I was sitting on my bed reading a book while Robbie and the boys fixed something in the bathroom when she walked in.
She never fails to make the room brighter and just a little bit louder, and today was no different.
She looked like she had something on her mind, even with all the giggles and noise, so I called her over to sit on the bed with me and asked her what was wrong.
She's started opening up more over the last couple of months, and it's been the coolest thing to see. We used to sit praying and reminding her that we were always there to listen if she had a problem, but she would never say anything. Now she comes over and opens up about all the things she's struggling with and the ways she's handling it.
The other week she came in and told me about a problem she was having with one of the other kids, but she ended it by telling me that every time she feels angry with them, she prays and reads her Bible. She said it makes her feel so much better.
But she wanted to know if she had to pray long prayers for God to hear her. She explained that it's hard for her to know what to pray when she tries to pray for a long time. We talked about how God just wants us to come to Him and be His friend. He wants us to find in Him someone that we can tell anything. He doesn't care how long the prayer is or if we use fancy words or not. He just wants to hear from us.
I'm just so thankful for the ways I see Him working in all of these kids' lives. He's teaching them about Himself when we don't have the words to explain, and He's finding very willing hearts.
It's such an amazing thing to see Him changing the people around me, but also knowing the work He's doing in my own heart.
It's not always easy, but it's definitely always worth it.
(disclaimer: she's not in the picture.)