1,000 hugs

Something has been heavy on my heart.

Yesterday I gave you a snippet of what my summer has looked liked, but I could never do it justice.

My friends laugh and make jokes about how often I talk about "my kids." But I only wish they knew how incredible these small people truly are. And how I receive 1,000 hugs every day.

For most of the summer I've been in a dry patch with the Lord. I couldn't figure out why for most of the time, as life was going just as I wanted it to. But it was me. I wasn't the one searching, and seeking His face. I'd created my quiet time to be another check list, not centering in on the Lord or focusing on what he had to teach me, until now really.

You see these kids reflect Jesus in many ways, and to most its unexpected. Urban children have gotten a bad rep, but for no reason really. These kids I'm so fortunate to spend my days with are some of the greatest people I know. 

Yes, we argue and don't listen to each other sometimes but there's more.

We hug, we laugh, we cry from laughing, we play, dance, and celebrate all the little things, even becoming the four square king for just a minute. 

These kids have taught me what unselfish love looks like. 

They didn't need to know everything about me to love me. It took a simple name game and somehow I was theirs forever.

However, Jesus knows everything about me and yet loves me the same. He knows my name, my thoughts, and where my heart stands at all times. Just like these kids who give their hugs to me every day, the Lord wraps His arms around me.

I wish everyone could feel this love everyday.

And they can, it just takes a little out stretching of your arms and voice.