Recently two of our little guys, Nate and Alex, were told that they will be adopted if the judge decides they can’t go home. Nate’s first response was to sit in the floor and cry. His brother held onto me, cried, and told me that he was going to miss his mom, dad, aunt, uncle, and all of his friends at school. It was heartbreaking. This morning, Nate showed me how his faith was going to help. Through his grief, he said, “Ms. Tonya, I only cried a little bit this morning, and then I realized that I needed to pray. I prayed and asked Jesus to give me a good adoptive family, and now I feel better.” What is so amazing about Nate is that he prayed to receive Jesus as his Savior just this past summer. We were at the swimming pool one day when he said, “I really want to be a Christian and no one has prayed with me yet.” We stopped right then and prayed together. Nate is so excited that he is now going to heaven and he really wants his mom and dad to go to heaven too.
I firmly believe that every child who comes to Miracle Hill Children’s Home is sent to us by the Lord, and as caregivers, we get a small opportunity to invest in their lives to show them the hope and future that they have in Christ. Many people believe that children get their image of God, as our Heavenly Father, from their relationship with their earthly father. If children learn that they cannot trust their earthly father to protect them, how will they believe the unconditional love and protection that comes from a loving heavenly Father? To some, it may seem impossible to break through these barriers of mistrust. But, with God, all things are possible. It is, He who, finds a way to reach their broken and tender hearts. Our children learn that they can trust again, and their faith can be restored. This is why a child who has been severely abused or neglected by a caregiver, can find a way to pray for the very person that hurt them. That is an astounding faith that we cannot comprehend. It is a faith designed by an all-consuming God, that even a little child can understand. When He holds our children’s hearts, they become mighty vessels for Him to use. Our children then learn to pray for the salvation of their mom and dad. They become little lighthouses that the Lord uses to witness to their loved ones.
Little Nate will miss his mom and dad when he is adopted, but that doesn’t stop him from praying for them. Because he has a new faith in Christ, he can pray for an adoptive family who will love and protect him, and he can trust His Heavenly Father to provide the family for him and his brother. When we see faith through a child’s eyes, we are convicted about how small our faith really is, and are challenged to grow stronger in our own faith.
**Due to privacy and laws concerning confidentiality, it is necessary to change the names of children involved in these stories. However, when you pray for these little ones, the Lord knows exactly who they are. Thank you for praying for all of the sweet boys and girls of Miracle Hill Children’s Home!
