September 12, 2013
Dear Ones,
The summer is quickly approaching an end and
the weather has begun to cool just slightly hinting that the crisp days of fall
are on their way. In fact Kelsi, the
Show Hope summer intern, and I even broke into the Hot Spiced Apple Cider the
other day in place of our usual afternoon coffee break fare. I love fall…
With
each changing season there are things that remain the same and yet different, I
thought of this the other day as I flipped through photos and came across one
that made me stop and smile as I considered it- a long hallway filled with
shoes.
The
summer is always a bustle of activity with guests and groups who come to visit,
come to learn, come to share, come to love and laugh, cry and delight in the beautiful
children who abide under this big roof.
Whenever these guests are in our home we ask that they do not wear their
outdoor shoes into the children’s nurseries and so the hallways grow collections
and groupings of shoes outside the doors.
As I go about my day I often pass these shoes and smile to myself
thinking, “Take off your shoes, for the place you stand is Holy Ground.” When you consider that these precious babies
belong to the King of Kings who has said He will be their Father and now we
have the honor of holding, cuddling, loving, caring for, helping to bind wounds
and broken bodies, and singing lullabies all the way to the gates of heaven. This is Holy Ground- the Creator of the Universe
has drawn close, He walks the halls with us, spends the night hours watching
with us and over us, He is the sustainer of life, and the Comforter in death,
He is the healer, and He is here. The
shoes are just a simple visible reminder to me of that very fact and I pray
that the beautiful feet that fit into those shoes will carry not just the story
of this holy ground and the little ones who live on it but also the Good News
of Him the very Giver of Life and Salvation to a world that is dying to know
Him.
By His Grace Alone,
Mariah
