Awarded with love!
by Tim Parkinson

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It’s that season when on television we see lots of award ceremonies for actors, singers and people who are ‘stars’ in the public eye. It’s a time when we can watch people praised for the skills they have developed to give them the accolade they desire.

Actors get awards for performing in films that thrill or excite us and make our emotions feel like they have been on a rollercoaster. Singers are given the opportunity to perform their chart hitters in front of other singers to show off their success in the past year.You may find the award ceremonies interesting; you may not.

Then there are other award ceremonies or accreditations, awards that people try to attain. It may be a quiz in the local paper, it may be an award for bravery or it may be recognition by a city for an act of sacrifice. These are all things that you may or may not agree with, but they are happening all the time.

In many cases such rewards may be well deserved; in some they most certainly are not! But in most situations those on the receiving end of an award or recognition of achievement will feel very privileged.

You may be thinking.. what does all this have to do with Caring For Life? Maybe absolutely nothing!… Maybe! It was something that just crossed my mind the other night when I saw one of these shows coming on TV.

Then I started thinking about those we care for. I started to think about where they had come from, and then how they were when they first arrived at a farm on the outskirts of Leeds, England. I then started to think about how, with patience and love, staff and volunteers try to help people develop and to overcome their problems from the past.

It also crossed my mind how those we care for are feeling and behaving now; some after many, many years of this genuine support. Do you know what conclusion I came to?

In my opinion, these people very much deserve an award! They are fully deserving of praise for the way in which they have come through the most horrific circumstances, most of which are totally alien to us. Then from this tragic background they come to a totally alien environment: a farm, but a farm where they are shown real love, real compassion and real concern.

We have seen many damaged people enjoying a totally life-changing experience, providing them with a completely new outlook on life.

So I guess the award ceremonies do have a bit of relevance! However, the One to whom the appreciation and glory should be given is not of this world. From the very beginning, in fact
from the day each person is born, He is there. He has in his grace and mercy brought people
under the umbrella of this ministry and anyone who works at Caring For Life has been privileged to see Christ at work so evidently in the lives of those in their care.

People give people awards and give man the glory in most of these award ceremonies; however there are some people who do not get recognised for their achievements, yet who make huge progress in their own lives. When we think about where many of those in our care have come from, it is amazing to see just how far they have come in their lives and what wonderful changes can be seen. For this we give God all the glory and praise.

To quote my dad, Peter, the CEO; "We should learn to stop judging people by where they are, but how they have come to be here, and what mountains they have crossed to be where they are now.."

Tim Parkinson