What do you think of when you think of love? Warm fuzzies? Butterflies in your stomach? Blushing cheeks?Theoretically, our parents are the first people to show us love; for some, that is not the case.
When I think about some of our RHK kids, this verse comes to mind:
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27 NIV
A family attended RHK whose mom moved to a different state and left the kids with the grandmother. The mom promised to come and get the kids but never kept her promise. She kept making promise after promise, each time crushing the hopes of these precious kids. She was supposed to be the person who loved them unconditionally. Compounding the heartache for this family, their father was in and out of prison. The last time he got out, he was killed. Their grandmother called us to make sure the kids could still be picked up for the evening program because that was where the kids wanted to be – where they needed to be.
When the kids arrived, they just wanted hugs. They knew it was safe and loved, no questions asked. The oldest asked one of our staff members why people are so mean. He said, “My mom left us, and now they killed my daddy. I know my mom lies, and we didn’t get to see our daddy much, but we still need our parents.”
She said she didn’t know and just loved on him the way Christ would love on him.
At RHK, we show Christ’s love as stated in John 15:12: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” NIV
Why do we love as we do? “We love because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19 NIV.
Do you have extra love to share? Rock House Kids could use you! You can share your love by preparing a meal, pledging to donate monthly to keep the lights on, participating in our monthly drives, coming to work with the kids, or working behind the scenes. Give Kathy a call at 815-962-5067 or find more information on our website: www.rockhousekids.org