Little Women

Imagine a picture of 9 little girls ranging in age from 3 to 11. Most look a little rough around the edges. It's that awkward stage of growth for some, others just need to see their mommy and a hairbrush after a long day at school. Each girl's individuality comes through in the picture. The smallest looks timid pacifying herself with her thumb. Another is purposely striking a wide-eyed glare and sporting a tee-shirt that says, "So what if I'm perfect." Two or three are smiling a sweet smile; two or three others still are smiling a smile full of mischief.

These are the people in my neighborhood.

Three are mine, but the rest are girls whose homes are typical and unapologetically "America in the year 2006." There are stories of death, divorce, remarriage, shared custody and "shackin' up." The parents of these girls would surely snicker and agree that they have a different set of priorities for their children and achieve success in those goals very differently than I pursue the calling given to me. Some have provided well for their children's physical needs, but at least one has been investigated for neglect. Most are doing their best emotionally and spiritually, but doing it apart from the Lord that saves. So, how good can our best be if we are doing it while yet dying in our sin?

The Lord has made my heart very soft toward these girls, and -- despite our striking differences -- has prepared their hearts to be blessed by what we've had to offer. He loves them and wants them to know Him. He wants me to stand in the gap and teach them of His love as often as He brings them across my path.

However, I recognize the spiritual danger they unwittingly pose to my own children. I cannot let these neighborhood girls impact my children with what they find valuable: material priorities, worldly pursuits, dishonoring speech and a dozen other behaviors I assume will spill out of their unregenerate hearts.

I remember watching my (then) 8 year old's face after her first introduction to some of these girls. Her eyes followed the small group as they left our front yard purposing to meander around the block aimlessly and independently. I could almost hear Fifi thinking, "I wonder what it would be like to be them?"

Uh oh.

Letting Fifi wander aimlessly, or even play unsupervised at an acquaintance's house is out of the question for us, so...2 years ago this summer, we befriended these girls -- on our terms. I took some of them to a Vacation Bible School at our (then) church; I picked them up each morning and returned them home each noontime. They also started coming to Sunday Evening Service with us to attend the Children's Bible Hour. All this -- and I never, ever met their parents.

After the VBS concluded, it became apparent that the girls did not truly understand the Gospel that had been presented to them. They were willing, so I provided them some follow-up; for the rest of the summer of 2004, these girls brought friends over to the house once a week for snack, craft and read aloud. We started with Helen Taylor's Little Pilgrim's Progress, soon added the Children's Living Translation of the Gospel of St. John, and later moved through the unabridged text of Little Women -- just for fun.

There were good days and bad days in this weekly adventure. My girls were always excited for Wednesday to roll around, and almost always enjoyed helping me prep the house for an afternoon of casual hospitality. I liked these neighborhood girls! These girls were me. And without any rules or coaching on my part, they instinctively respected my home and habits. They watched their language, policed each other's manners and even dressed more modestly than I knew was their way. Occasionally, the old adage, "familiarity breeds contempt," would ring true and we would find ourselves dealing with some selfishness, inattentiveness or mild teasing. These undesirable events didn't happen often, but just frequently enough to have a surprisingly beneficial effect: Fifi was no longer intrigued by the "grass on the other side." She could see that it wasn't as lush and green as she might have perceived from a distance!

When we started, one girl in particular was fairly brash; she was outspoken and very proud about how important her money was to her, she wondered aloud why my littlest girls were invited to be with the group and clearly had no room for their giddy attention toward her. Sadly, she showed no genuine interest in the things of God. I was sure she was there because her sister and other friends were -- and because I was the supplier of free fruit and popcorn.

Then I witnessed God do something remarkable. Not too many months later, this same girl had completely left off talking to us of her worldly priorities and acquisitions, she was the first one to sit down with my youngest children and help them do a puzzle during read-aloud, and -- best of all -- she had some pretty remarkable questions about the things we were reading from God's Word!

Some of these neighborhood girls were completely unchurched girls -- no baggage, just God's Word. Many, many seeds were sown during that year-and-a-half, and I'm confident that in His time, He will give His increase.

Moreso, until that time when He shares with them their election, I trust that He will be pleased to preserve them in the midst of their ignorance and unbelief, and that they will soon be able to praise Him for His mercy when they recognize His protection over them.

Epilogue: After we finished Little Women, the weekly visits waned and we have not met since the fall of 2005. One of the girls has moved away to the country -- some in my neighborhood suspect -- to keep Child Protective Services at bay. One is still a few doors down and is enjoying a nearly-new baby sister. One set of sisters has told us that they are moving to another area of the city after the school year lets out. Two other sisters lost their mother to death suddenly, just weeks before Christmas '05 and their father expects to be sent on a second tour to Iraq.

Life and its circumstances threaten to become more difficult and overwhelming for these girls with every passing year that they are raised without the Lord. The same could be, should be and would be true of me and mine if the Lord hadn't chosen us to receive His liberating salvation. In it lies our great hope (as in the biblical usage: expectation).