Some of my favorite memories at Children’s Garden start with fights we had with the boys. We fought with them all the time. We fought in groups, we fought individually, and sometimes we fought with four or five people against one.
Our ‘fights’ weren’t really fights according to your assumed definition, though:
Pillow fights. Water fights. Tickle fights.
Just to name a few of our favorites.
Whenever I was whacked in the face or over the head with a pillow, or was soaked by a bucket of water from behind, or whenever I could barely breathe through the laughter of being tickled, all I could think was this:
“What a beautiful picture of redemption I’m experiencing.”
Many of the boys at Children’s Garden were used to fighting violently. On the streets they fought with their fists. They fought out of anger; they fought with intentions of protecting themselves or defending someone they loved. Fighting was part of their lives. But, when they were saved and Christ redeemed them the Lord replaced their hearts of stone with hearts of flesh and they were changed! Fighting out of anger with their fists turned to playing out of joy, through laughter, with pillows and water…how cool is that?!
These boys love, they hug, they’ll sit, talk and listen out of love. Before they met Christ, so many of these boys were angry and violent and it’s crazy to think of who they used to be because of who they are now in Christ. They are full of joy, they are affectionate and full of love, and they are completely changed according to the way Christ intended them to be!
These boys are redeemed, they’re living as the new creations they are and I am so incredibly thankful for the numerous pillows I’ve been smacked with, the surprise water attacks and the non-stop tickle fights that I’ve been a part of because the truth is, every time we ‘fought’ like that I was reminded of how much the Lord loves me, how much the Lord loves those boys, and just how amazing Christ’s redemptive power is.
