You Have A Father

There is a precious lady that is a member of our church that lives in an apartment complex in our little town and she is a magnet for all of the kids that live there. They all affectionately refer to her as Granny Gail. She is in her 60's and a tiny little wisp of a woman. She has not been blessed with the best of health, having to be on oxygen at different times. Gail is definately on a very fixed income and does not have a lot of extras in life. However, the one thing that I admire the most about Gail is that she has bloomed where she was planted.

The majority of the kids that live in this particular housing area live in single parent homes. Their mothers work and Gail, being home, welcomes them into her home after school so they do not have to go into their apartments alone. She is more than a sitter to these kids. They consider her a dear and trusted friend. I learned that from some of those kids this morning in Sunday School when we were talking about friendship.

On Sunday mornings, Granny Gail gathers up all of these kids and brings them to our church. Usually on Saturday nights, she has sleepovers at her house. The kids come, they play board games and watch movies. Granny Gail irons their clothes for church and gets them all up, feeds them breakfast and brings them to church. She also gives every child that goes to church a dollar to put in the offering plate. This comes from a woman that, to the world, has so little to give...yet she gives of what she does have.

Today she needed someone to pick up two kids that had just moved into the complex this past week....so I picked them up. As I was driving to church I was trying to talk with the new kids...asking how they liked their new apartment...tried to tell them that they would like their new school, what grade my daughter was in....and I said something about their parents and the little eight year old boy said something that pierced my heart.....

"I live with my mom. I don't have a Dad."

There are times that I THINK that I hear the Spirit speaking to me and other times, I wonder is that what I am truly hearing....but, today the Voice that I heard was without a doubt the Spirit when I heard these words....

"You are going to a place where I hope you meet your Father."

I prayed silently the rest of the drive that God would place such a love in every heart that these kids came in contact with at our church...that in that sense...they were being introduced to their Father. Granny Gail got the ball rolling...now, the rest was up to us...the body of Christ!