I come from a family of love.
I was always taken care of growing up. My wants and needs were always provided for and no matter what, every night as I lay my head to go to sleep, I would always hear, good night Melissa; I love you from each of my parents.
I am a daddy’s girl, always will be, and was privileged to have a relationship with my dad that a lot people dream of having. And still, to this day, my mom and I are best friends.
But not everyone gets to experience that. Not everyone is born into a family, who no matter what will love you. And will fight for you and take care of you regardless of any circumstance.
While in China, we worked with the organization International China Concern (ICC). ICC was created to take in and provide for special needs children who have been abandoned by their parents. Some were abandoned as babies, others as they got older. Some were born with severe disabilities, while others were born with just a simple thyroid problem. All of which are children who, most likely have never been told, Good Night, I love you by the two people who brought them into this world.
I’m not sure how different my life would have been if it lacked the love and affection that my parents provided. The simple hugs after a long day at school or the “I’m proud of you Missy Jo,” moments when it seemed like nothing was ever right. It’s the simple love and affection that came from my parents that gave me life and made me into the person I am today.
Throughout this month I have tried to think about how my life could have easily been different. I Tried to place myself in the children’s shoes of being abandoned, and not having parents to pour love into me and simply allow me to be their little girl, but I couldn’t. I didn’t know how too. I didn’t know how to relate. I didn’t know how to love them. I didn’t know how to be on their level and it was hard, really hard. I spent the first week of ministry mentally trying to figure out what to do. How to be the love and affection they have missed out on since the day they came into this world. But I couldn’t and it truly defeated me.. All I could focus on were the things I didn’t know and couldn’t do, instead of focusing on and sharing the one true thing that matters: Their Abba, who every night, smiles down upon them and says “Good night child of mine, I love you.”
I’m grateful for the life God has given me and grateful for the parents He chose to raise me. This month has reminded me of that. Reminded me of how blessed I am to still have a mom who loves me an insane amount and a dad who looks down from heaven every day and says, “I’m proud of you Missy Jo.”
But even above all of that, regardless of any earthly circumstance, whether we have physical parents or not, we have a heavenly father, who looks down on each of us every night and simply says, “Good night child of mine, I love you.”
