's. (I'm sure the children there could not even imagine such a thing - receiving a meal and a toy all wrapped up in one on a somewhat regular basis.) Probably the most ironic thing is that even though our boys will have lived in this situation for the beginning of their lives, they will not remember much of it and will need to learn the lessons of generosity just like our other kids.
And the truth of the matter is that I need to learn this lesson, too. Don't we all??
2 comments:
We all need to learn the lesson and be reminded constantly. We can go to a third world country or witness poverty or real needs in some way and be touched, but we so easily forget about it. The emotions seem to wear off from the experience.
So true, we all need to learn this. This is something that I really want for my children as well.
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