love is in the air

This morning I started doing a Bible study at the Maternity Center.

I love this place!

It is a heart breaking place and seems to be a hopeless place, but I find joy in going and find joy in bringing hope and light to very darkened lives.

There were only four women there today.  There usually are eight, but one left, one was having a baby, one was at a guys house and one was at the doctor.  I wasn't sure if they were going to be open to asking questions or if I would feel like I was just talking at them.  I didn't even know if they wanted to do a Bible study, but they agreed to sit in it for today and see.

I started by telling them about my family and my children.  The first question they asked was "are your children abandoned, too?"

Oh my goodness....abandonment is just so normal to them! It is all they know!


One lady didn't even know what a Bible study was. So I proceeded to tell them what my foundational beliefs are as a Christian....who Jesus IS, what He has done for me, the resurrection, Christ is the ONLY way to the Father, grace alone, not by works...and so on.  They shot back lots of questions, like this...

Will we all be resurrected up to Heaven like Jesus was?


Why does God allow so much poverty and disease?


Will I not go to Heaven if I have not been baptized?  


I was just so excited they were asking questions I could have peed in my pants!

We had a great discussion.

Then, in honor of V-day, I shared the supposed history of Valentine's Day.  This was an excellent way to lead into the two prominent types of love in the NT...phileo and agape.  I was able to share how St. Valentine could not denounce his beliefs and love of Jesus Christ because he had experienced the love of Christ first!  It is SO different from the way we love in our flesh!

How we love apart from Christ:
*selfishly--what am I going to get out of this??
*prideful--I want to be recognized or make a good impression on someone
*conditional--I base it on someone's performance (if someone is kind to me then I will love them, but if they wrong me I will show no love or grace or forgiveness)

How we love in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit:
*patiently
*kind
*do not keep a record of wrongs
*endure ALL things
*hope for all things
*does not seek to hurt or offend someone
*unconditionally

This was such a great reminder for me today!  A sweet time to reflect and remember God's grace and all His blessings.  HE alone is enough for me!  The last couple of days I just keep thinking in my head, why me?  I don't deserve You, Lord.  I don't deserve anything You have given me. It all comes from Your hand. Thank You for your mercy and rich love!

Those thoughts became even more intense today as I sat and heard some of the stories of these ladies.  I can't even imagine how they feel....the numbness, the anger, the void, the longing, the sadness.  Here are where some of them are coming from...

~One lady has three children, but has given birth to five. Her four year old died from sickness and they had no money to treat him. Her one year died from lung problems.  She is my age. Oh, when I asked for her children's birth dates she didn't know. They had to pull out the file to tell me. Seems so odd to not remember when your four year old was born....

~One lady has a teenager she does not see.  She gave away her other two children and now has a new baby.

~One girl will turn 18 next week!  I thought she was 30.  I thought this because she looks much older due to her awful life!  She was forced into prostitution as a young child to make money for the family.  There is more to her story that would just make your insides cringe.

~One girl has a lot of mental problems ( i think they all do, but hers is worse).  She just had her second baby taken away because she cannot take care of it.  She will leave the center next week to go to a mental rehab facility.

~One lady has a two year old who already has so much damage done from abuse and neglect that he screams most of the day and bangs his head against the concrete walls.  He struggles with a lot of anger. When I gave him crayons to color with, he had no idea what to do with them.

Whew!  Sorry, that sounds so depressing, especially on such a lovey holiday.  I just wanted you to know where most of the people are coming from here.  It is dark. It seems so very hopeless.  But, as I was sharing God's love for them today and the Gospel I was filled with so much hope for them!  I kept thinking about how He knows everything about them and He formed them in their mother's womb and He longs for them. I pray that God does something mighty in their lives....only He can.

I told them today that HIS love is greater than all of our sin combined!  I can't fathom this.

There is just nothing like HIM!

Happy Valentine's Day!