Developing Hearts for the Least of These and Better Mom Mondays Link-up!!

April 23, 2012 By

A picture is etched in my memory of our then seven year old daughter helping George put on his coat after church. The sweetness of this memory lies in the fact that George was a thirty-something year old man who had muscular dystrophy and needed help doing the simplest of tasks. We were blessed to be part of a church with a ministry to individuals with special needs and it had a most powerful impact on our children. Our four children were not afraid of these often strange acting folks; they realized they just had some special challenges in life.

Another memory comes to mind. It is one of our family standing across the street from our city’s local abortion clinic. We made the trip down every Thursday morning to stand for mothers in crisis and to give voice to their voiceless little ones scheduled to die. Our children did not dread going. In fact they looked forward to this each week to pray for the moms and their babies. For them abortion was not something abstract; it was an unthinkable injustice perpetrated against the most vulnerable among us.

A final picture comes to mind of our four children and son-in-law waiting at the Indianapolis airport for my husband and I, who were returning home with, Katerine, our newly adopted daughter from Guatemala. It didn’t matter to them that she was mentally and physically handicapped. They had prayed for this moment for years and were there to welcome her into their hearts and our home.

One of the most important things we can teach our children as Christ following moms is to be compassionate; to care for those Jesus referred to as “least of these”, (Matthew 25:45). Living in a sin-stained world presents us with ample opportunities such as these to teach compassion.

Our responsibility is to provide the training ground where our children learn to love all people and hate injustice enough to move them beyond lip service and empathy to action; to love as Jesus loved.

As our children learn of God’s love for the oppressed and downtrodden through our example, they will want to begin to care for the least of these as well. I would encourage you to look beyond the messiness of being needy to the joy of serving as Jesus did.

“Speak up for those who have no voice, for the justice of all who are dispossessed. Speak up, judge righteously, and defend the cause of the oppressed and needy.” Proverbs 31:8,9

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So now it is time to LINK-UP and join the party!!!!

*****We are going to start pinning our favorite link-ups on The Better Mom’s Pinterest Board every week!! Yay!*****

Better Mom Mondays Link-up is every Monday!!! Join the fun by adding your blog, and by checking out all of the others listed!! Don’t forget if you join below -please add the Better Mom Mondays Link Up button to your post so your readers can find us here! (Posts can include the topics of mothering, marriage, homemaking, discipleship, recipes, organization and more!) You can find the html code in the sidebar, or “save as” copy, and paste the button below.

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44 Comments | Filed Under: Following God, Ministries and Missions, Parenting, Special Needs Tagged With: , , ,
About Barb Spencer

Barb loves Christ and His Word deeply and is married to Michael, her best friend for over 28 years. A pastor’s daughter and a pastor’s wife, Barb is a mom to 5 children; Aubrie Drayer, Marisa, Summer, Ian and Katerine (who they adopted from Guatemala in 2008). She also loves her role as grandma. Barb’s highest calling is her family. She has no regrets about being a stay-at-home mom and has homeschooled their children from the beginning. Though Barb has encountered many challenges, including her husband’s stage 4 battle with cancer in 2001 and raising a daughter who has cerebral palsy and is mentally handicapped, she has repeatedly found God’s grace sufficient. Barb is passionate about being a wife and mother, and helping younger moms.

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  • http://profiles.google.com/shanda.oakley Shanda Oakley

    Oh thank you. You are teaching your children a wonderful lesson of compassion in a world where we speak of it much but few really live it full time. I lived in Honduras and volunteered at a public hospital where I just love the abandoned and the handicapped. It was heartbreaking.

    • Barb Spencer

      Thank you for your words, Shanda. It is heartbreaking to see the hurts others bear and what a joy to be able to help them if only a little. It gives us a glimpse into God’s love for them. Blessings to you. ~Barb

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  • Kim Hall

    Children do learn far more from our behavior than from our words. There is nothing so sweet as seeing your child for the first time, imitating you and reaching out to comfort or help someone. There is also nothing so piercing as seeing them imitate you with arm akimbo, hand firmly on hip as they wag an imperious finger at someone. Ouch.

    It is a lovely and lifelong gift we give to our kids when we teach them the joy of helping others. It is almost counter-intuitive to do so when we are feeling down and out, and yet, our hearts are both so much lighter and fuller when we do so.

    Thanks for the reminder. It can be too easy to overlook those in need when we become focused on our own busyness.

    • Barb Spencer

      What you’ve said here is so true, Kim. Our children are always watching us. What we do seems to speak much louder than what we do. It’s a good thing to remember that our children will model our behaviors, good and bad. Blessings to you as your parent your children today. ~Barb

      • Barb Spencer

        Actually, this should read…”What we do seems to speak much louder than what we say!”

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  • http://www.servingjoyfully.com/ Crystal @ Serving Joyfully

    I’m sure you don’t meant to imply that people with special needs are “the least of these.” I can promise you that God loves people with special needs every bit as much as He love you or I.

    • Barb Spencer

      Crystal, I definitely didn’t use the phrase “the least of these” to demean people with special needs or to imply God sees those folks as lesser, but rather, I used the phrase to quote Jesus as he was speaking in Matthew 25:40. As He was preaching, Jesus said, “…Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.” Jesus clearly cherishes and loves those with handicaps, those who are poor, the orphans, the widows, etc.–those who our society has deemed for whatever reason of lesser value. I believe that the Scripture is very clear that God loves and values EVERY person. My husband and I have a daughter who is mentally and physically handicapped and we see her every bit as treasured by God as our children who are not. I am sorry that my remarks were misunderstood. Blessings to you. ~Barb

      • http://www.servingjoyfully.com/ Crystal @ Serving Joyfully

        Barb, I am very familiar with the passage. I guess we just have a different understanding of it’s meaning.

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  • http://rinaperu.com/ Rinaperu

    Indeed, teaching our children to be compassionate is a most noble thing. It is in keeping with the Lord Jesus’ command to love others as He has loved us with no respect of persons, and the best way to do that is for us to model compassion to them.

    • Barb Spencer

      I couldn’t agree with you more. They learn so much when we put our words into action. Blessings, Barb

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  • Adrienne @ Whole New Mom

    Thanks, Barb. As the parent of a special needs child and one who tries to love all those who are needy, I really appreciated this. In answer to the question about the “least of these” and what it means, I think you are right. In the context of this verse, the “least” are the “hungry, thirsty, strangers, sick, and those in prison.”

    I personally really like the ESV Bible and really trust the authors of that version. In their commentary, they say that the “least of these” is “those who are most needy among Jesus’ brothers – a reference most likely to Jesus’ disciples and by extension all believers…”the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger; for those who are naked, sick, or in prison.” So special needs individuals would clearly be in the “sick” category.

    Stating that someone is in the “least of these” categories by no means means that Christ loves them less. If anything, this passage shows that he has great love for them.

    • Barb Spencer

      Thanks so much for your encouraging words, Adrienne. I think, too, when we work with these “special” people and have them in our family, we realize how difficult their struggles are and how very precious they are to God. And I do agree with what you said of the “least of these”–that if anything, this passage shows God’s great affection for these people. Blessings, ~Barb

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  • http://changedbythemaker.com/ Michelle

    My husband and I both work in the disabilities field, so our children have always been around folks with disabilities, and I think they are both pretty comfortable with the fact that everyone is different and we need to help whenever we can. I’m interested in your paragraph about the abortion clinic, though because, we have not told our children about abortion — mostly, I guess, it just hasn’t come up. Now, however, when I think about telling them, I seems like hard news to break to a 7 & 9 yo. It’s hard to tell them of the awfulness in the world, but I’m sure it must be time. Your post encourages me to think about the issue from the standpoint of advocacy rather than simply feeling miserable about the fact that abortion happens. Thanks also for the link-up! I have enjoyed being a part of it.

    • Barb Spencer

      Michelle, how wonderful that you and your husband work with these “special” people. It’s a great thing, too, that because you’ve not been afraid, your children aren’t either. I always think God must have a special place in His heart for these who have so many struggles here on this earth.

      With regard to my comments about taking my children to the abortion clinic, I must give you a little background. When my husband came to Christ at age 21, he was pro-choice. Shortly after, our youth pastor showed the film “The Silent Scream”. It was then my husband decided he would do whatever he could to speak up for those who couldn’t speak for themselves. It has since been a very important part of our ministry. We prayed early on with our children about the girls going in, but I remember vividly my oldest daughter (at a very young age) asking what they did in the clinic. I knew she wouldn’t be able to grasp what abortion really was so I told her they hurt babies in there. Her response was that we needed to pray for these little ones and do whatever we could to help them. Today, my daughter and her husband work for a group whose mission is to go to college campuses and dialogue with students about what abortion is in an effort to stop it.

      So I guess what I’m saying is that you will need to be gentle in your words. When we have to tell what the procedure is, it reveals how awful it is. Make it a matter of prayer how to tell them and be gentle. (I know you will). Blessings, Michelle. I’ll be praying for you. ~Barb

      • http://changedbythemaker.com/ Michelle

        Thank you for the background information. It helps put it in perspective a little. We will be prayerful about how and when to talk about abortion with our kids. THANKS!

  • Sharon

    Barb, the story of your daughter helping George is precious! Every child at my church has an adult “prayer partner” who prays for them on a regular basis. The lady in charge, Mary, is disabled (she’s in her 70′s or maybe 80′s?? and has the most amazing, miraculous story, including being the founder of Mephibosheth ministries) and she chose to be our toddlers prayer partner. She and my daughter adore one another and Mary pointed out to me not too long ago that as my daughter grows up, she won’t be afraid of people with disabilities because of the interactions she’s had with her. I pray she is right and that my daughter will help other children to be more accepting of those who may look or act differently than what they are used to.

    • Barb Spencer

      Thank you, Sharon, for your kind words. And I do think your friend, Mary is right. Your daughter, having had Mary for a friend, is learning that people with disabilities aren’t scary, they just face some additional challenges. And, by the way, I love the name, Mephibosheth ministries. What an awesome way to show value to those with special needs.

      Blessings,
      Barb

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  • moretobe

    What an incredibly powerful post. Thanks so much for sharing today!

    • Barb Spencer

      Thank you so much! ~Barb

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  • http://thechuppies.blogspot.com/ Kara @ The Chuppies

    I really appreciate this post Barb…
    And this is how I want to live–seeing others through His eyes.
    And this is what we SO want to pass on to our kiddos–His heart of compassion.
    I appreciate this nudge to look for ways and opportunities and times that God can use to develop that heart in them.

    • Barb Spencer

      Thank you for your encouragement, Kara. Through these times of helping “the least of these” (as society views them) I realize that I’m part of that group as well. I’m not needy in the world’s eyes, but in the eyes of God, I am. Our kids are now in their teens and twenties and these little things we did had an impact that I could never have imagined. I can see your heart is for your lambs to wholeheartedly follow Christ. As they watch you, I’m confident they will. ~Barb

  • Kourtney

    Barb,
    Thank you so much for sharing this post. Do you have a blog? My husband and I are getting ready to adopt a 15 year old with profound mental and physical disabillities and I am searching for resources. I have a 3 year old and six year old and know that there will be adjustments for our whole family and am trying to find some “places” ahead of time where we all fit in.
    Bless you and thank you.
    Kourtney

    • Barb Spencer

      Hi Kourtney!

      Thank you for your kind words. I don’t have a blog, but I’d be happy to look around for some with you. We are part of a church with a number of families who’ve adopted special needs children. I’d be happy to converse with you on facebook or through email if you’d like!

      Blessings,

      Barb

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