Summer of Serving......

 June 1- I just watched our oldest daughter board a plane as she begins her summer of serving. As I sat at the airport with her this morning I was trying to hold back tears as we ate breakfast together. Not tears of sadness that she was leaving (those came later) but tears of great joy for what God is doing in her life. Since the day I found out that I was going to be a mom I have prayed that my children would seek to follow the Lord and serve others with His love. This morning I watched her walk onto a plane to do just this- With no prompting from David or myself Megan has filled her summer with opportunities to give of herself to others.
Megan is flying alone today to Mexico to go and serve a missionary family from our church for the next few weeks. She will return home just in time to travel again to be a camp counselor for a group of 3rd-5th graders from our church for a week. Next up will be a week at Mission Fuge with friends from her youth group where she will be serving in a poor community. She will leave from M-Fuge and head to Cousin's Camp to be a counselor (however this is a loose term :) She will have a blast with her cousins) for a week. Home a few days and then off again to Mexico to love on orphans for a week. Now that is a BUSY summer of serving!
As a mom I have always longed for the best for our kids. Early on in their lives I tried to give them what I thought was best by giving them things. I look back now and I realize that so many "things" that I thought they needed (like cute clothes with a matching hair bow of course) were really just for me not for them. The things that have made the greatest impact on their lives have been the opportunities that David and I have given them to love and serve- not the physical things that we have given to them. Whether it be in our church on Sunday, making a meal for a family in need, building houses in Mexico, serving the homeless a meal in downtown Charlotte, spending a summer in Ethiopia, bringing children who were fatherless into our family or babysitting for a couple that needed a night out they have learned the joy in serving.
I am so thankful for Megan's heart that instead of sleeping in each day, making plans with friends, hanging out at the pool (although I think in Mexico she will get to do a little of this), heading to the mall for more stuff, or just enjoying the summer before her senior year of high school she is doing what will bring her pure joy...........she is loving and serving others.
I have a lot to learn from her as I miss her this summer-Her absence will continue to remind me that it truly is better to give than to receive! How are you giving this summer?

Acts 20:35 - In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”