Here's a Topic That's Hot: Dog Mermaids

One thing that's really important to us, but that is very hard, is to give our kids a sense of place in the universe. Not only do I mean that in the sense that they belong to our family, our church, our town, our country. But that in the scheme of this country, they have it good. And in the scheme of this world, they have it great. And it's not all about them. Human beings are innately selfish, especially kids, so it's hard to make that clear, particularly in a concrete way when so many of these concepts are quite abstract. One small way we try to do that near the holidays is buying gifts for people who have less than us. This year, we are going through TLC in Olathe and have been matched with a teenage girl in the residential program. The kids served by TLC have been through really tough times, often being hurt or abandoned by the people who are supposed to be caring for them.

Though it was tempting to choose a younger child because the shopping is really fun, teenagers in these type of Christmas programs often are chosen last because they aren't as glamorous and are harder to shop for. Though at the time you are a teenager you may truly believe you are basically an adult (I definitely thought that when I was 14), as an adult you see these kids for the children they are. And they deserve Christmas too so I asked to be matched with anyone who they still needed someone for.

We got her some art supplies and winter gear, but she also asked for some clothing. She also specifically mentioned she liked the store Hot Topic.  So this morning Jason took Joshua and Clara with him to Oak Park Mall which has a Hot Topic in it.  He didn't know what to expect, but he told me when they got home that they store is full of shirts referencing specific bands, video games, and TV shows.  We didn't have any information on which if any of those she liked, so he steered clear of that, which actually left him with very few alternatives.  So he got her two shirts, one with the Wonder Woman logo, and one with a picture of a seal that says, "Seals are just dog mermaids"  Hopefully she likes them, but if not she can just return them for shirts with her favorite band, and all will be well.

Concepts such as children in need are hard to grasp for preschoolers and I am sure our kids don't fully understand the situation and honestly I don't want them to fully understand what some kids go through. But what I do hope they understood is this is a kid who didn't have enough Christmas presents and we helped her have enough. And that when Jason prayed with them about this girl that she would know that she is special and loved by her savior who will never let her down even if everyone else has, that they heard that we all have worth and value to Jesus.