Let The Little Children Come

CORE PRACTICE #87: Use your resources and gifts in a way that glorifies God.

“Come, all of you who are gifted craftsmen. Construct everything that the LORD has commanded. . . .” All whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved came and brought their sacred offerings to the LORD. They brought all the materials needed for the Tabernacle, for the performance of its rituals, and for the sacred garments. . . . So the people of Israel—every man and woman who was eager to help in the work the LORD had given them through Moses—brought their gifts and gave them freely to the LORD. —Exodus 35:10, 21, 29

Lauren

My love for children started when I was a child myself. My sister and I ran a day care from our house when we were in junior high—an after-school program, really. We played games and provided craft projects for the children to complete, trying to create a fun environment.

Fun for them, fun for us.

When I met Tony, I had just finished my second year of teaching sixth grade. I’d initially hoped to teach younger children after I graduated, but when I was offered my first full-time job teaching older kids, it turned out that I loved working with them too.

I continued teaching after we were married, and then we added foster children to our home. More children! Now I was blessed with a number of children coming through our home, and I still had a classroom full of kids during the week.

Eventually, however, we decided to start our own family, and I decided to stop teaching in a classroom. In those early years of parenthood, I loved teaching and spending time with Tiara, Jamie, and Eric. It was a different season of life and a different way to use my gifts and our resources.

At times Tony and I have taught Sunday school or helped in our children’s classrooms. Tony loves children as well, but his passions are not necessarily the same as mine. I don’t think he’d necessarily seek out chances to teach grade-schoolers during church without me! But he has supported me in my interest, and I’ve been sensitive to him as well. (We didn’t teach every week. . . .)

Then, when we were in Tampa with the Bucs, I felt called to adopt a child. The Lord had blessed us with the resources and given me the time, energy, and passion to do so. Tony agreed to at least look into it, since it was important to me, and now we’ve adopted six children. (Tony calls them our “second wave” of children!)

The passion God laid on my heart when He created me—a love for children—has manifested itself differently in the various seasons of my life. As a single woman it took one form; as a young wife, another; and I have continued to seek the Lord’s guidance in how to be faithful to that passion as our lives change.

That initial gift has led to others. Tony is a terrific public speaker, but I’ve never particularly enjoyed it. However, over the years, I’ve had increasing opportunities to speak to groups about my passion for the adoption process. I’ve learned to embrace these engagements and have gotten comfortable with speaking to others, even if I still wouldn’t call it a “gift” of mine!

Some of our gifts are obvious, and others we might embrace a little more reluctantly—like Tony having a houseful of little kids or me speaking to a large audience. But through it all, the Lord calls on us to develop those gifts—and support our spouses as they use theirs.

Adventure Application: Take time to talk about which abilities and interests spark the most passion in each one of you. How well are you supporting one another as you seek to use those gifts?