Day 16: Matthew 6-9

“‘Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.’ Jesus said, ‘I will come and heal him.’ But the officer said, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed.’” (Matthew 8:6-8, NLT)

Kids are known for bringing home strays and wanting you to welcome them into your family. These strays are typically scraggly, dirty, and haven’t been taught how to behave.
 Strays can take the form of dogs, cats, reptiles—and even FRIENDS!

When we first meet these friends, we are easily tempted to react the same way we would to a sick, matted and aggressive dog coming into our family. We will see the issues and think that they are not good for our kid. These friends will be a bad influence and don’t fit into our family dynamic and are hopeless. We may want to discard them and encourage our children to return these strays to where they found them and to never have anything to do with them again.

But these kids are a mission field we cannot ignore. Just like the Roman ruler in today’s passage, we are to take the issues and needs of these ‘bonus kids’ to the Lord and trust Him to meet them in their places of distress, pain and trouble.

If we open our hearts and homes, these ‘bonus kids’ become ours by default.  Some are easier to love than others. They will have issues that make us feel uncomfortable and leave us not knowing what to do.

Through our love and care, they can experience the goodness, healing and hope that come from Jesus. There are miracles waiting to happen in their lives as well as yours!

Have you prayed for your bonus kids today?

-Tammy​