I have a unique collection. Some of it is on the wall above my computer desk. Some of it is on the kitchen counter. And most of it is tacked to the walls of my bedroom. It is a collection of pictures, of the children I have sponsored overseas, through the organization Children International, for the last 40 years. Each picture shows them growing taller, healthier, stronger, and happier. Often I can see the sadness and despair in their eyes during their first picture turn to joy and peace in the later ones. It always gives me a feeling of gratitude when I look at these pictures. I am thankful to God for guiding me to sponsor my first child all of those years ago and I am thankful that I have been able to help so many of them with food, education, job training, love, and encouragement, to make their lives better and lift themselves out of the terrible poverty they face in the third world countries they live in.

Over the years I have sponsored 7 different children through the program. Some of them have grown up and aged out of the program while others’ families have moved away seeking work and better opportunities. Each time it happens, though, I always agree to sponsor another child and do my best to help another life.

Some of my more frugal friends have asked me why I send money overseas to help a child I will never meet even though it is only a little more than a dollar a day. They seem to think I am wasting my money and love, but I know they are wrong. Because in God’s eyes no act of charity, no act of love is ever wasted. Each one is precious. Each one is priceless.

In his last days the great lyricist Oscar Hammerstein wrote: “A bell’s not a bell till you ring it. A song’s not a song till you sing it. Love in your heart is not put there to stay. Love isn’t love till you give it away.” May you always give your love away to all who need it.