Thursday, April 29, 2010

What I Thought Was Just a Shirt

This morning I put on a shirt that says "Live Love Give Love" and then of course carefully accessorized and chose the right shoes that "work" but do not match. Once I completed the look, I took a quick once over in the mirror and was ready to head out. But something stopped me. My shirt was speaking to me, "Live Love Give Love", I hadn't really thought about it, but do I fully understand or live by what I was about to advertise all day long?

As I continued thinking about it while taking Daisy (our rat terrier) out for her morning walk, I realized that I understand the "Live Love" part. Loving your family, taking care of your friends that are hurting, asking the Lord to clothe you in grace in love daily and attempting to have a pure heart. I understand "Live Love" though I may not always do it.

But "Give Love" really stuck out in my mind. It made me realize that many of us were blessed with parents that gave you love, teachers the believed in you and gave you love in that way, or even had grandparents that made special memories with you and gave you love in a unique way through small moments such as taking you ice skating or fixing you a bowl of Raisin Bran. But not every one is automatically given love from the beginning, which is why we must choose to take every chance we get to deposit love into a stranger just in case they never did.

So now I am thinking, it is not just the nice thing to do, to always speak to the cashier at Wal-Mart and hold the door open for someone at the gym, it is our responsibility. It is our tiny moment in time to give love to someone who may not ever receive such a gift.

I am about to head to a group, wearing my new favorite t-shirt and it will serve as a reminder all day to give love to the lady at Starbucks, person who cuts me off on 1709, the women who emails me with a complaint and so on.

If God can speak to me through a $5 t-shirt from Forever 21, I know that he can speak to someone else because you chose to stop and say "Thank you for what you do, and I hope you have a wonderful day" as you get your receipt at Target.

-Katy

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Shout out to the Foster Parents

This story is about people who are often over looked, the Foster Parents.

Yesterday was Faith Day. Three years ago yesterday my sister and her husband lost their baby girl before ever meeting her. They named her Joanna Faith and claimed April 26th as "Faith Day". Though we have never laid eyes on her or held her little fingers, she has changed our lives in many ways. Her life led my sister and her husband on a journey that is still being played out, but one thing we can honor her for is their decision to become foster parents.

As foster parents they have to deal with paperwork, state laws, strict guidelines, surprise visits, and the list goes one. It is not easy, but what is worthy, is never easy. Although, they must put up with all of those things everyday, they are also the people who can change a child's life.

Imagine you open your front door to find a women standing there with a baby. She tells you that she needs to get help because of a drug problem but she needs someone to take care of her baby while she gets better. What would you say? Yes, of course. No one would leave a child on the street! This in a way is what foster parents do. But they go a step further and go to trainings and put their names on a list so that when a child is in need, they will have a place to go.

There is great reward in fostering. Meeting the needs of a fallen world does not go unnoticed by God. So far my sister and her husband have cared for 3 children, one that is now forever theirs. Aspen Dai is the face of a world in need that God loves beyond measure and we could not imagine our lives without her.

This is only one story of thousands of foster parents. So the next time you run into a foster parent you know, tell them "Thank you" and just that. Not how you can't image doing that or they are so super human for caring for these kids, it never comes across right. So just thank them, because they are choosing discomfort over easy every single day.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Here we go...

Hello, we are Kyle and Katy Davis.

The Rock Sofa is a place for us to tell stories of people who go beyond safe, predictable, comfortable lives and choose to love others extravagantly. To be a voice for the helpless, forgotten and unlovable.

This is our journey of learning how to be untamed Christians.