When My Heart Breaks

Let’s start today with my question of the day 😊 Are you ready? Strap down those thinking caps!

There are so many causes, groups, needs, charities, ministries in the world, and the greater majority are for the good. Yet you are only one person, with one body, one mind, limited amount to give, and limited amount of energy to work with.

What I am asking of myself and you today is more than money and bumper stickers. What sparks the advocate inside you? “An advocate is someone who comes to the give aid to someone or pleads their case. They also offer support, strength, counsel, and intercede when necessary.” When you have the urge to take action in this way, its usually something you have been effected by or know someone who has, or your heart is just pulled towards this particular need. But to really have that fire within you to make a change, you can’t go into advocate mode without educating yourself about the facts and circumstances of the need.

I’ll be honest – I started asking myself this question after the whole debate last week. I don’t have any comments on it, so don’t get excited or write me off. What I will say is that in most of the elections that I have voted in, I have been a hardcore one or two policy voter. However, telling the truth, even in the smallest of details, seems to be excruciatingly painful for all politicians these days. Therefore, I began to ask myself, “What will I advocate for going forward?” And honestly, my heart hasn’t changed at all in answering this question. It still beats fast, my blood still boils, the news reports still make me angry.

But first, I went online last night and just googled, “What is worth advocating for?” Answers: Abandoned animals, world hunger, stricter legal penalties on abusers-“today bullies succeed and kindness gets mocked,” people’s salvation, love and serve one another, civil rights, elephants, climate change stabilization, animals-“the underdogs of society,” bettering the foster care system, public education, volunteer bunny therapy at senior care homes and hospices (this was my favorite answer😊).

Some others as I scrolled: Specific Health challenges, mental health, abuse, racism, abortion, life, health care access, families, children, youth, military and veterans, immigration, criminal justice, policy, religion, culture, and so on.

Some of the above can make me angry because there are over 400,000 children in the foster care system, yet we are “fostering/adopting” pets?!? Watch your language! Those words are reserved for humans, people, children. (To be clear: all the above causes are near to someone’s heart and they are worth fighting for, for sure! However, the “underdogs of society” did make me giggle, I must admit, since dogs would actually be under the category of animals. 😕 showing my sarcastic side, oops!)

What makes your heart beat fast? What can make your blood boil? What gets under your skin so much that you want to take action right away? What news sparks a fire in you that makes you want to change or influence change? My answer: children, specifically how they are treated: spoken to, how their emotional, mental, physical, spiritual health is nurtured and grown, how they are cared and provided for in these ways also.

“Be angry but do not sin.” Ephesians 4:26-27.

I can get so passionate about the treatment of children, that I often have to remind myself of this scripture. Just last night I was watching the news and a mom who had two children, by adoption, is being charged with the murder of both of them. She also is being charged for manipulating the older child to cover for her, by hiding her younger sibling and the tools used, because CPS was coming by. Unfortunately, she was killed before she could have a chance to tell her whole story. Now I don’t get physically angry, but these kind of stories, I could easily become so angry that I could break some dishes or punch a wall. Sometimes I get so angry, the room starts spinning. This is what I mean by what is worth advocating for!

Children. Period. It’s where Jesus has always had my heart planted. Since late middle school and especially in high school, the more I read about child development and how Jesus weaves us all together and navigates every detail, I haven’t stopped wanting to learn about children and the way the “tick.” I’ve taken classes and webinars for the fun of learning new discoveries. I have read many books, and even completed child care curriculum (but didn’t test because I hate tests!), about child development, the needs of children, parenting, adoption, expert books on infants all the way through adult children! However, there is nothing that can replace the simple art of observation of a child. Simply getting on their level and playing, sitting with them while they play- but always on the level they are. The facts of life are dealt with, discussed, and learned while unconsciously communicating through play.

Recently, we were at a restaurant with a bunch of family, and I noticed my niece and I were watching the same little toddler. The little girl was just smiling and then acting like she was shy, but we knew she was happy to be seen in the bustling of the restaurant. And later I was thinking back to when I was my niece’s age, and how I cannot remember a time when children didn’t catch my eye and put a smile on my face. And I always had a deep desire for them to know they were seen – to smile at them. Two of my grandparents were especially drawn to children in any situation. I like to think I inherited or gleaned this lesson from them. My niece always seems to see the children around her, and intentionally let them know that they are seen in this very busy world. I believe this truly is being an example of Jesus to the onlooking world!

The bottom line for advocacy is this: you can’t effectively advocate without having the facts. You need to do your research. You need to be knowledgeable about rights, laws, history, the goals, the mission. You need to know where the fire, the spark, why your blood boils, why your heart beats rapidly – think about where or why this compels you to advocate.

We can’t do everything. BUT we can do something! It’s great to give financially, especially to the causes that you are unable to physically be apart of. But when we find the thing that lights a fire within, it goes beyond causes and charities- it motivates us to speak up, share our hearts, shatter the misinformation, state the facts, and step up for those we are advocating for. (It also doesn’t hurt to give financially to causes that align with you advocacy too 😉)

Life Book of the Week: The Little Kids Table, by Mary Ann McCabe Riehle (which is where you can always seat me or find me!)

Two resources today. One on righteous anger- I need to post this one on every door in my house! And the second, a really awesome fundraiser going on now, along with an amazing and possibly record breaking journey!

https://www.gotquestions.org/righteous-indignation-anger.html