Hope is Alive at Give Kids the World

Last night, I had the awesome privilege of spending a few hours at one of my favorite places here in Central Florida: Give Kids the World. Having survived the horror of the Holocaust, a man named Henri Landwirth founded this magical place to bless families from all over the world. The resort-like village offers Make-A-Wish-Foundation families a cost-free week away from the stress and chaos of constant medical appointments and exhausting treatments. They exist to fulfill the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses and their families "for as long as there is a need."

"Over 115,000 children have had their dream come true at Give Kids The World. No child in need has ever been turned away – and no child ever will. Give Kids The World is a place where families find joy, laughter, serenity, and a lifetime of memories."

This weekend, my teenager and I volunteered at the Park of Dreams pool area. David assisted the photographer capture precious memories of young princesses and pirates while I handed out towels, let people in and out, and served the families in various ways. There are always special moments, like when we both spotted a young dad swinging his little girl to Enchanted's That's How You Know, her red dress flowing like petals embracing the light.

The pirate party by the pool was a hit, as it is every Friday night. During the week-long stay, each family experiences Christmas on Thursday, the Mayor's birthday party, princess parades, pirate and tea parties, pony rides, free movies at Julie's Safari Theater, and much more. They also receive free admission to the Disney parks, Universal Studios, Sea World, and others. Can you even believe a place like this exists? The goal is to shower the kids and their families with kindness, goodness, and love. The village is a bit of heaven on earth.

Julie's Safari Theater at Give Kids the World

I am so thankful that God spared Henri's life. Although he could have grown bitter and cold having witnessed and experienced such cruelty, Henri chose to love instead. The village he founded is, to me, a story of redemption, courage, and love. His spirit, his kindness and compassion make me want to reach out to others and say, How can I give you the best of this world today?

Henri had a choice to make, and he chose the path of healing and blessing. Today, regardless of the losses we've faced and the heartbreak we may have experienced, we can choose love, forgiveness, and grace. We can choose to bless.

We can choose to give each other the best of this world and, in so doing, we will change the world.

Hope lives!
Dr Mari

More Ways to Unload Your Life (Part III)

Many of you enjoyed Overloaded Lives are Powerless Lives and Unloaded Lives are Powerful and asked for more. As we approach what to many of us is the busiest time of the year, why not resolve to have it be different this time around? We can manage our time proactively starting now. We can enjoy a true Advent - the time of preparation leading up to Christmas - by setting aside time to ready our hearts and nurture our spirits along the way. As you consider these steps we can all take to unload our lives, I invite you to put them into practice now to avoid another frazzled, hectic month that will leave you exhausted - just in time for Christmas!

So here are some more choices we can make to help us recover the precious gift of time. They are from Dr Richard Swenson's book, Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives.

• Sabotage Your Fuse Box. The author shares, "Our family enjoys Wisconsin winters where a two-foot snowfall is a thrill, not a torment. When the world is snowed in, cars can't move, businesses can't open, and schools can't convene. A spirit of holiday reigns. Part of the reason for this is the unexpected gift of time margin." Make today a "snow day" and decide to enjoy the gift of time! Can you even remember what it is you love to do when you suddenly have a free day? Do it now! And build it into your schedule more often.
• Get Less Done But Do the Right Things. Some people lead such hectic lives that even hearing about their day is stressful. How they can continue to live with such daily chaos is beyond me! Even "good things" can become too much if they fill up our days to such an extent that we are no longer kind to ourselves or to others. "'For many people,' says pastor and author Rick Warren, 'the barrier to spiritual growth is not lack of commitment, but overcommitment to the wrong things.'" Remember, when you say yes to something, you have just said no to something else. Are your answers consistently in agreement with your values and goals? 
• Enjoy Anticipation, Relish the Memories. Is your schedule ever so busy that there's little time to anticipate a wonderful event, enjoy it when it arrives or reminisce about it afterwards because you've already moved on to the next thing? Consider saying no to a few invitations next month so you can fully enjoy the ones to which you say yes! Do you feel obligated to go? Perhaps this question can help you as you discern when to say no.
• Don't Rush Wisdom. Take your time when making decisions. "If life's pace pushes you, push back. Take as much time and prayer as you need for (clarity) to develop. And wait for your decision to be affirmed by peace."
• For Type A's Only. Dr Swenson shares this advice from Dr Meyer Friedman, who first described the type A personality. "Practice smiling. Purposely speak more slowly, stop in the middle of some sentences, hesitate for three seconds, then continue. Purposely say 'I'm wrong' at least twice today, even if you're not sure you're wrong. Listen to at least two persons today without interrupting even once... Seek out the longest line at the bank." Although the old me could be the poster child for the type A personality (and still, at times!), I have learned to receive such previously frustrating annoyances as long lines in the supermarket as gifts - opportunities to breathe, to pray, to rest. "In repentance and rest is your salvation," says the Lord in Isaiah 30:15, "in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it." These are sobering words if we haven't learned to desire inner quiet more than we want whatever it is we want right now. To those of us pursuing the abundant life each day, the need to wait for some things becomes a gift. Outer chaos in our lives often reflects or leads to inner chaos. Having to wait builds patient endurance and is often a path to greater wisdom and love. 
• Create Buffer Zones. Wouldn't it be nice if we all learned to create buffer zones around our daily lives? Whether at work or running errands, we can set aside even five minutes an hour to rest our minds and nurture our spirits. A song on iTunes. An inspiring poem. Enjoying photos of our children and spouse. Closing our eyes in prayer or reading a psalm or two. These short but powerful infusions of hope and joy in the middle of a busy day can make all the difference.
• Plan for Free Time. "Christ's teaching, His healing, His serving, and His loving were usually spontaneous. The person standing in front of Him was the opportunity He accepted. If He chose spontaneous living, isn't that a signal to us? Overloaded schedules are not the way to walk In His Steps." An inflexible, over-scheduled day lacks buffer zones and leaves little room for the Holy Spirit to move. If your day is packed, move some items to another day or delete them altogether.
• Be Available. "God... exalts faithfulness over productivity." Do we? Have we scheduled ourselves so full that we are unavailable to God? Can our agenda be interrupted to serve God and His people in need?

As we approach Advent and the celebration of Christ's birth, let us resolve to prepare our hearts, making room for God to use us like never before, giving Him our time and choosing to glorify Him in all we do.

Be free!
Dr Mari

* Photo by James Randkley, Stone/Getty Images. 

Visit Overloaded Lives are Powerless Lives for Part I and Unloaded Lives are Powerful for Part II of this series based on Dr Richard Swenson's book, Margin.

 

I Am Not My Own

“Stewardship is the act of organizing your life so that God can spend you.”
                                                                             - Lynn A. Miller, Author

I love this quote! I first saw it this weekend on our church bulletin and can't stop thinking about it. It brings a new perspective on what giving is, why we give, and what our life as Christians is all about. If the One I follow gave His life for me while I was still actively sinning against Him, where is it that I think I follow Him? If His life was spent selflessly giving of Himself, why should I expect to live any other way? If the Father gave because of His great love for us, what might my life look like as I follow in His Son's footsteps?

Generosity. That's what my life will look like. I will give what I have received. I will organize my life in such a way that God can spend me as He wills. I will recognize something that will change my life: I am not my own.

When I said yes to God by receiving for myself the sacrifice of Christ's death on my behalf, I became God's possession. In Ephesians 1:13,14, Paul explains it like this, "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of His glory."

If we are in Christ, we are God's possession, marked as His own. We are His, and He can do with us as He wills. No longer our own, we get our marching orders through the guidance of the Holy Spirit within, and the Spirit always leads us to love, to surrender, to give. And as we live this new life of selfless giving, we find that, as Jesus said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35)

Let us organize our lives in such a way that God can spend us - now - any way He chooses. For we belong to Him.

His!
Dr Mari

"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

"The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it..." (Psalm 24:1)