I gave the message today at church and spoke about journeying away from seeing people through the world's eyes toward gaining Kingdom vision and seeing people through the eyes of Jesus.
One young mom came up to me post-teaching, and she shared how she'd like to get involved in some of the work that is going on in our community. We began to visit and ended up talking about various seasons of life and how her life right now is filled with parenting young children.
As we spoke, I wanted to encourage her in two ways....
1. This season of her life requires a great deal of Kingdom Service right in her home with her family, and that "counts"! That's good and beautiful.
2. Secondly, I spoke with her about how she could listen and learn outside of her comfort zone even in this season of life.
Here are some ideas for young families who may not have much time to give outside of family life....
A. After the kids go to bed, watch movies that help you better understand the racialization of our society. "The Butler" is a recent movie that is important to watch. Find movies that help you better understand our history and how we've become such a segregated society. "Amistad" is another important movie to watch.
B. Stretch your multi-cultural, multi-ethnic muscles....go out to eat at a locally owned restaurant that serves something other than American food...El Patron, Honey Garden, the Marsala Grill, etc...
C. Take your family to family-friendly community events. There was recently a Hispanic Cultural Fest at UNI. This summer, I took our children to the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Walk. It was one mile long, and it commemorated King's "I Have a Dream" speech. Families could easily have pushed strollers along the route!
D. UNI has an International Friendship program. When our twins were babies, we were paired with Atsuko, a student from Japan. We love Atsuko and still stay in touch 13 years later. Atsuko ate meals at our place, played with Nathan and Sara, went Christmas tree hunting with us, etc... She taught us how to make sushi, too! :) This program would be a great way to meet someone from another country and to also give a UNI student a little taste of family life in Iowa. I don't have the contact information for this, but if you're interested, I'd be happy to hunt down the info with you!
E. Read your children some children's books that share about life outside of white upper-class America. There are some beautiful books that introduce our children to God's wonderful and diverse world!
F. While the kids are napping, read Scripture and read books that help teach and challenge you to love neighbors outside of our known zones!
There are many ways to learn, grow, and serve no matter our stage of life! I recently heard of one mom who is taking her children to a nursing home regularly and visiting with a resident there. Beautiful!!
What are some other ways you're learning, growing, and serving in your particular season of life?
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