The importance of Bear Hugs...

This blog, previously named ‘Lauren Harlow’s Blog’ is now better suited with a childlike name and one that more appropriately indicates what this summer is going to be about. Because as much as I made the last few weeks about me, about what I need and about and about what food I wanted to eat before I left for rice and bean world, God graciously is going to make summer about a lot more than just me.

So why ‘Bear Hugs’? One- because I get to hug beautiful little kids this summer. (ps- just found out that there will be 180 kids at Casa Barnabe!). Two- because the arms of one who conquered all is around these kids and bear hugs are the best, (even though my family knows I don't like them:D) because you know you are being wrapped up by someone bigger, someone who is both mighty and gentle. Like our God. And although I get to physically hold the kids, I also know that God is ultimately holding them as their father. Three- because ‘bear’ can mean two things. It’s an animal and an action. And God willing, this summer I will learn about bearing the burdens of others. And I will see the children who experience redemption bear real fruit.

This blog name, then, leads me into why I am here (a question I’m sure I’ll learn more about along the way.) The story goes back father than one might suspect. About a year and a half ago I found myself listening to a song at my friend’s funeral. It was her favorite song and is one that left me with a taste of both reality- because things aren’t as they should be- and hope. It’s Chris Tomlin’s ‘God of this City’ and while my heart was completely broken by the suffering of this world, Bailey’s song reminded me that greater things are still to be done in this city. While Bailey was alive, she taught me a lot about suffering and she passed on a great tenderness to me. When she died my heart was awakened even more so to the ways people suffer. And through it all I gained the understanding that whenever his kids are broken, God's heart hurts. And he is the one we are to run to for his gentle and powerful bear hugs.

And so I am heading to Guatemala in the morning because God made my heart tender and allowed me to feel a glimpse of brokenness and now he is challenging me to expect even more healing from him. He is expecting me to hold even tighter now to the hope that we have. This summer there will be broken kids who have never known love. Pray for them. And our role in going to work with them is to remind them time and time again that God is not a God of despair. He is a God who will do greater things. For greater things have yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city.

I found the hope of redemption through my buddy Bailey. Because God didn’t intend for us to hold on to the suffering. He intended us to hold on to the hope he gave us. And the only way to do this is to hold onto one another. Bear hugs.