A Place to Lay Her Head
(Adapted from Away in a Manger)
By Dale Cupo
There in the corner crumpled she lays
Tossed to the side told she must stay.
Tis Christmas, time to be someone’s treat
Begging and praying this time she’ll not be beat.
To find safety and love, the longing so great
But where to go, should she escape?
To dream of having her very own bed
A safe place in which to lay her sweet head.
A home that will tell her she’s treasured
Not just a place to be sheltered.
“Be near her Lord Jesus,” making a way
Blessing and guarding her as she lay.
We “love thee Lord Jesus look down from the sky”
“Keeping her safe till morning is nigh.”
Open the doors for the ones that are lost
Give us the courage to not count the cost.
“Blessed all the dear children in thy tender care”
Help us to give them a home to “live with thee there.”
This season as we sing “Away in a Manger” and picture a sweet little baby “asleep in the hay” let us not forget the many who also have nowhere to lay their head. Here in Berks County we have many homeless teens who are very vulnerable to being “turned out,” or trafficked, in exchange for a place to lay their head. There is also a great lack of resources for women who want to leave “The Life,” those who have been traumatized, trafficked, and end up looking like “just another prostitute.” This season of Christmas is a reminder of God’s great love and sacrifice. Here at FREE (Freedom and Restoration for Everyone Enslaved) we have begun to raise funds for opening just such a place. A place for women to go and find the beginning steps of freedom from the path of abuse and destruction. Will you consider giving a gift or donation towards this home? You can make an online payment at http://www.freefromht.org/donate/ or you can mail a check to P.O. Box 366, Morgantown, PA 19543.
Let this begin a tradition of not just sleeping in our snug little beds and to awake to presents under the tree, but building a lifestyle of generosity towards those who have not only been kept out in the cold, but are daily used and abused with no place to lay their heads.
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)
“And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” (Luke 9:23-24)
“So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:33)
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God”. (Ephesians 5:1-2)
Thank you for your generosity. The FREE Team wishes you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1:5
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