You see , God has blessed us with three very active boys and has placed us in a neighborhood with numerous kids their age .
Those kids are also very active .
My wife was having some very concerning health issues . We decided she needed to go to the hospital . But we had a problem . It was evening , and we had three young boys at home .
They track dirt and grass clippings into the house .
They smell sweaty and grimy from playing backyard football all day .
They eat a lot of food .
And we never know when they ’ re going to show up .
But we enjoy opening our home to them and their parents in an effort to demonstrate the love of Jesus .
Do we have to run the vacuum more ? Yes .
What should we do ?
I called up some good friends of ours , Chuck and Pam , and asked if they could help . They didn ’ t hesitate . They agreed to watch our kids until we were able to return .
But the hospital visit wasn ’ t quick . Hour after hour passed as we waited for the results of several tests . Evening turned to night and then to late night .
Sarah was released from the hospital around midnight . When we got home , we found our friends sleeping on our couches . Our boys were asleep in their beds .
Do we occasionally find dents and marks on our walls ? Yes .
Does the screen on our porch door get pushed in every other month ? Yes .
But that ’ s okay . We would rather have a wellloved gospel outpost than an immaculate and sterile , inwardly focused home .
Did they have other plans for that evening ? They did . Did they have work the next morning ? Absolutely .
I will never forget their generosity . They set aside their own needs to meet ours .
Opportunities to be generous with our time come in all shapes and sizes .
Our house is messy on a regular basis . And that ’ s a good thing .
A friend needs someone to watch the kids so he can take his wife to the hospital .
Generosity looks like a “ ruined ” day ( or night )
A neighbor was just told by her husband that he wants a divorce . She is brokenhearted and
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