She almost cried...

We had (a young friend) overnight last weekend as a special time for her birthday. She had previously spent a few days with us and was starting to connect with our hearts a little bit. For this occasion I made up a card with a message about how special she was and the gifts God had put inside her. As we sat around the dinner table with her family, my wife read the card out loud.

The card read,

May this Birthday be the beginning of the best years of your life!

You are a very special and beautiful girl. God has hidden many gifts like seeds inside of you that are about to grow and mature into beautiful flowers. He put them there for His pleasure and to demonstrate His passion and love for you. We want to be part of this process and watch you blossom into beauty. You are very important to us.

Sincerely, your friends

Immediately there was raucous laughter as her family expressed their disbelief. Tania later said that she almost cried at the scorn expressed by her family. I was jarred but I hoped Shelby got the message anyway. We are praying that God will begin to open all their hearts for healing of tremendous pain that has to be masked by such humor.

I may not be able to support the status quo in my church or even agree with the methods the members use to “evangelize” if those things are at cross-purposes with God's plan. But I can recognize and affirm the value of each person as a special object of God's affection totally apart from the distorted ideas they have about God and religion. I must see past their behavior and their embedded lies about God and cherish them as all important members of my family. I have to have a lot of eyesalve and humility to be able to do this, but it is my desire and choice.