Our first aim at Adore UK is to create a safe place for girls and women to know they are loved by Jesus.
If we ask ourselves the question: What is a safe space? Several pictures may come to mind: somewhere we feel loved, a place we are looked after, a sense of belonging, a space we can securely grow and call home. This is the safe space we aim to create at Adore for the girls and women that we work with.
To do this successfully, we must follow the example of Jesus Christ. Throughout the Bible, Jesus created a safe space for the blind, the sick, the prostitutes, the tax collectors, the list is endless. In the same way, God calls us at Adore to create a safe space, where girls and women can know they are loved.
Love Is A Central Theme
When we read the Bible, there is one thing apparent: God’s love is the central theme. It does not matter which Bible translation you prefer to read. I read the NLT (New Living Translation), and the word, "love" appears 801 times. In the KJV (King James Version), it appears 310 times, 551 times in the NIV (New International Version), and over 500 times in the ESV (English Standard Version).
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8)
As I mentioned before, Jesus created that safe space for everyone in the Bible. It did not matter who they were, where they came from or what they had done, Jesus was there for them. We are just like those people in the Bible. We have all sinned and fallen short of who we were created to be but God chose to love us when we were still far away, perhaps before we even heard about Jesus.
We are called to love others in the same way. They may not be very kind to us, they may come from an area we don’t like, or they may have hurt someone we love, regardless of the situation it is not our job to judge them, that’s Jesus’ job, we are called to love them.
How Are We Creating A Safe Space?
We want the girls and women we work with to feel safe. We live in a world full of troubles: war, violence, homelessness, disease etc. a world in desperate need of Jesus. In light of this, our mission is to share the Gospel with care, showing the love of Jesus through our words and actions, whether online or in person. At Adore, we value the importance of relationships with each of the girls and women we work with. When there are good relationships based on love and trust, walls come down and people are able to share and find healing.
Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. (Philippians 2:3)
In everything we do, we want to serve the needs of our girls and women; whether it is creating online media content (Voice) for teenage girls who are feeling low about their bodies or making our B-Loved bags for paediatric patients in hospital, the women and girls we serve are at the forefront. We want our women and girls to feel loved.
Let me encourage you...
As we enter the festive season, there can be so much excitement: time off work and school, a chance to catch up with those we love, gifts, yummy treats etc, but this is not the case for everyone. For many, Christmas can be worrying time. It can be a time when people feel lonely, struggle with their finances and health issues and miss loved ones who are no longer with them. These people can feel overwhelmed, forgotten, sad, etc., not knowing who to turn to.
Let me encourage you to think of those people during this festive season. If there is someone who is alone, invite them to join in the celebrations with you. If there is someone who struggles financially, make them a Christmas dinner and/or buy them a few gifts. If there is someone who is housebound, go and visit them and take the celebrations to them. If there is someone who has lost someone whether it is through a death or relationship breakup, let them know you are thinking of them.
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58)
By Lizzy Price
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