The Pursuit of Happiness?

This journey with our kids at HOJ is so often up and down - A home full of volatile boys living with mirrors of themselves in every room. Birds of a feather flock together - When one is angry with life and resistant to correction they gather and try to plot a secret run away plan to escape from what they are actually yearning for.....

 - Stability - Love that is not rocked, shaken...that withstands the testing.....and remains......no matter who they are, what they have done, what they do, where they go......or run to.....

Keeping ourselves and our staff from taking these escape attempts personally is sometimes a challenge. We are all working so hard, investing our hearts and often tears into children with l little thanks or appreciation rewards for our efforts. It can be disheartening if we are just clinging to the small breakthroughs and progress. Another runaway plan or attempt is a kick in the shin that bruises and buckles our knees for a moment. It could be easy just to shrug our shoulders and dismiss our hearts to not really care - It's more comfortable to distance ourselves and disconnect. A simple protective measure to prevent us from the hurt and fear of failure. How to respond? Throw in the towel -choose something else or someone else that gives more satisfaction.....meets OUR needs???

Unconditional love takes much more from the soul - it doesn't measure the cost, the outcome, the benefits, the obstacles or results......it continues, grows, deepens. How often we love with hidden expectations that measure and weigh.....

Many count the cost and walk away .....in pursuit of SELF.....

It is too high, requires too much of ourselves, our time, our money, our effort, our tears, our dreams, our pride, our position, our hopes, our prayers, our plans......Too many sacrifices.......and if we do decide to give it all......with nothing in return?????

To choose to stay, to throw away the measuring stick and to love anyway despite all that we see, feel and experience is the greatest adventure which is counted as never failing........

.....is real pursuit of HIM and his heart......

Love ' covers all, believes all, expects all, endures all. Love never fails......and now these three remain: faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love' 1 Corinthians 13