It’s Christmas Eve and we are putting the children to bed. Last night, one of our grown children stayed at the house and let my wife and I go to a late movie. We went to see the new Will Smith movie titled The Pursuit of Happyness. It’s a good movie that I would recommend about a man who went from being homeless to very successful. Yes, I know that “happiness” is misspelled; you will understand when you see the movie.
But this is not a movie review. We needed a little rest and relaxation. The movie did not give us a chance for that. Scenes in the movie depict the plight of homeless families and show what it is like in shelters where people have to stay with their children. The movie brought harsh realities to mind for us.
We had worked with our church in Houston’s toughest neighborhoods for a long time. Nancy has always had a heart for children. I was drawn to the bad neighborhoods. Eventually, we understood what God was trying to do with us and started working together with disadvantaged children. We know first hand what shelters are like.
I have cried myself to sleep at night thinking about the ten year old boy that I had gotten to know. The last time I saw him I held him while he sobbed. The homeless shelter where we had become friends had just kicked his family out on the street because his mother had failed a drug test. They literally did not know where they would sleep and if they would eat soon.
Our sons were taken to a shelter when the state removed them from the place where they were living. When they were adopted, we received copies of their files which showed pictures of them when they arrived at the shelter. They looked shaggy, sad, and scared. Less than a year after they were there, the shelter was shut down because it fell well short of the standards that it was supposed to meet.
We went to Christmas Eve services tonight. As I sat with the boys, one in my lap, I thought about what they were destined for when they were born. Tomorrow morning, they will wake up and come downstairs excited. It will be a great day. When they came to us, they had never celebrated Christmas or birthdays.
I am not looking for a pat on the back. I am urging anyone who reads this article to consider adopting a child who needs a family. Several times in the Bible, God says that He will be a father to the fatherless. Think about it. You have a chance to do the exact work that God says He will do and rescue a child.
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