A worthy cause

We have only a few really big goals as parents. There are lots of little daily goals, a number of overall academic goals, and some personal goals that we'd love to see accomplished or achieved in our kids' lives.

But then there are the Big Ones. We want our kids to be kind, concerned with the welfare of others. We want them to serve and protect those less fortunate. We want them to be willing to give and give and give until it hurts sometimes, and know the blessing that comes from sharing what was never really ours to begin with. We want them to know Jesus, and serve Him, and love Him, and show His love to those around them.

These are Kingdom goals. And they trump all the others.

So when a dear friend dedicates her life to helping others understand the value of all human life, and to training people in how to defend the cause of the unborn, we come alongside her. We put her family's picture up on the map, next to the friends ministering to families in Slovakia and planting churches in Southeast Asia, and we explain that she is a "missionary for the unborn" and the work she's doing is saving babies' lives.

Our kids understand babies. And they can't fathom why anyone would want to hurt them. So Abby was more than willing to fold letters and stamp envelopes to help the cause.

One day down the road I'll get to show her this picture. And I'll remind her, as my friend Megan did when she thanked us for our support, that "her service may save the lives of unborn babies."

These are the teaching moments I never want to miss as a parent. There's something so much bigger than ourselves and our kids going on in the world. Our goal is to help them see it.