Praying Over Green Beans

We had a heartbreaking tragedy occur in our town this past week involving a very young child...a baby, actually. The family that this tragedy happened to lives next door to a couple in our "out of this world amazing" Sunday School class.

After learning about this incident, emails began going back and forth among class members asking what could we do, what they needed, how could we help and so on. It was finally determined after talking with the family, that they needed a large meal, enough for 20 people, tonight to feed the extended family who was in town for the funeral services.

Anytime we do something to reach out and love on others, I look for ways to get the kids involved. I truly believe that in order to teach them and to help them grow a servant's heart, we have to start early. They are like little sponges when yet are small, soaking everything up.

So for this broken hearted family, we signed up to take a green bean casserole. I let the girls pour stuff in, stir the ingredients, and scrape the last bits from the mixing bowl into the baking dish. During this time, I explained to them a little bit about what we were doing...taking food to a family who was really sad and really needed to be loved right now.

They wanted to know how we knew them and were a little confused when I told them that we didn't know them, but someone else knew them and told us they needed love. I want them to see and know that as Christians, we are to love everyone. We are to reach out to everyone.

That's what the church is supposed to be. It's what it's supposed to look like. It's a picture of true Christianity...loving others in Jesus' name. Reaching out to the broken hearted even if we don't know their names. Taking them something as simple as a green bean casserole. It's what, as a mommy, I want my kids to know and understand and live out every single day.

But we didn't take them the casserole just so I could have a teaching moment with my kids, we did it because they needed it and because that is how Christ would have us to respond.

Please pray for this family. I can only imagine how broke hearted they are...