Supernatural Love

Cameron (left) and Shawn (right) at church.

Working with at-risk kids, my heart has been broken many times.  I have cried and asked God, "Why?"

I hear about people who go to other countries and are astonished at the poverty that they see.  They go back to America in shock at how wealthy they are.  I've never seen third-world poverty for myself, but I experience a similar astonishment when I work with my kiddos in the inner-city, trailer parks, motels, and in homeless situations.

One example is a couple Sundays ago.  I went to go pick up Destiny, James, and Shawn for church.  There were police cars a couple houses down for who knows why.  I got out of the car and began to work my way up to their front door.  I wish I could have gotten a picture.  Me, in my grey dress and church shoes, gingerly stepping over junk that littered their front porch.

Every time I make that walk all dressed up for church, it seems so wrong.  So wrong to be dressed up when the kids that I am picking up are wearing the same clothes that they wore last Sunday.

I knocked on the door and immediately their pit bull started barking on the other side.  I don't like pit bulls.  I like nice, adorable dogs like pugs, not pits.

The door knob was gone and there was a hole about the size of an apple.  Little Shawn ran up and put his mouth up to it and said, "What?"

I leaned down next to the hole in the door.  "Hey, Shawn!  I want to take you guys to church!" I said.

"I gotta ask my mom." He ran off to ask and then ran back.  "She said no."

"Oh.  I love you, Shawn." I said.

He was quiet.

"I want to see you guys later this week, ok?" I said.

"Huh?" He said.

I leaned closer to the hole.  "I want to see you later this week!"

"Oh, ok." He said.

I wanted to cry as I walked back to the Young America van.  Talking to a first grader through a hole in the door will do that to you.

I do what I do for kids like Shawn.  Well, ultimately I do it for God, but y'all know what I mean.  I wake up early on Sundays to pick kids up for church.  I drive kids home when they throw a fit and refuse to listen.  I tell kids I love them when they're mad and they say they hate me.  I go through my clothes to give them away  to girls who don't have any.  I go to their football games on Saturday mornings and endure pouring down rain.  I spend all day Friday at their school because I want them to know that I'm there for them.

I do all this because I am driven by one thing: God's love for them.  This love is not of myself.  It's supernatural and it comes from God.  My flesh does not want to do these things and yet I love doing it because God has placed that love in my heart.

Speaking of love, I would love it if you came and helped us launch WOW Kids!  Pray about it and see where God leads you.  You never know what God has in store!

Paris Akins is currently a college student pursuing a degree in Education.  She loves diversity, Jesus, and middle schoolers.  She spends most of her time at school, helping with Chattanooga's Urban WyldLife, and with her kiddos in Emma Wheeler.  She also blogs over at Attempting the Impossible.