A Bite for a Friend

To be honest, my boys have typically been homeboys. That’s right, they like to be indoors more than outdoors. However, things have recently began to change. They have discovered God’s "Day 6" creation, namely: “things that creep on the ground.” This fall we have experienced deer, snakes, turtles, lizards, a tarantula, stray cat, bats, and turtles. I mention turtles twice because at one point we had 6 turtles held captive as pets in our plastic swimming pool, complete with rocks, leaves, branches, and water. We were the neighborhood petting zoo. Hunter even had a leash on a turtle to take him on walks. After running out of food (earthworms I'd dig up), and finding one turtle floating upside down because he was just about to pass away, we let them all go. Bronwyn was especially relieved, having eased her conscience of our “animal cruelty.”
Another one of God's creatures we often encounter in our front yard is the mosquito. I don't know why He created such an animal, but they love my 3-year-old, Carter. For several nights in a row, at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning, Carter would come into our room and awaken us with a tearful yell, "I need some bug spray!" What he meant was, "lotion to make the itching sensation go away." Bronwyn and I really wanted his itching sensation to go away, too! We must have put Caladryl lotion on him 3 or 4 times each day for 7 days straight. Yes, we put bug repellant on him, but it didn't seem to repel mosquitoes. One day as the boys were playing outside, a ball went rolling down a hill into the woods, where the mosquitoes congregate. Carter began to descend the hill to retrieve the ball until he hears his considerate brother Connor say, "Carter, Don't go! I'll go get that ball for you." Bronwyn overheard this and later commended Connor for such kindness towards his brother. Connor's response was, " I didn’t want Carter to get any more bug bites—I would get the bug bites." As his parents, Bronwyn and I melted. Connor understands how to love others as Jesus loved others. Really, it is that simple! Love others the way you would like others to treat you. John MacArthur wrote a devotional book titled "Truth For Today." In it he writes a commentary on Philippians 2:4, "Let each of you not look out merely for your own interest, but also for the interests of others." To quote him, he says "Whose face do you wash in the morning? Whose hair do you comb? Whose wardrobe do you buy? You are concerned about your own self-preservation and self-comfort and should be concerned about others in the same way. Pay as much attention to them as you do yourself. That's loving your neighbor as yourself."
For whom can you "take a mosquito bite"? I have an idea for myself. Two of my best friends from college have recently lost their jobs, their wives, their money, their motivation, and now have to share custody of their kids. One of them recently wrote me, "My daughter keeps asking me, "Where is mommy?" I can only imagine how difficult it is to be in their shoes. My heart breaks for them, and so I am spending money and time to help them. It could have been me in their shoes except for the grace of God towards me.
God didn't call us to be careful and comfortable, but to care and comfort. Who can you care for today?
To transition to something fun…J one way to care for someone today would be that you contact your kampers, if you were a counselor this past summer! Our website makes it so easy for you! Log in to our website with your user name and password, and you can navigate to find the names, pictures, and contact information of all your kampers! It is awesome! It will impact your kids more deeply than you can imagine. I know, because I was one of those kids who received a postcard from my counselor. I still have it. If you have any trouble, email Mssnowden@kanakuk.com for assistance.

Hope to see you in Dallas!

Todd