From Our RHK Executive Director: More Than Weeds

One day, as I was walking to work, I noticed a clump of weeds. As I got closer, I saw they were in the shape of a heart. I got so excited that I told some of the other staff about the gift God had given us in a clump of weeds. I must admit, I did get some strange looks.

I saw those weeds as God’s reminder that we are to look past the first impression and look deeper. I could have just seen a clump of weeds, but instead, I stopped and noticed their shape. That’s when I saw the heart.

That is the same way it is with our kids. Too often, they are overlooked or quickly judged, and people form a first impression without taking the time to look deeper. When they do, they miss out on the shape and beauty of the child God has made.

There is a third-grade boy who is a twin. He is, how should I put it...feisty. He doesn’t always listen, and he pushes the limits. So, at first glance, people might consider him a “problem” child.

But when you look past that first impression and take a deeper look, you see his heart.

What you see is a young boy who has nightmares, and his twin brother stays up to “help” him through them. His brother protects him when he gets scared.

You see a boy who cries because he is hungry. You see a boy who falls asleep at RHK while the other kids are being loud because, at times, he just can’t stay awake. But he feels safe and knows he can let his guard down and get true rest.

There is a new teen boy who looks disheveled. At times, he has a hard time putting a thought together, and you wonder what is going on. Then you find out he doesn’t want to be home. He tries to stay out of his house until 9:00 p.m., whether he goes to the library, RHK, or other organizations. He takes the city bus to get himself from one place to another.

If someone saw him on the streets, would they talk to him? Or would they cross the street because they were unsure of him?

RHK is full of kids like these boys, ranging from first graders through twelfth graders. They are not asking for anything special. They are not asking for special treatment. All they want is to be seen—to be seen for who they are, not by their circumstances.

Just like the clump of weeds I saw, I could have seen them as just a clump of weeds. Or I could look past that, look deeper, and see what they were made into—a heart.

Each one of the kids who walks through the doors of RHK has stolen a piece of my heart, as well as the hearts of the volunteers who work with them. That is why we show up each day, each week, and each month. We choose to see who God has made them to be. He has made them His children.

1 John 3:1: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”

We are blessed to be able to be His hands and feet, working with His children and being a part of the RHK family.

Thank you to each of you who prays, donates, and volunteers. You are a part of the RHK family, too!

If you haven’t taken the step to become a part of the RHK family yet, maybe today is the day you take that step.

There is a child waiting to meet you.

Blessings,

Dee Lacny, Executive Director, Rock House Kids