Microwave Popcorn and Peanut Butter

By the sound of previous blogs, one might think that I'm totally down on the home. Admittedly, I tire of the clinging, hair pulling, stomach poking, and frequent put-downs but quite sincerely, these girls are endearing. As mom advised me just the other day, when the going gets rough, remember where these beauties have come from.

Where have they come from? The entirety of their stories remains unknown to me, but I do know of a few pasts. In one case, the mother of one of our 13 year old girls, prostituted her daughter for financial gain. Another older teen was sexually abused by every male in her family, except one...he only physically abused her. Unimaginable terrors forced upon innocents by the very people who should have defended and protected them. How can I stay gloomy for very long when my past reflects not one iota of their pain?

Despite the tremendous abuse these young girls have experienced, they maintain some sense of innocence, naivety, and wonder. My mind was blown tonight by the reaction of the girls to our microwave and more specifically microwave popcorn. Most did not know what a microwave was nor how to operate one. They fought to be the one to push the buttons. All eyes were fixed on the transparent microwave door as the inflating bag and popping kernels did more to entertain then their favourite TV show, El Cuerpo de Deseo. Their wonder continued as they secured spoons and gorged on my jar of peanut butter, finishing off what was left of the crunchy spread. Later, after our discussions, our cordless phone with it's handset locater was the object of much fascination and Alison's magazine from The Pottery Barn stirred up an ocean of "ooo's and "aaa's".

Although I am disillusioned with many aspects of my being here, one thing is clear. These girls are precious. They are gorgeous images of God. They deserve my love and an unlimited supply of grace. My burning desire is that every one will be as enthralled with Christ one day as they were with microwave popcorn and peanut butter tonight.