Today I read day 55 of the 90 day Bible challenge. I'm not sure what day I'm supposed to be on according to the reading plan, but I know today I read what I was supposed to, know what I mean? Isn't it funny how we notice different things at different times of reading the same books in the Bible? I remember being baffled by eschatalogical themes in Jeremiah the last time I read it and the time before that I was super interested in matching it up with the reign of Josiah and re-discovery of the book of God's Law. Recently, the Lord has been breaking my heart for the orphan all over again. It started with Radical: Taking Back your Faith from the American Dream, and has continued with Reclaiming Adoption, Adopted for Life, and now There is no Me Without You. Linny at A Place Called Simplicity is holding a day of fasting and prayer today and I've been praying for the orphans of the world, especially the millions of orphans in Africa.
"Human beings are not wired to absorb twelve million or eighteen million or twenty-five million bits of information... For a person who is not a mathematician, epidemiologist, demographer, geographer, social scientist, medical anthropologist, or economist- for a person, say, who barely knows anyone with one of those jobs... numbers with so many zeros are hard to fathom.... Who was going to raise twelve million children?" (There is no Me Without You, Melissa Fay Greene).
The Lord calls Himself Father to the fatherless. He has compassion on the orphan, the widow, and the alien. God can use any means possible to accomplish His will. He raised up Pharoah and hardened his heart to display His might and glory. God doesn't need me or my prayers to extend compassion to the fatherless. I just want to be part of it, don't you?
I've also been praying for the orphans with Down syndrome listed on Reece's Rainbow. Anyway, I've been very hungry and discouraged by the sheer magnitude of what I'm asking the Lord to do. So I know I was meant to read this today.
"Thus says the Lord: 'Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is in the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its root by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.'" Jeremiah 17:5-8
I can't even go a day without food. What a humiliating reminder of just how weak I am. I can do nothing good apart from the Spirit of God. The good news is when God's people trust and hope in Him, He makes us fruitful- even when we're stuck in one of life's droughts. Notice He may not bring rain, but He enables us to bloom in the midst of the drought. Only God can do that! Nothing is impossible for God! Not even caring for the millions of orphans in Africa and the thousands of precious DS orphans of the world.
I'm so grateful I read that Scripture today! Please join me in praying that God's Word will reach the orphans of the world and that His church will be obedient to show compassion to the fatherless.
Showing posts with label Adoption. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adoption. Show all posts
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Operation World
One change that we're making in our homeschool comes from my reading Radical by David Platt. He challenges believers to pray consistently that the gospel will be spread around the world. One tool he suggests is Operation World, so that we can be focused in our prayers and make sure to cover all the people groups of the world. Our prayer guide and map came in the mail today and I'm so excited! Can you tell someone else is excited, too?
We'll be utilizing this tool in two ways:
1.) Prayers during morning devotions. Normally we pray according to our character studies. For example, if we're studying grattitude, then we pray that the Lord will help us to be grateful and to show grattitude to Him and others. We'll be adding the Operation World prayer calendar to our morning prayers. From now until the end of the month we'll be praying for Asia, in general. Then beginning Feb 9th we'll start praying for individual nations alphabetically as outlined in Operation World.
2.) Geography. We normally study geography along with history and we're studying American not World History this year, but I just can't pass up this opportunity to discuss the culture and location of these nations while we're praying for them.
I'm just so excited about this and have no idea why we haven't been doing it all along in our home. Well, better late than never, right?
Oh, and for the record, our adorable Prince charming pictured above came to us from Kazakhstan, less than 2% evangelical Christian. This little boy loves to pray and his precious prayers would just melt your heart. He's such a blessing!
We'll be utilizing this tool in two ways:
1.) Prayers during morning devotions. Normally we pray according to our character studies. For example, if we're studying grattitude, then we pray that the Lord will help us to be grateful and to show grattitude to Him and others. We'll be adding the Operation World prayer calendar to our morning prayers. From now until the end of the month we'll be praying for Asia, in general. Then beginning Feb 9th we'll start praying for individual nations alphabetically as outlined in Operation World.
2.) Geography. We normally study geography along with history and we're studying American not World History this year, but I just can't pass up this opportunity to discuss the culture and location of these nations while we're praying for them.
I'm just so excited about this and have no idea why we haven't been doing it all along in our home. Well, better late than never, right?
Oh, and for the record, our adorable Prince charming pictured above came to us from Kazakhstan, less than 2% evangelical Christian. This little boy loves to pray and his precious prayers would just melt your heart. He's such a blessing!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Deliverance through adoption
God delivered His chosen people, Israel, through adoption when He used Moses to lead them out of Egypt and through the wilderness to the Promised Land.
God delivered His people again through adoption when He placed Esther into the home of the wise and godly Mordecai and then when it was time brought her into the king of Persia's palace as queen so she could give him wise counsel leading to the preservation of Israel.
Through the adoption of Rahab and Ruth into His people, Israel, God brought the Messiah who in turn purchased deliverance for the world.
And God delivers each and every one of His elect from the kingdom of darkness and bondage to sin when He adopts us as His children and regenerates our hearts so we can follow Him.
God uses adoption to bring deliverance. It is a manifestation of His grace. He changes lives and even the course of nations through adoption.
This month is national adoption awareness month. If you are a child of God, adopted by Him into His family, please prayerfully consider whether God will use you to bring deliverance to a lost and helpless child through adoption. It's one thing to care for the physical needs of a child, to clothe and feed him, but quite another to feed him the gospel which offers spiritual life. God uses adoption. The question is, will He use you.
God delivered His people again through adoption when He placed Esther into the home of the wise and godly Mordecai and then when it was time brought her into the king of Persia's palace as queen so she could give him wise counsel leading to the preservation of Israel.
Through the adoption of Rahab and Ruth into His people, Israel, God brought the Messiah who in turn purchased deliverance for the world.
And God delivers each and every one of His elect from the kingdom of darkness and bondage to sin when He adopts us as His children and regenerates our hearts so we can follow Him.
God uses adoption to bring deliverance. It is a manifestation of His grace. He changes lives and even the course of nations through adoption.
This month is national adoption awareness month. If you are a child of God, adopted by Him into His family, please prayerfully consider whether God will use you to bring deliverance to a lost and helpless child through adoption. It's one thing to care for the physical needs of a child, to clothe and feed him, but quite another to feed him the gospel which offers spiritual life. God uses adoption. The question is, will He use you.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
November is national adoption awareness month! Here's why we love kids!
Monday when my husband was home enjoying his day off, I took the opportunity to get out and buy some clothes. I'm at that point of needing regular clothes again, but I'm not back to my pre-pregnancy size 4 yet. I always hate to buy much in this in between size, but I needed something, so off to Chico's I went with baby in tow. I love Chico's. Their sizing alone endears them to me. I'm not an 8 or a 10, I'm a 1. Don't you just love it? Anyway, as the store clerk was oohing and aahing over Baby Calvin she asked whether he was my first one. I don't know why she would ask this other than just making coversation because I've been plucking out gray hairs for a few years now. When I told her no, that he was our sixth child she looked dutifully shocked. Then she asked if we had planned on having so many children and for heaven's sake, WHY! I gave her my usual reply that our children are a blessing to us and that we enjoy them immensely. Just for fun I added at this point that not only had we planned to have each and every one, but that we had adopted our fourth child and would love to adopt again. The poor girl was speechless then so I made my purchases and left her alone with her thoughts.
1. God says to have them. Did you know that of the 613 commandments found in the Law of Moses, the first is to "be fruitful and increase in number" (Genesis 1:28)? I value everything God's Word says, but also want to acknowledge the emphasis that the first command deserves.
2. The older we get, the more my husband and I realize what a waste much of what we invest ourselves in really is, in the greater scheme of things. In other words, we try to have an eternal perspective on what we choose to invest our time and resources in. I love buying a new car. There's a real buzz that comes from that, but 2 or 3 years later, it isn't new anymore. I love peace and quiet and being alone, but then I remember that God said it isn't good for man to be alone. Kids just seem to make it more difficult to have time for studying my Bible, reading other Christian living books, making time for worship, and having the money to help support ministries of the church. That may be true, but God says that He delights not in sacrifice or offerings, but in a contrite heart and in obedience to Him.
Our hobbies are not eternal. The time we waste watching television, we can never get back. Only relationships will transcend this world. Our relationship with God, our family, our church family, our neighbors. Even my relationship with the guy who carries out my groceries for me is more important than the car I drive, the book I'm reading, my checkbook balance, or my mood (and yes I have to remind myself of this each and every time I walk out of the store with him because otherwise my inclination toward solitude ruins a perfectly good opportunity to rub elbows with another human being.)
What's my point? That children have eternal souls and are called a blessing by God. What better investment of our time and resources could there possibly be? Parenting is the hardest thing I've ever done. It's harder than doing calculus or trying to teach anything to Gen X college students. It's harder than any physical training or even passing a kidney stone (yes, I know this first hand.) Parenting is unrelenting. You're never not parenting. It's non-stop, 24/7, never a day off. And messing it up is not an option so you're constantly praying for grace and guidance, apologizing for your short-comings, and seeking help from others. Many times you feel like a complete failure, but you press on through it all, because at the end of the age there will be these living souls that you influenced for the good or the bad and you can never for all eternity go back and undo what you've done or do what you neglected to do with them while on earth. Sound daunting? It is, but God seldom asks us to do anything easy that we are already naturally inclined to.
3. Kids have a great sanctifying effect on us. The goal for the Christian is to become holy, we call this sanctification. We are supposed to embrace those things that help us become more sanctified and shun those things which tempt us to sin. Our children continually bring our sins before us in a way that we somehow suppress on our own. Sometimes we fail to see our own sin in a specific area until we see it in our children. Other times it is our reaction to our children that shows us how far short of God's standard we fall. Our children drive us to our knees in prayer- for them, for us, for God's wisdom and for His grace. They force our attention off ourselves and cause us to be more others-centered. They teach us about the unconditional love God has for His children. So, if having children helps us to become more like Christ, then why wouldn't we desire that?
4. Kids are a LOT of FUN! Our children bring us so much joy! They provide us with so many opportunities to thank God for blessing us with them. They bring laughter even in the midst of sorrowful circumstances. Children truly make the heart glad in a way that nothing else on earth does.
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| The kids welcoming Baby Calvin home from the hospital. |
I wanted to begin my posts on adoption this year with a few of the reasons why we welcome children into our home. Adoption is about children, after all.
2. The older we get, the more my husband and I realize what a waste much of what we invest ourselves in really is, in the greater scheme of things. In other words, we try to have an eternal perspective on what we choose to invest our time and resources in. I love buying a new car. There's a real buzz that comes from that, but 2 or 3 years later, it isn't new anymore. I love peace and quiet and being alone, but then I remember that God said it isn't good for man to be alone. Kids just seem to make it more difficult to have time for studying my Bible, reading other Christian living books, making time for worship, and having the money to help support ministries of the church. That may be true, but God says that He delights not in sacrifice or offerings, but in a contrite heart and in obedience to Him.
Our hobbies are not eternal. The time we waste watching television, we can never get back. Only relationships will transcend this world. Our relationship with God, our family, our church family, our neighbors. Even my relationship with the guy who carries out my groceries for me is more important than the car I drive, the book I'm reading, my checkbook balance, or my mood (and yes I have to remind myself of this each and every time I walk out of the store with him because otherwise my inclination toward solitude ruins a perfectly good opportunity to rub elbows with another human being.)
What's my point? That children have eternal souls and are called a blessing by God. What better investment of our time and resources could there possibly be? Parenting is the hardest thing I've ever done. It's harder than doing calculus or trying to teach anything to Gen X college students. It's harder than any physical training or even passing a kidney stone (yes, I know this first hand.) Parenting is unrelenting. You're never not parenting. It's non-stop, 24/7, never a day off. And messing it up is not an option so you're constantly praying for grace and guidance, apologizing for your short-comings, and seeking help from others. Many times you feel like a complete failure, but you press on through it all, because at the end of the age there will be these living souls that you influenced for the good or the bad and you can never for all eternity go back and undo what you've done or do what you neglected to do with them while on earth. Sound daunting? It is, but God seldom asks us to do anything easy that we are already naturally inclined to.
3. Kids have a great sanctifying effect on us. The goal for the Christian is to become holy, we call this sanctification. We are supposed to embrace those things that help us become more sanctified and shun those things which tempt us to sin. Our children continually bring our sins before us in a way that we somehow suppress on our own. Sometimes we fail to see our own sin in a specific area until we see it in our children. Other times it is our reaction to our children that shows us how far short of God's standard we fall. Our children drive us to our knees in prayer- for them, for us, for God's wisdom and for His grace. They force our attention off ourselves and cause us to be more others-centered. They teach us about the unconditional love God has for His children. So, if having children helps us to become more like Christ, then why wouldn't we desire that?
4. Kids are a LOT of FUN! Our children bring us so much joy! They provide us with so many opportunities to thank God for blessing us with them. They bring laughter even in the midst of sorrowful circumstances. Children truly make the heart glad in a way that nothing else on earth does.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Help bring Hudson home from China!
I haven't written lately about adoption, but it means so very much to my family. Adoption is such a blessing, a miracle, and an act of love. I've been so inspired and moved by following the adoption stories of others in the blog world like Adeye at No Greater Joy Mom who recently returned from Ukraine with two little girls with Downs Syndrome.
Today I learned through Jeanette at Threads of Faithfulness about a precious family who is adopting for the third time in five years and needs to raise a few more thousand dollars to bring their newest blessing, Hudson, home from China. He's 3 and is in need of surgery. Please go to their blog Bringing Home Hudson Samuel and buy a raffle ticket to help them welcome their son home to his forever family. They have over 20 awesome prizes that have been donated and you can buy a raffle entry for only $10. Maybe the Lord has laid the plight of the orphan on your heart, but you just aren't in a position to adopt. While not everyone may be called to adopt, anyone can take advantage of this incredible opportunity to help bring together a forever family. Please do what you can to help.
Today I learned through Jeanette at Threads of Faithfulness about a precious family who is adopting for the third time in five years and needs to raise a few more thousand dollars to bring their newest blessing, Hudson, home from China. He's 3 and is in need of surgery. Please go to their blog Bringing Home Hudson Samuel and buy a raffle ticket to help them welcome their son home to his forever family. They have over 20 awesome prizes that have been donated and you can buy a raffle entry for only $10. Maybe the Lord has laid the plight of the orphan on your heart, but you just aren't in a position to adopt. While not everyone may be called to adopt, anyone can take advantage of this incredible opportunity to help bring together a forever family. Please do what you can to help.
Friday, November 13, 2009
The Spirit of Adoption
I posted previously on how cool it is to think about how Christians are adopted by God into His family. Scripture gives a beautiful picture of God the Father choosing a people to adopt and Christ the Son ransoming them with His perfect life, sacrificial death, and triumphant resurrection. However, I left out the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is a mystery to me, always working in the background and never taking credit. It’s almost as if the Spirit doesn’t want to be noticed, but wants all glory to go Christ and God. Anyway, I want to post tonight about the Spirit’s role in our adoption.
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out ‘Abba, Father’. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” Romans 8:14-16
So God gives His Spirit only to His children and somehow the Spirit testifies along with our spirit that we are indeed legitimate. I love Charles Spurgeon’s explanation of the role of the Spirit. The following exerpts are taken from his sermon "Sons of God", preached in 1860.
“The chief witness of God the Holy Spirit lies in this—the Holy Spirit has written this book which contains an account of what a Christian should be, and of the feelings which believers in Christ must have.” So the primary testimony of the Spirit is inexorably linked with the Word of God. The Bible shows us what God is like and therefore what His children will be like. Spurgeon goes on to ask, “Does your spirit say to-day ‘I am God's child.’ Do you feel the longings, the loves, the confidences of a child?” (I hate to break in on Spurgeon's beautiful English, but want to share my husband's favorite saying along these lines. "If there ain't no fruit, there must be something wrong with the root." OK, now back to Spurgeon.)
“When at any time then the Holy Spirit comforts you—sheds a sweet calm over your disturbed spirit; when at any period he instructs you, opens to you a mystery you did not understand before; when at some special period he inspires you with an unwonted affection, an unusual faith in Christ; when you experience a hatred of sin, a faith in Jesus, a death to the world, and a life to God, these are the works of the Spirit.”
When most people find out our son is adopted they are surprised. I often hear comments like, "You'd never know he isn't your biological child. He looks and acts just like the rest of you guys." Sure, each of our kids has his own personality, but they all share character traits, too. They all like to swim (this shows they're my kids:), they all love books (we're book people), and they all look forward to having hot cocoa and popcorn on Friday night movie night. Though our 3 year old son didn't come from my body, there is no question that he is our son.
We have in our filing cabinet an adoption certificate with all the official seals and signatures of the court in Kazakhstan certifying that our son is indeed our son. We have also in our possession our son’s U.S. citizenship certificate with all the authority of our country stating that our son is now a U.S. citizen. In the same way that these documents testify that our son is a legitimate member of our family and is a citizen of the United States of America, believers are sealed by the Spirit which testifies that we are indeed children of God and that our citizenship is in heaven.
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out ‘Abba, Father’. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” Romans 8:14-16
So God gives His Spirit only to His children and somehow the Spirit testifies along with our spirit that we are indeed legitimate. I love Charles Spurgeon’s explanation of the role of the Spirit. The following exerpts are taken from his sermon "Sons of God", preached in 1860.
“The chief witness of God the Holy Spirit lies in this—the Holy Spirit has written this book which contains an account of what a Christian should be, and of the feelings which believers in Christ must have.” So the primary testimony of the Spirit is inexorably linked with the Word of God. The Bible shows us what God is like and therefore what His children will be like. Spurgeon goes on to ask, “Does your spirit say to-day ‘I am God's child.’ Do you feel the longings, the loves, the confidences of a child?” (I hate to break in on Spurgeon's beautiful English, but want to share my husband's favorite saying along these lines. "If there ain't no fruit, there must be something wrong with the root." OK, now back to Spurgeon.)
“When at any time then the Holy Spirit comforts you—sheds a sweet calm over your disturbed spirit; when at any period he instructs you, opens to you a mystery you did not understand before; when at some special period he inspires you with an unwonted affection, an unusual faith in Christ; when you experience a hatred of sin, a faith in Jesus, a death to the world, and a life to God, these are the works of the Spirit.”
When most people find out our son is adopted they are surprised. I often hear comments like, "You'd never know he isn't your biological child. He looks and acts just like the rest of you guys." Sure, each of our kids has his own personality, but they all share character traits, too. They all like to swim (this shows they're my kids:), they all love books (we're book people), and they all look forward to having hot cocoa and popcorn on Friday night movie night. Though our 3 year old son didn't come from my body, there is no question that he is our son.
We have in our filing cabinet an adoption certificate with all the official seals and signatures of the court in Kazakhstan certifying that our son is indeed our son. We have also in our possession our son’s U.S. citizenship certificate with all the authority of our country stating that our son is now a U.S. citizen. In the same way that these documents testify that our son is a legitimate member of our family and is a citizen of the United States of America, believers are sealed by the Spirit which testifies that we are indeed children of God and that our citizenship is in heaven.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Our Adoption Blessing
I've been posting this month on adoption in honor of November being National Adoption Awareness Month. Thus far I've mostly talked about general topics such as the theology of adoption, God's compassion for the fatherless, and the Christian's responsibility to care for orphans. But tonight I want to post specifically on the great joy that our 3 year old adoption blessing is to us.
I have a 10 year old son and a 3 year old son with girls in between. I've been working hard for several years to train my 10 year old to run ahead and open doors for me and the other kids. Well, our 3 year old has noticed this and he, too runs to get doors for us. The gym where my kids swim has two sets of heavy doors right in a row, so Monk usually gets the first and American Boy struggles to get the second. It's really adorable to see him pushing so hard to get that heavy door open. So last night American Boy also held the door for a man who was walking out behind us. On Wednesdays we go straight from swimming to church and my 3 year old is always excited to go to church, so he turned to the man and said, "I'm going to church. Are you going to church?" The man was kind of taken off guard and muttered something like, "Uh, no." Unphased my bold preschooler fired back with, "Well, I am!" Then just on the other side of the door stood a man taking a cigarette break. Our boy went right up to him as we walked by and said, "Hey, give me five!" The other kids really got a kick out of that. We've been going through The Way of the Master at church on Wednesdays and we decided God's going to use our zealous and bold guy to share the gospel with others. What a blessing to have him for a son!
I mentioned that our adoption blessing loves church- he's really learning about the Lord there and at Community Bible Study, too. His Sunday School teacher was bragging on him the other night that he can tell her what the lessons were about the previous two weeks. He is very attentive! Sunday during the sermon he was listening so carefully that when the preacher asked a rhetorical question, our boy yelled out the answer. Everyone chuckled. Our church remembers praying for our son before we even traveled to Kazakhstan to adopt him, so they've loved him a long time.
Lately he's been asking us to adopt another baby boy from Kazakhstan and I usually tell him that we'd like to do that someday and he should pray about it. He always responds with, "OK, right now, Mom. Let's pray." I haven't let his dad in on this, yet, so we'll have to see how God answers his prayers. Today I was a little unnerved that he asked for two baby boys from Kazakhstan! I corrected him right away that the Lord knows Mommy can only handle one baby at a time:)
Our adoption journey to bring our precious boy home had its share of emotional ups and downs. There was lots of fear on my part, but God had us in His hands the whole time. Big D and I didn't think it was right to pray that he'd be smart, so we didn't. We did pray, however, that he would have lots of personality, like our other kids. Oh boy. He has that in spades! God is so good! (And he's smart as a whip and so compassionate, too.) I want to encourage those of you who are interested in adopting, but fear of the unknown is holding you back. Take a risk. There might be someone missing in your family and you don't even realize it, yet.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Why Adopt?
Psalm 127:3 says that "children are a heritage from the Lord." I have shared with you all in a previous series about my quiverfull convictions and I won't repeat those here, except to reiterate that I believe the Bible teaches that children are a gift from the Lord to be greatly desired and appreciated. We know that God is the giver of every good gift (James 1:17) and what gift, apart from salvation, should be more desired than children? You've heard it said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there." (Job 1:21) Ecclesiastes adds that man "shall take nothing from his labor which he may carry away in his hand." (5:15b) Timothy summarizes both of these verses when he states that, "We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out." (1 Tim 6:7)
While it is true that we will carry nothing out of this world, it's not true that we can take nothing with us. According to the book Heaven by Randy Alcorn, which is a very well researched treatise on everything heaven from the Bible, we will take our memories, skills, personality, and relationships. In light of the knowledge that we will know one another in heaven, what better use of time is there on earth than investing our lives in people? There are certainly many ways to do this. Teachers have the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of the children they teach. Pastors and friends are there when folks go through the dark times in life. But it's hard to think of a relationship in which you have greater ministry opportunity than that of the parent-child relationship. So, if the Bible tells us children are a blessing and that every good gift is from God and that we should invest ourselves in others, why not adopt?
I read a beautiful blog post today by Shonni at Nations Around our Table which answers the question "Why adopt again?" and hope you have time to read it. What a wonderful testimony of a love for others, faith that God will work out all the details (finances, sibling adjustment, etc.), and hope that raising these little ones up in the Lord will not be in vain.
While it is true that we will carry nothing out of this world, it's not true that we can take nothing with us. According to the book Heaven by Randy Alcorn, which is a very well researched treatise on everything heaven from the Bible, we will take our memories, skills, personality, and relationships. In light of the knowledge that we will know one another in heaven, what better use of time is there on earth than investing our lives in people? There are certainly many ways to do this. Teachers have the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of the children they teach. Pastors and friends are there when folks go through the dark times in life. But it's hard to think of a relationship in which you have greater ministry opportunity than that of the parent-child relationship. So, if the Bible tells us children are a blessing and that every good gift is from God and that we should invest ourselves in others, why not adopt?
I read a beautiful blog post today by Shonni at Nations Around our Table which answers the question "Why adopt again?" and hope you have time to read it. What a wonderful testimony of a love for others, faith that God will work out all the details (finances, sibling adjustment, etc.), and hope that raising these little ones up in the Lord will not be in vain.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
A Heart for Orphans
I first became interested in adopting when a friend of mine from college spent a summer in Romania and blogged, although they didn't call it that then, about her experiences ministering in an orphanage there. There were so many children and so few workers. Many of the children were severely neglected. My friend, who had a Master's degree in Kinesiology, tried to engage the kids in fun games that would also be therapeutic for them. She also just loved on them. We've all heard the heart wrenching stories of Romanian orphanages in the 1990s. It was through following her ministry with these precious children that the Lord started giving me a heart for adoption. As I look back on my childhood, though, I see that the seeds were sown then. I remember wanting to sponsor a child in Africa when I was a child myself. I don't know if something came in the mail or if I saw an ad on tv, but I remember asking my mom if I could do it. She agreed and for a short time (I did say "seeds") I sponsored a child in Africa. I can't remember the country or the child's name or even gender, but I do remember that I had a picture of the child that I kept in my room.
Fast forward to the present and I still have a heart for orphans. I do not believe that orphans should be the responsibility of the State, however I am grateful to live in a country that will care for children when no one else will. In my perfect world, though, the church would take care of orphans. And I don't mean the institutional church, I'm referring to the Christian families that make up the Church. Imagine what the world would be like if every Christian family would adopt one child. There would be no more orphans! I know I'm being idealistic and I realize adoption may not be for everyone, but it's still a sobering thought.
If you're like me and have a heart for orphans, but don't know where to get started, let me suggest All God's Children International. AGCI is almost all things orphan ministry. They are a domestic and international adoption agency (9 countries). They also endeavor to help waiting children (older and special needs) find their forever families. They offer child and orphanage sponsorship in several countries. And they even put together short-term missions trips and allow you to somewhat tailor them to your abilities (from construction to holding babies). I found out about AGCI a couple of years ago and have been so blessed by their ministry. They just started facilitating adoptions in Rwanda and also operate in Bulgaria, China, Ethiopia, Guatemala, India, Nepal, Taiwan, Ukraine, and Washington state.
I'm so grateful for the many self-less people who dedicate their lives to orphan care! They've made it so easy for the rest of us to participate along with them. All we have to do is write a check once a month and we can be part of changing a child's life forever. I would love to know about other agencies that are ministering to orphans, both here and abroad. It's a personal dream of mine for my family to go on a short-term orphan care mission trip someday. I know God will open the door for that in His time.
Fast forward to the present and I still have a heart for orphans. I do not believe that orphans should be the responsibility of the State, however I am grateful to live in a country that will care for children when no one else will. In my perfect world, though, the church would take care of orphans. And I don't mean the institutional church, I'm referring to the Christian families that make up the Church. Imagine what the world would be like if every Christian family would adopt one child. There would be no more orphans! I know I'm being idealistic and I realize adoption may not be for everyone, but it's still a sobering thought.
If you're like me and have a heart for orphans, but don't know where to get started, let me suggest All God's Children International. AGCI is almost all things orphan ministry. They are a domestic and international adoption agency (9 countries). They also endeavor to help waiting children (older and special needs) find their forever families. They offer child and orphanage sponsorship in several countries. And they even put together short-term missions trips and allow you to somewhat tailor them to your abilities (from construction to holding babies). I found out about AGCI a couple of years ago and have been so blessed by their ministry. They just started facilitating adoptions in Rwanda and also operate in Bulgaria, China, Ethiopia, Guatemala, India, Nepal, Taiwan, Ukraine, and Washington state.
I'm so grateful for the many self-less people who dedicate their lives to orphan care! They've made it so easy for the rest of us to participate along with them. All we have to do is write a check once a month and we can be part of changing a child's life forever. I would love to know about other agencies that are ministering to orphans, both here and abroad. It's a personal dream of mine for my family to go on a short-term orphan care mission trip someday. I know God will open the door for that in His time.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Orphan Relief Care
I posted earlier this month on God's compassion for the fatherless, and this is really a follow-up to that post. The question remains, if God has a heart for orphans, what should our response be? November being National Adoption Awareness Month, I've been focusing many of my posts on adoption. However, I realize not everyone is in a situation where they are able to adopt a child. As Christians, in light of the knowledge that millions of orphans worldwide will not be adopted, what is our responsibility toward them? I've already shared what God's requirements were for Israel. He demanded that orphans be treated with justice, that a portion of the harvest be left to feed them, and that a portion of the tithe be used to help provide for them. God spelled it out clearly for the Israelites that they were to care for the fatherless.
Jesus further explains in Mathew that when He returns in all His glory He will separate His people from those who were merely among them. To those who are truly His He will say, "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in, I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me."
Then His righteous people look at Him perplexed and say, "Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?" And Jesus, the King will answer them, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethern, you did it to Me." (See Mathew 25:31-46)
I think what Jesus is saying here is that if we really belong to Him, we will be compassionate. How can we have Christ in us and not be compassionate? Not only that, but the outcasts of society are the ones listed in this passage that are deserving of our compassion: those who are hungry and thirsty, foreigners, sick , imprisoned. Certainly helpless orphans fit into this category!
John says it this way. "Whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?" (1 John 3:17) Now I know some will argue about the interpretation of "brother", but it doesn't change the message of this verse, or the whole book of 1 John for that matter. The message is if you're a Christian, you will love others. And John makes it clear what this love looks like. "My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth." (1 John 3:18)
Christians have an obligation to care for those that have no one else. Orphans are at the top of this list. And while there are many wonderful organizations that feed and clothe orphans, my favorites are those that give them spiritual food. My personal favorite ministry that provides orphan care is Rafiki Foundation, which operates in 10 countries in Africa. Rafiki was started as a ministry outreach of the international branch of Bible Study Fellowship. Their number one priority is teaching the Word of God in Africa. The following quote from their website nicely sums up their mission in Africa. "Since our goal is to develop these children to be godly contributors to their countries in Africa, we do not facilitate the adoption of these children out of their countries, nor do we plan on educating them in the United States. Instead, we will raise and educate them in their home countries so that they will remain and provide the much needed leadership and help in their own culture."
So getting back to my original question about what our response should be...let's all pray about how we can help, even if it's in a very small way. Just $25/month will usually feed these kids (amazing considering I spent $300 at Walmart today for our family of 7 for one week!) and lots of child sponsorship programs ask for only $50/month to cover most of a child's monthly expenses including clothing and education. I know there are many wonderful orphan relief agencies caring for the fatherless all over the world. What's you favorite? I would love to compile a list of Christian orphan care ministries. What an amazing blessing it will be to share in what God's doing in the lives of orphans, right here in our own community and around the world.
Jesus further explains in Mathew that when He returns in all His glory He will separate His people from those who were merely among them. To those who are truly His He will say, "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in, I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me."
Then His righteous people look at Him perplexed and say, "Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?" And Jesus, the King will answer them, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethern, you did it to Me." (See Mathew 25:31-46)
I think what Jesus is saying here is that if we really belong to Him, we will be compassionate. How can we have Christ in us and not be compassionate? Not only that, but the outcasts of society are the ones listed in this passage that are deserving of our compassion: those who are hungry and thirsty, foreigners, sick , imprisoned. Certainly helpless orphans fit into this category!
John says it this way. "Whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?" (1 John 3:17) Now I know some will argue about the interpretation of "brother", but it doesn't change the message of this verse, or the whole book of 1 John for that matter. The message is if you're a Christian, you will love others. And John makes it clear what this love looks like. "My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth." (1 John 3:18)
Christians have an obligation to care for those that have no one else. Orphans are at the top of this list. And while there are many wonderful organizations that feed and clothe orphans, my favorites are those that give them spiritual food. My personal favorite ministry that provides orphan care is Rafiki Foundation, which operates in 10 countries in Africa. Rafiki was started as a ministry outreach of the international branch of Bible Study Fellowship. Their number one priority is teaching the Word of God in Africa. The following quote from their website nicely sums up their mission in Africa. "Since our goal is to develop these children to be godly contributors to their countries in Africa, we do not facilitate the adoption of these children out of their countries, nor do we plan on educating them in the United States. Instead, we will raise and educate them in their home countries so that they will remain and provide the much needed leadership and help in their own culture."
So getting back to my original question about what our response should be...let's all pray about how we can help, even if it's in a very small way. Just $25/month will usually feed these kids (amazing considering I spent $300 at Walmart today for our family of 7 for one week!) and lots of child sponsorship programs ask for only $50/month to cover most of a child's monthly expenses including clothing and education. I know there are many wonderful orphan relief agencies caring for the fatherless all over the world. What's you favorite? I would love to compile a list of Christian orphan care ministries. What an amazing blessing it will be to share in what God's doing in the lives of orphans, right here in our own community and around the world.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Adopted into God's Family
I'm a little surprised that I'm still posting about adoption in the Bible and here it is already the 8th of November (National Adoption Awareness Month). Each time I think this will be the last post in this series, but then I'm so blown away by the riches of the theology of adoption in the Bible that I keep coming back for more.
Today I want to marvel at the grace of God in His adoption of believing Gentiles into His family and their sharing in the covenental relationship with true Israel.
"At that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." Ephesians 2:12-13
Paul writes in the above verses about God graciously extending salvation to the Gentiles. Was this a new plan, a plan B as some have suggested? I don't think so. Rather, it seems that God has always had a plan of international adoption to build His family "that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. As He says also in Hosea: 'I will call them My people, who were not My people, and her beloved, who was not beloved.' And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not My people,' there they shall be called the sons of the living God." (Romans 9:23-26)
Since Paul is quoting above from Hosea in the Old Testament, deciding to include Gentiles in His family must not have been plan B, but part of God's plan all along. In fact, it is clear from Scripture that God's family transcends race, culture and nationality. "For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham." (Romans 9:6) "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galations 3:26-29)
The theological argument for God's plan of international adoption has merit, as seen in the verses above, but much more precious to me are the living examples we have in Scripture.
Rahab, a Canaanite prostitute who feared God more than her own death, risked her life to hide the Israelite spies. The book of Hebrews credits her belief or faith for this act. Not only was her life and the lives of her family spared by Joshua and the Israelites, but God goes so far as to include her in the lineage of Christ. I think that shows God always had a plan of international adoption for His family.
Ruth the Moabite widow also chooses the narrow path when she follows her mother-in-law to Bethlehem and uncertain provision, rather than staying with her own family in Moab after her husband's death. Again, the Bible tells us it is Ruth's desire to be identified with the one true God and His people that enables her to make this difficult decision. We all know the happy ending to this story. Boaz extends help to Ruth and Naomi, perhaps out of duty and obedience to God at first, but then falls in love with Ruth and marries her. There may have been prejudice in Israel against foreigners, but not with Boaz. The honorable and noble Boaz was the son of Rahab, so he had an intimate understanding that being a child of God was a matter of faith, not genetics. And Ruth would become the grandmother of David, the boy who refused to cower in fear against Goliath and the Philistines, who grew into the great King of Israel described as being a man after God's own heart. And of course, our Lord and Savior would be born from the line of David. The reason Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem to register for the census, before the birth of Jesus, is because they are both descended from King David.
God didn't accept Rahab and Ruth into His family as second class citizens or as slaves. In fact, there are three Gentile women listed in the geneology of Christ (Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth) in the first chapter of Mathew. I think the reason their names are specifically listed, since women are often not recorded in geneologies in the Bible, is to show us that God has always had a plan for building His family through international adoption.
Today I want to marvel at the grace of God in His adoption of believing Gentiles into His family and their sharing in the covenental relationship with true Israel.
"At that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." Ephesians 2:12-13
Paul writes in the above verses about God graciously extending salvation to the Gentiles. Was this a new plan, a plan B as some have suggested? I don't think so. Rather, it seems that God has always had a plan of international adoption to build His family "that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. As He says also in Hosea: 'I will call them My people, who were not My people, and her beloved, who was not beloved.' And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not My people,' there they shall be called the sons of the living God." (Romans 9:23-26)
Since Paul is quoting above from Hosea in the Old Testament, deciding to include Gentiles in His family must not have been plan B, but part of God's plan all along. In fact, it is clear from Scripture that God's family transcends race, culture and nationality. "For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham." (Romans 9:6) "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galations 3:26-29)
The theological argument for God's plan of international adoption has merit, as seen in the verses above, but much more precious to me are the living examples we have in Scripture.
Rahab, a Canaanite prostitute who feared God more than her own death, risked her life to hide the Israelite spies. The book of Hebrews credits her belief or faith for this act. Not only was her life and the lives of her family spared by Joshua and the Israelites, but God goes so far as to include her in the lineage of Christ. I think that shows God always had a plan of international adoption for His family.
Ruth the Moabite widow also chooses the narrow path when she follows her mother-in-law to Bethlehem and uncertain provision, rather than staying with her own family in Moab after her husband's death. Again, the Bible tells us it is Ruth's desire to be identified with the one true God and His people that enables her to make this difficult decision. We all know the happy ending to this story. Boaz extends help to Ruth and Naomi, perhaps out of duty and obedience to God at first, but then falls in love with Ruth and marries her. There may have been prejudice in Israel against foreigners, but not with Boaz. The honorable and noble Boaz was the son of Rahab, so he had an intimate understanding that being a child of God was a matter of faith, not genetics. And Ruth would become the grandmother of David, the boy who refused to cower in fear against Goliath and the Philistines, who grew into the great King of Israel described as being a man after God's own heart. And of course, our Lord and Savior would be born from the line of David. The reason Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem to register for the census, before the birth of Jesus, is because they are both descended from King David.
God didn't accept Rahab and Ruth into His family as second class citizens or as slaves. In fact, there are three Gentile women listed in the geneology of Christ (Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth) in the first chapter of Mathew. I think the reason their names are specifically listed, since women are often not recorded in geneologies in the Bible, is to show us that God has always had a plan for building His family through international adoption.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Adopted by God
This is really a follow-up to my theology of adoption post. There’s so much in the Bible about adoption that just a few posts do not do it justice. In fact, it could be argued that to understand adoption is to understand salvation. The actions of a parent during the adoptive process mirror those of our Heavenly Father toward those He saves: seeking, choosing, redeeming, nurturing, maturing, and even disciplining. Our heavenly Father even makes us heirs right alongside His begotten Son.
“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” Galations 4:4-6
Amazing, isn’t it? We, who were once slaves to sin, now are heirs of God through the atoning work of Christ on the cross. What a gracious God and Savior we have! If we are adopted by God and joint-heirs with Christ, wouldn't that make us brothers and sisters of the Lord Jesus Christ?
The writer of Hebrews puts it this way. “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying: ‘I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.’” Hebrews 2:10-12
Again, the word amazing comes to mind. The Lord who is God, the One who breathed the world into existence, the very Word of God who became flesh and dwelt among us, our Savior, the one to whom every knee will bow in heaven and on earth … calls us brethren. He is not ashamed to call those He has redeemed brethren. We become brothers and sisters of our own Savior through the adoptive work of the Father, as accomplished by the atoning work of the Son.
I had some young men come by my house today and we spent an hour talking together and sharing Scriptures. The difference in belief we kept coming back to was whether we have some work or shared responsibility in our salvation. I was thinking about this in relation to adoption. How could I make myself a child of God and sister of Christ? I was only a slave and a slave is at the mercy of its master. But, by the grace of God, He sought me out and brought me into His family with all the privileges that entails. If you're a believer, did you know you're adopted by God? Aren't you glad?
“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” Galations 4:4-6
Amazing, isn’t it? We, who were once slaves to sin, now are heirs of God through the atoning work of Christ on the cross. What a gracious God and Savior we have! If we are adopted by God and joint-heirs with Christ, wouldn't that make us brothers and sisters of the Lord Jesus Christ?
The writer of Hebrews puts it this way. “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying: ‘I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.’” Hebrews 2:10-12
Again, the word amazing comes to mind. The Lord who is God, the One who breathed the world into existence, the very Word of God who became flesh and dwelt among us, our Savior, the one to whom every knee will bow in heaven and on earth … calls us brethren. He is not ashamed to call those He has redeemed brethren. We become brothers and sisters of our own Savior through the adoptive work of the Father, as accomplished by the atoning work of the Son.
I had some young men come by my house today and we spent an hour talking together and sharing Scriptures. The difference in belief we kept coming back to was whether we have some work or shared responsibility in our salvation. I was thinking about this in relation to adoption. How could I make myself a child of God and sister of Christ? I was only a slave and a slave is at the mercy of its master. But, by the grace of God, He sought me out and brought me into His family with all the privileges that entails. If you're a believer, did you know you're adopted by God? Aren't you glad?
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Adoption, it's personal.
From A Treasury of Adoption Miracles by Karen Kingsbury...
There's a story often told of a particularly rough storm that came up one night and left a sandy beach strewn with starfish. The next morning a child walked along the shore, stopping every few feet to pick up a starfish and fling it back into the sea. An old man watched the child and finally shouted at him, "Why bother, son? There are too many starfish to make a difference!" With that, the boy picked up another starfish and looked at it intently before heaving it out to sea. Then turning to the old man, he said, "It makes a difference to that one."
I love that story! Adoption is personal. It makes all the difference in the life of the child you adopt and that child in turn makes all the difference in your family. Can you believe the boy pictured below happily swinging wasn't always a part of our family? He was always meant to be, though. God uses more than one method to make a family and I'm so grateful that our American Boy is part of ours.
Some fun facts about our adoption miracle to help make our story personal to you.
1. He is an adoring big brother. Having Baby Lu made me fall even more in love with him since it brought out this tender, caring side of him. He is so precious with his baby sister!
2. My kids call seats when running to the car. Not wanting to miss out on the fun our American Boy always yells out at the top of his lungs, "I CALL MY BOO-STER!" He feels quite good about himself that he gets it every time!
3. Even though he's only 3, or maybe because of his age, he's always the first to remind us if we've forgotten to pray. He also makes it impossible for us to forget family worship. Currently his favorite hymn is "Nothin' but the Blood".
4. Everyone else in our family wants another baby girl (except Big D who would be happy to be through having kids:), but our sweet boy says he's praying for a baby boy. Lately he's been saying he wants a baby boy from Kazakhstan. When I tell him we'll pray about it, he says, "Yeah, right now," and insists we pray right then and there.
5. He's named for his grandfather, my dad. I've always wanted him to know this so we've rehearsed his name (all four of them) a couple of times a day since he's been with us. I decided to test him a few months ago to see if he knew he was named for his grandfather, so I asked him what his name was. He told me. Then I asked him what his grandfather's name was. He told me and his face lit up as he made the connection, "AFTER ME!!" he yelled with glee.
6. He never leaves ANY food on his plate.
7. He loves taking walks with his baby sister right next to him.
8. He's extrememly talkative. So much so that I've recently started encouraging him to take time out to listen for a little while. That usually lasts about 2 seconds until he thinks of something else to say.
9. He overheard the girls talking about marriage and announced that he's going to marry Ella, a 2 year old at our church. He seems to know what he wants. We did have to tell him that he's not allowed to kiss Ella (it was cute the first time, but not so much after a while).
10. Until just recently he was afraid to swing.
There's a story often told of a particularly rough storm that came up one night and left a sandy beach strewn with starfish. The next morning a child walked along the shore, stopping every few feet to pick up a starfish and fling it back into the sea. An old man watched the child and finally shouted at him, "Why bother, son? There are too many starfish to make a difference!" With that, the boy picked up another starfish and looked at it intently before heaving it out to sea. Then turning to the old man, he said, "It makes a difference to that one."
I love that story! Adoption is personal. It makes all the difference in the life of the child you adopt and that child in turn makes all the difference in your family. Can you believe the boy pictured below happily swinging wasn't always a part of our family? He was always meant to be, though. God uses more than one method to make a family and I'm so grateful that our American Boy is part of ours.
Some fun facts about our adoption miracle to help make our story personal to you.
1. He is an adoring big brother. Having Baby Lu made me fall even more in love with him since it brought out this tender, caring side of him. He is so precious with his baby sister!
2. My kids call seats when running to the car. Not wanting to miss out on the fun our American Boy always yells out at the top of his lungs, "I CALL MY BOO-STER!" He feels quite good about himself that he gets it every time!
3. Even though he's only 3, or maybe because of his age, he's always the first to remind us if we've forgotten to pray. He also makes it impossible for us to forget family worship. Currently his favorite hymn is "Nothin' but the Blood".
4. Everyone else in our family wants another baby girl (except Big D who would be happy to be through having kids:), but our sweet boy says he's praying for a baby boy. Lately he's been saying he wants a baby boy from Kazakhstan. When I tell him we'll pray about it, he says, "Yeah, right now," and insists we pray right then and there.
5. He's named for his grandfather, my dad. I've always wanted him to know this so we've rehearsed his name (all four of them) a couple of times a day since he's been with us. I decided to test him a few months ago to see if he knew he was named for his grandfather, so I asked him what his name was. He told me. Then I asked him what his grandfather's name was. He told me and his face lit up as he made the connection, "AFTER ME!!" he yelled with glee.
6. He never leaves ANY food on his plate.
7. He loves taking walks with his baby sister right next to him.
8. He's extrememly talkative. So much so that I've recently started encouraging him to take time out to listen for a little while. That usually lasts about 2 seconds until he thinks of something else to say.
9. He overheard the girls talking about marriage and announced that he's going to marry Ella, a 2 year old at our church. He seems to know what he wants. We did have to tell him that he's not allowed to kiss Ella (it was cute the first time, but not so much after a while).
10. Until just recently he was afraid to swing.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
My Favorite Books on Adoption
I want to continue with my recent theme of adoption in honor of November being National Adoption Awareness Month. I’ve told you before that I love books. In today’s post I’m going to share with you a little about my personal favorite adoption books. These books took me on adoptive journeys (before I went on our journey) that had me laughing and crying and always left me wanting more. I learned so much about what to expect (the unexpected) and these books prepared me for the difficulties we would face on our journey to our American Boy. I’m grateful for each and every one of them and for the authors who wrote them. If you’re thinking of adopting or know someone who is, I highly recommend these books!
Two Little Girls: A Memoir of Adoption by Theresa Reid
This book has it all- the perfect smooth sailing adoption, the waiting game trying for a second adoption filled with multiple disappointments, and the wild ride adventure of a lifetime adoption. They adopt from Russia the first time and Ukraine the second time. Their first adoption is of a cherubic baby girl and their second daughter is a feisty pre-schooler when they meet her. Theresa Reid and her husband begin the story as DINKs (dual income, no kids) with successful careers who decide later in life that they want to start a family. She’s a gifted writer and shares not only the factual events of their adoption adventures, but also the emotional roller coaster throughout. She and her second daughter struggle with attachment issues, but Theresa shares them, too and how they are overcome through time and love. This book is one of my all-time favorite books and even if you don’t plan on adopting, I recommend it. It should be a best seller in my opinion!
A World of Love by Maggie Francis Conroy
This is the story of a loving couple that greatly desires to give their only daughter a sister. Be careful what you wish for- by the end of the book they have four daughters! This was in the early days of international adoption and somehow the Conroy family adopted three little girls within a very short period of time (maybe 18 months). They adopted from Columbia and two regions in Russia. This is a laugh out loud book, but don’t be fooled, it’s not all fun and games. Conroy tackles with wit and wisdom serious issues such as when one spouse wants to adopt and the other doesn’t, adjustment and attachment issues, language barriers, and adopting a child with a handicap. The Conroys prove that the adoption is just the beginning of the adventure. My favorite part of the book is when they are struggling with the adjustment of their daughter Ana who has been newly added to the family. None of their children were adopted as babies and all had an adjustment period. Ana was quite a handful and there were days early on that the Conroys were pulling their hair out. Maggie was determined to praise Ana whenever possible and she relates an incident in which Ana had been throwing a tantrum and almost bit her mother, but didn’t. Maggie jumped at the chance to praise her for “almost biting mommy, but not doing it.” I thoroughly enjoyed this hilarious, honest look at adoption and how their family truly demonstrated a world of love.
Butterflies in the Wind: Spanish/Indian Children with White Parents by Jean Nelson-Erichsen & Heino R. Erichsen
The Erichsens adopted their twin daughters from Columbia in the 1970s and developed such a passion for uniting the abandoned children they fell in love with that they started their own adoption agency, Los Ninos International Adoption Center. Their girls are now grown and share in their passion. They’ve written three other books on adopting from Latin America, South and Central America, and Asia, Europe and the South Pacific. This is their story of raising daughters of a different ethnicity. They explore cultural cuisine, dance, and traditions, always making an effort for their girls to retain their Columbian heritage while at the same time blossoming into All-American girls.
A Love Like No Other edited by Pamela Kruger and Jill Smolowe
This is a collection of stories from adoptive parents. My favorite is by Melissa Fay Greene, author of There is No Me Without You. Her essay entitled “Post-Adoption Panic” tells the rollicking account of her panic period following the adoption of their first son from Bulgaria. (She can look back on it and laugh although she wasn’t laughing at the time.) She tells about snapping at the grocery store clerk when asked a few weeks after their son’s adoption if she wanted to give to the Thanksgiving collection for the homeless. Her reply through gritted teeth was, “I’ve …given …enough!” I love that Melissa Fay Greene tackles attachment issues on the part of the parent head-on and removes the shame, exposing the emotional stress for what it is- an adjustment that takes time and effort. It has a happy ending as she falls madly in love with their precious little guy and they end up adopting many more children over the years.
A Treasury of Adoption Miracles by Karen Kingsbury
There are too many heart warming true stories to recount here, but my favorite is the touching adoption journey of the author. She and her husband had three biological children and decided to adopt one more. When they settled on Haiti they decided to adopt two so the boys would not feel so different in a family with white parents and siblings. Then surprise, surprise when Karen traveled to pick-up her sons she fell in love with a third adorable boy who was best buddies with the other two. She called her husband crying and pleading that she just couldn’t leave him there. Her husband’s response was, “Two… three… what’s the difference, Karen. If you feel that strongly about him, bring him home.” Reading about the blessings brought to the Kingsburys by those three precious boys who already knew the Lord in Haiti makes me cry every time. This book is worth buying just for this story, but there are others that are priceless, too. One story tells of the unlikely (who says God doesn’t still work miracles) event of two biological sisters being adopted from China by the same family years apart and using different agencies.
There are others I read and benefited from, but these were the highlights for me. I hope you have the chance to pick one up and read it or recommend one to a friend who’s interested in adopting.
Do you have a favorite book on adoption?
Two Little Girls: A Memoir of Adoption by Theresa Reid
This book has it all- the perfect smooth sailing adoption, the waiting game trying for a second adoption filled with multiple disappointments, and the wild ride adventure of a lifetime adoption. They adopt from Russia the first time and Ukraine the second time. Their first adoption is of a cherubic baby girl and their second daughter is a feisty pre-schooler when they meet her. Theresa Reid and her husband begin the story as DINKs (dual income, no kids) with successful careers who decide later in life that they want to start a family. She’s a gifted writer and shares not only the factual events of their adoption adventures, but also the emotional roller coaster throughout. She and her second daughter struggle with attachment issues, but Theresa shares them, too and how they are overcome through time and love. This book is one of my all-time favorite books and even if you don’t plan on adopting, I recommend it. It should be a best seller in my opinion!
A World of Love by Maggie Francis Conroy
This is the story of a loving couple that greatly desires to give their only daughter a sister. Be careful what you wish for- by the end of the book they have four daughters! This was in the early days of international adoption and somehow the Conroy family adopted three little girls within a very short period of time (maybe 18 months). They adopted from Columbia and two regions in Russia. This is a laugh out loud book, but don’t be fooled, it’s not all fun and games. Conroy tackles with wit and wisdom serious issues such as when one spouse wants to adopt and the other doesn’t, adjustment and attachment issues, language barriers, and adopting a child with a handicap. The Conroys prove that the adoption is just the beginning of the adventure. My favorite part of the book is when they are struggling with the adjustment of their daughter Ana who has been newly added to the family. None of their children were adopted as babies and all had an adjustment period. Ana was quite a handful and there were days early on that the Conroys were pulling their hair out. Maggie was determined to praise Ana whenever possible and she relates an incident in which Ana had been throwing a tantrum and almost bit her mother, but didn’t. Maggie jumped at the chance to praise her for “almost biting mommy, but not doing it.” I thoroughly enjoyed this hilarious, honest look at adoption and how their family truly demonstrated a world of love.
Butterflies in the Wind: Spanish/Indian Children with White Parents by Jean Nelson-Erichsen & Heino R. Erichsen
The Erichsens adopted their twin daughters from Columbia in the 1970s and developed such a passion for uniting the abandoned children they fell in love with that they started their own adoption agency, Los Ninos International Adoption Center. Their girls are now grown and share in their passion. They’ve written three other books on adopting from Latin America, South and Central America, and Asia, Europe and the South Pacific. This is their story of raising daughters of a different ethnicity. They explore cultural cuisine, dance, and traditions, always making an effort for their girls to retain their Columbian heritage while at the same time blossoming into All-American girls.
A Love Like No Other edited by Pamela Kruger and Jill Smolowe
This is a collection of stories from adoptive parents. My favorite is by Melissa Fay Greene, author of There is No Me Without You. Her essay entitled “Post-Adoption Panic” tells the rollicking account of her panic period following the adoption of their first son from Bulgaria. (She can look back on it and laugh although she wasn’t laughing at the time.) She tells about snapping at the grocery store clerk when asked a few weeks after their son’s adoption if she wanted to give to the Thanksgiving collection for the homeless. Her reply through gritted teeth was, “I’ve …given …enough!” I love that Melissa Fay Greene tackles attachment issues on the part of the parent head-on and removes the shame, exposing the emotional stress for what it is- an adjustment that takes time and effort. It has a happy ending as she falls madly in love with their precious little guy and they end up adopting many more children over the years.
A Treasury of Adoption Miracles by Karen Kingsbury
There are too many heart warming true stories to recount here, but my favorite is the touching adoption journey of the author. She and her husband had three biological children and decided to adopt one more. When they settled on Haiti they decided to adopt two so the boys would not feel so different in a family with white parents and siblings. Then surprise, surprise when Karen traveled to pick-up her sons she fell in love with a third adorable boy who was best buddies with the other two. She called her husband crying and pleading that she just couldn’t leave him there. Her husband’s response was, “Two… three… what’s the difference, Karen. If you feel that strongly about him, bring him home.” Reading about the blessings brought to the Kingsburys by those three precious boys who already knew the Lord in Haiti makes me cry every time. This book is worth buying just for this story, but there are others that are priceless, too. One story tells of the unlikely (who says God doesn’t still work miracles) event of two biological sisters being adopted from China by the same family years apart and using different agencies.
There are others I read and benefited from, but these were the highlights for me. I hope you have the chance to pick one up and read it or recommend one to a friend who’s interested in adopting.
Do you have a favorite book on adoption?
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
God's Compassion for the Fatherless
God is a compassionate God who loves justice and goes out of His way to show He cares for the underdog. Three groups of people in the Old Testament that had no one to provide for them or look out for their rights were widows, orphans, and foreigners. These people were especially vulnerable to oppression and suffering. It was this way the world over. Still is. But, God wanted Israel to be different. God gave laws to His people that reflect His nature and several of these laws specifically protected the fatherless. God shows His special love and care for the weak and poor in these laws and I've really enjoyed reviewing them.
God prohibited His people from depriving the fatherless or the foreigner of justice (Deut 24:17) and says, in fact, that He, Himself, defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow (Deut 10:18). God also commanded that when harvesting crops His people should leave gleanings behind for the foreigner, fatherless, and widow (Deut 24:19-21). This is especially interesting to me, because He tells Israel that if they are generous and leave behind sheaves of wheat, olives, and grapes for those who have no means to provide for themselves, that He will bless them. (Remember Boaz and how he told his workers to leave extras behind for Ruth and Naomi?) This seems counter intuitive to us, but God's ways are higher than ours and require us to trust Him and not lean on our own understanding. Furthermore, God requires that a portion of the tithe be set aside for helping the fatherless, foreigner, and widow (Deuteronomy 26:12).
God's loving provision for the fatherless extends beyond His law, as well. The Psalms describe God as being the Helper, Defender, and Sustainer of the fatherless (10:14, 82:3, 146:9). Even more precious, Psalm 68:5 calls God a Father to the fatherless. Hosea pleads with God for idolatrous, abandoned Israel that in Him the fatherless find compassion (14:3). And Isaiah equates defending the fatherless with doing good and seeking justice (1:17).
What about now? Does God still care about the orphan? Jesus, Himself, said He came not to destroy the Law or Prophets, but to fulfill them (Mathew 5:17). This alone causes me to answer with a resounding, "Yes!" Jesus takes many pains to point out that He came not for the rich and great of the world, but to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). He chooses the weak things of the world to put to shame the mighty (1Corin 1:27). And just in case there was any lingering doubt, James tells us visiting orphans and widows in their trouble is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of God (James 1:27). This is interesting because visiting widows and orphans in their trouble AND keeping oneself unspotted from the world qualify as pure and undefiled religion, but not one without the other. This is typical James, showing us that faith without works is dead (2:14-26). Even if we were able to keep from sinning (unspotted from the world), this is not enough to be pure religion. We have to show our faith by works. The first example that comes to James' mind is visiting orphans and widows (well, that and controlling the tongue). I think orphans must be pretty important to God, and aren't we glad? Jesus promised His disciples before He was betrayed that He would not leave them as orphans, but would come to them (John 14:18). He doesn't leave us as orphans, either. He has not abandoned us. We have a heavenly Father and a heavenly home. Our God is compassionate and loves the fatherless!
God prohibited His people from depriving the fatherless or the foreigner of justice (Deut 24:17) and says, in fact, that He, Himself, defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow (Deut 10:18). God also commanded that when harvesting crops His people should leave gleanings behind for the foreigner, fatherless, and widow (Deut 24:19-21). This is especially interesting to me, because He tells Israel that if they are generous and leave behind sheaves of wheat, olives, and grapes for those who have no means to provide for themselves, that He will bless them. (Remember Boaz and how he told his workers to leave extras behind for Ruth and Naomi?) This seems counter intuitive to us, but God's ways are higher than ours and require us to trust Him and not lean on our own understanding. Furthermore, God requires that a portion of the tithe be set aside for helping the fatherless, foreigner, and widow (Deuteronomy 26:12).
God's loving provision for the fatherless extends beyond His law, as well. The Psalms describe God as being the Helper, Defender, and Sustainer of the fatherless (10:14, 82:3, 146:9). Even more precious, Psalm 68:5 calls God a Father to the fatherless. Hosea pleads with God for idolatrous, abandoned Israel that in Him the fatherless find compassion (14:3). And Isaiah equates defending the fatherless with doing good and seeking justice (1:17).
What about now? Does God still care about the orphan? Jesus, Himself, said He came not to destroy the Law or Prophets, but to fulfill them (Mathew 5:17). This alone causes me to answer with a resounding, "Yes!" Jesus takes many pains to point out that He came not for the rich and great of the world, but to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). He chooses the weak things of the world to put to shame the mighty (1Corin 1:27). And just in case there was any lingering doubt, James tells us visiting orphans and widows in their trouble is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of God (James 1:27). This is interesting because visiting widows and orphans in their trouble AND keeping oneself unspotted from the world qualify as pure and undefiled religion, but not one without the other. This is typical James, showing us that faith without works is dead (2:14-26). Even if we were able to keep from sinning (unspotted from the world), this is not enough to be pure religion. We have to show our faith by works. The first example that comes to James' mind is visiting orphans and widows (well, that and controlling the tongue). I think orphans must be pretty important to God, and aren't we glad? Jesus promised His disciples before He was betrayed that He would not leave them as orphans, but would come to them (John 14:18). He doesn't leave us as orphans, either. He has not abandoned us. We have a heavenly Father and a heavenly home. Our God is compassionate and loves the fatherless!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Adoption in the Bible Part I: Moses
November is adoption awareness month and I want to follow-up on my previous post about the theology of adoption with a few posts on adoption in the Bible.
I have to confess to you that I didn’t go to a Bible commentary and try to come up with an exhaustive list of all adoptions in the Bible. If you do, I’d love a copy, though.
Undoubtedly, Moses is the most famous adoptee in the Bible, so I thought I’d start with him. We all know the iconic story of Moses. The wicked Pharaoh, frightened of the growing strength and numbers of the Israelites, decided that he would kill all sons born to the Jewish slaves. The Hebrew midwives, fearing God more than the Pharaoh, did not commit murder for him so Moses was born a “beautiful child.” Pharaoh, frustrated by the disobedience of the Hebrew midwives, had by this time commanded the Egyptians that every Hebrew son should be cast into the Nile. Moses’ parents knew that if discovered he would be killed so they hid him only as long as they dared. When he was three months old Jochebed made a floating basket for her baby and instructed his sister Miriam to take him to the river and lay him in the reeds next to the riverbank.
Miriam watched as Pharaoh’s daughter, the princess of Egypt, came to the riverbed to bathe and found Moses. It seems likely that Jochebed knew or at least prayed that the princess would discover her baby and want to adopt him. I can’t think that his life would have been safe if anyone else had discovered him. The Egyptians had been commanded to throw all Hebrew babies into the Nile. If anyone else had found him he would have been killed. (Hebrew male babies would have been easy to identify). And of course he wouldn’t have been safe with any other Israelite families either. So, really his only option at life was being adopted by someone close enough to Pharaoh to wrangle an exception out of him. I’m sure it didn’t hurt that Moses was such a beautiful child. Little did the princess know that she was a pawn in the hand of God that day.
I love the story of Moses. Most of all I love that the Exodus story is a foreshadowing of our salvation with Moses as a type of Christ. Moses rescued the Israelites from slavery whereas Christ rescues us from bondage to sin. The Israelites were saved from the plague of death of the firstborn by covering their doorposts with the blood of a sacrificial lamb. We’re saved from death by Christ’s sacrifice once for all that covers our sins.
It must have been heartbreaking for Jochebed and Amram to give up their son, but they did it out of desperate circumstances to save his life. God’s hand was on Moses from the beginning, for God knew to what He had already called Moses. God orchestrated the events at the river that morning perfectly so that Moses would be spared and brought up first in his own home in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and then later in the palace of the Pharaoh. God had a plan for Moses and He has a plan for each of us. God is able to accomplish His plans for us despite our circumstances. In this case God used adoption to carry out His plan to free His people from slavery. He could have used any means, but He used adoption. I think that’s pretty cool.
I have to confess to you that I didn’t go to a Bible commentary and try to come up with an exhaustive list of all adoptions in the Bible. If you do, I’d love a copy, though.
Undoubtedly, Moses is the most famous adoptee in the Bible, so I thought I’d start with him. We all know the iconic story of Moses. The wicked Pharaoh, frightened of the growing strength and numbers of the Israelites, decided that he would kill all sons born to the Jewish slaves. The Hebrew midwives, fearing God more than the Pharaoh, did not commit murder for him so Moses was born a “beautiful child.” Pharaoh, frustrated by the disobedience of the Hebrew midwives, had by this time commanded the Egyptians that every Hebrew son should be cast into the Nile. Moses’ parents knew that if discovered he would be killed so they hid him only as long as they dared. When he was three months old Jochebed made a floating basket for her baby and instructed his sister Miriam to take him to the river and lay him in the reeds next to the riverbank.
Miriam watched as Pharaoh’s daughter, the princess of Egypt, came to the riverbed to bathe and found Moses. It seems likely that Jochebed knew or at least prayed that the princess would discover her baby and want to adopt him. I can’t think that his life would have been safe if anyone else had discovered him. The Egyptians had been commanded to throw all Hebrew babies into the Nile. If anyone else had found him he would have been killed. (Hebrew male babies would have been easy to identify). And of course he wouldn’t have been safe with any other Israelite families either. So, really his only option at life was being adopted by someone close enough to Pharaoh to wrangle an exception out of him. I’m sure it didn’t hurt that Moses was such a beautiful child. Little did the princess know that she was a pawn in the hand of God that day.
I love the story of Moses. Most of all I love that the Exodus story is a foreshadowing of our salvation with Moses as a type of Christ. Moses rescued the Israelites from slavery whereas Christ rescues us from bondage to sin. The Israelites were saved from the plague of death of the firstborn by covering their doorposts with the blood of a sacrificial lamb. We’re saved from death by Christ’s sacrifice once for all that covers our sins.
It must have been heartbreaking for Jochebed and Amram to give up their son, but they did it out of desperate circumstances to save his life. God’s hand was on Moses from the beginning, for God knew to what He had already called Moses. God orchestrated the events at the river that morning perfectly so that Moses would be spared and brought up first in his own home in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and then later in the palace of the Pharaoh. God had a plan for Moses and He has a plan for each of us. God is able to accomplish His plans for us despite our circumstances. In this case God used adoption to carry out His plan to free His people from slavery. He could have used any means, but He used adoption. I think that’s pretty cool.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
The Theology of Adoption
November is National Adoption Awareness month so I thought I'd post on adoption off and on this month. This is a topic near and dear to my heart, as we adopted our 4th child. I wanted to start with the theology of adoption, because I don't know if there is a more precious teaching in all the Bible.
The English word adopt comes from the Latin root optare which means “to choose”. Our word option also comes from the same root. When we adopt a habit, such as washing our hands before supper, we have chosen to make this our custom. In the same way when my husband and I adopted our son, we chose him. We were literally given a picture and description of him, called a referral, and given a choice. We could have passed on him and waited for another child, but we chose him. We wanted him and chose him to be our son and a part of our family forever. We had very limited information about our son at the time of his referral. We did not choose him because we knew he would be gifted, handsome, brilliant, compassionate, funny, or anything that he is. Our choosing him was not in any way based on his qualifications. We chose our son because we decided that we wanted to be his parents. If we had received a different picture of a different baby boy, we probably would have chosen him. You see, our son’s adoption had very little to do with him and a great deal to do with our desire to have a son. We wanted another baby boy to love in our family. I wanted a son to name after my dad. We wanted our oldest son to have a brother. We wanted to make room in our home and our hearts for this baby boy. We knew it would require sacrifice on our part- lots of money and travel to another country far from home without our other children for starters, but we chose him anyway. The bottom line is we wanted him and were willing to go to great lengths to get him and make him ours.
Do you see where I’m going with this? It never ceases to amaze me that I have been adopted by God. What an exciting spiritual truth that I love to think about!
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of His glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:3-6
I'd like to make a couple of observations about our adoption from this text.
1. God’s choosing me had nothing to do with me and everything to do with His choice.
Since He chose me “before the foundation of the world” I certainly couldn’t have deserved it in any way. I had no opportunity to distinguish myself from anyone else before I was born. I was not good or enlightened or seeking Him. I didn’t choose Christ, I couldn’t have. I wasn’t even a twinkle in my father’s eye. I wasn’t even a far-off distant twinkle in Adam’s eye, because even he had not yet been created.
Notice the language- “He chose us” v.4, “having predestined us to adoption” v.5, and “according to the good pleasure of His will” v.5
2. God chose me for His purposes.
Many people would have you think being a Christian is about God making you happy. I don’t see that purpose here. God chose me, not so I would be happy, but so I could be holy. He decided before He even created the world that He would redeem for Himself a people and that He would make them holy. This pleased Him, that’s why He did it. What a blessing to be a part of that chosen people!
We use a catechism to help teach our children deep spiritual truths. Question #3 is “Why did God make you and all things?” The answer, as affirmed by this passage in Ephesians, is: “for His own glory.”
3. God's choosing me required great sacrifice on His part.
This comes from the following verse (7) "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace..."
I love that we're able to learn about God's love for us through an understanding of adoption. I think when we begin to grasp this truth, our response will be one of humility and gratitude.
The English word adopt comes from the Latin root optare which means “to choose”. Our word option also comes from the same root. When we adopt a habit, such as washing our hands before supper, we have chosen to make this our custom. In the same way when my husband and I adopted our son, we chose him. We were literally given a picture and description of him, called a referral, and given a choice. We could have passed on him and waited for another child, but we chose him. We wanted him and chose him to be our son and a part of our family forever. We had very limited information about our son at the time of his referral. We did not choose him because we knew he would be gifted, handsome, brilliant, compassionate, funny, or anything that he is. Our choosing him was not in any way based on his qualifications. We chose our son because we decided that we wanted to be his parents. If we had received a different picture of a different baby boy, we probably would have chosen him. You see, our son’s adoption had very little to do with him and a great deal to do with our desire to have a son. We wanted another baby boy to love in our family. I wanted a son to name after my dad. We wanted our oldest son to have a brother. We wanted to make room in our home and our hearts for this baby boy. We knew it would require sacrifice on our part- lots of money and travel to another country far from home without our other children for starters, but we chose him anyway. The bottom line is we wanted him and were willing to go to great lengths to get him and make him ours.
Do you see where I’m going with this? It never ceases to amaze me that I have been adopted by God. What an exciting spiritual truth that I love to think about!
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of His glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:3-6
I'd like to make a couple of observations about our adoption from this text.
1. God’s choosing me had nothing to do with me and everything to do with His choice.
Since He chose me “before the foundation of the world” I certainly couldn’t have deserved it in any way. I had no opportunity to distinguish myself from anyone else before I was born. I was not good or enlightened or seeking Him. I didn’t choose Christ, I couldn’t have. I wasn’t even a twinkle in my father’s eye. I wasn’t even a far-off distant twinkle in Adam’s eye, because even he had not yet been created.
Notice the language- “He chose us” v.4, “having predestined us to adoption” v.5, and “according to the good pleasure of His will” v.5
2. God chose me for His purposes.
Many people would have you think being a Christian is about God making you happy. I don’t see that purpose here. God chose me, not so I would be happy, but so I could be holy. He decided before He even created the world that He would redeem for Himself a people and that He would make them holy. This pleased Him, that’s why He did it. What a blessing to be a part of that chosen people!
We use a catechism to help teach our children deep spiritual truths. Question #3 is “Why did God make you and all things?” The answer, as affirmed by this passage in Ephesians, is: “for His own glory.”
3. God's choosing me required great sacrifice on His part.
This comes from the following verse (7) "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace..."
I love that we're able to learn about God's love for us through an understanding of adoption. I think when we begin to grasp this truth, our response will be one of humility and gratitude.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Counting my Bessings
Each of our five children is a miracle and each was hand-picked by God to join our family. I remember all the pregnancies, the labors, and the deliveries. (The video recorder has helped fill in what I had blocked out.) A few years ago, during a lapse of judgement, I let my kids watch one of the births (G-rated, of course). Out of that came a disagreement. Measle, 3.5 at the time, announced that she came out of Mommy's tummy. Mr. Monk corrected her that she didn't actually come out of my tummy, but out of my bottom (our generic word for nether-regions.) They went back and forth a couple of times before Measle decided to settle it with, "I came out of Mommy's tummy, but Bubba came out of Mommy's bottom. Bubba's a poopoo baby!" So there!
But there's one of our five blessings that stands out. Our All American Boy was brought to us in a special way. We prayed for him, just like we did the others. More, in fact. We prayed that God would have His hand upon him and keep him safe. We prayed that God would direct us to him. But most of all we prayed that he would belong to the Lord. We adopted our second son from Kazakhstan. It was quite an adventure, a wild ride not for the faint of heart. It's a long story that has been chronicled elsewhere, but there are two pieces of the puzzle I was remembering today that I want to share with you.
I've never been one to ask God for signs. I don't really believe in it. But, while we were in Kazakhstan I was an emotional wreck. We had left our other three children at home during the Christmas season, we were half-way around the world in a foreign place, and the baby they "gave" us was sickly and strange to me. I panicked more than once. God was with us the entire trip and blessed us in so many ways. Big D and I depended more on one another since we only had each other. We grew closer during that trip. We met some wonderful Christians who asked Big D to teach a couple of times each week for the 3 weeks we were there. Worshipping with them felt like home. My All American Boy began to blossom before our eyes, first sitting up, then crawling, then turning the pages of the books I would read him. But there were still nagging doubts. Moments that I would wonder what we were doing. Then something so minute that it should have gone unnoticed happened. And yet it was the turning point for me. It reminded me that God had always been in control of the situation from the beginning. That He had been Providentially and graciously working in our lives and the life of our All American Boy and that He would work out all the details that still remained. What was it? It was his birthday.
It should have been a meaningless date to me, but for some reason it jarred something in my memory. I got my checkbook out and thumbed through the register. Sure enough, the day our All American Boy was born in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan, was the same day that on the other side of the world Big D and I had decided "for sure" that we were going to adopt. It was the very day that we wrote out our check to USCIS and put it in the mail to get the ball rolling on the adoption. We had prayed about adopting and talked about it and gone back and forth, but the day that our son was born God gave us a peace about moving forward. Though I hadn't asked for a sign, I know that our son's birthday was not a detail that was lost on God. When I made the connection, I was able to let go of any remaining concerns. From that point on, my only care was making it home to our other three children by Christmas, which by God's grace, we did.
The other piece of the puzzle I didn't learn about until after we had our All American Boy home with us. I found out that he had been offered to another couple before us and that they turned him down. This seems incredible to us! I mean, look at him! Who would turn that face down? God answered our prayers and saved him for us. (The other couple got the son that was meant for them, too, no doubt.)
Anyway, a trip down memory lane always makes me count my blessings. God is so good! I'm grateful for a God that cares about the little things, as well as the great. And I'm thankful that it is no more difficult for God to bring us a child from around the world than it is for Him to do it the "traditional" way.
But there's one of our five blessings that stands out. Our All American Boy was brought to us in a special way. We prayed for him, just like we did the others. More, in fact. We prayed that God would have His hand upon him and keep him safe. We prayed that God would direct us to him. But most of all we prayed that he would belong to the Lord. We adopted our second son from Kazakhstan. It was quite an adventure, a wild ride not for the faint of heart. It's a long story that has been chronicled elsewhere, but there are two pieces of the puzzle I was remembering today that I want to share with you.
I've never been one to ask God for signs. I don't really believe in it. But, while we were in Kazakhstan I was an emotional wreck. We had left our other three children at home during the Christmas season, we were half-way around the world in a foreign place, and the baby they "gave" us was sickly and strange to me. I panicked more than once. God was with us the entire trip and blessed us in so many ways. Big D and I depended more on one another since we only had each other. We grew closer during that trip. We met some wonderful Christians who asked Big D to teach a couple of times each week for the 3 weeks we were there. Worshipping with them felt like home. My All American Boy began to blossom before our eyes, first sitting up, then crawling, then turning the pages of the books I would read him. But there were still nagging doubts. Moments that I would wonder what we were doing. Then something so minute that it should have gone unnoticed happened. And yet it was the turning point for me. It reminded me that God had always been in control of the situation from the beginning. That He had been Providentially and graciously working in our lives and the life of our All American Boy and that He would work out all the details that still remained. What was it? It was his birthday.
It should have been a meaningless date to me, but for some reason it jarred something in my memory. I got my checkbook out and thumbed through the register. Sure enough, the day our All American Boy was born in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan, was the same day that on the other side of the world Big D and I had decided "for sure" that we were going to adopt. It was the very day that we wrote out our check to USCIS and put it in the mail to get the ball rolling on the adoption. We had prayed about adopting and talked about it and gone back and forth, but the day that our son was born God gave us a peace about moving forward. Though I hadn't asked for a sign, I know that our son's birthday was not a detail that was lost on God. When I made the connection, I was able to let go of any remaining concerns. From that point on, my only care was making it home to our other three children by Christmas, which by God's grace, we did.
The other piece of the puzzle I didn't learn about until after we had our All American Boy home with us. I found out that he had been offered to another couple before us and that they turned him down. This seems incredible to us! I mean, look at him! Who would turn that face down? God answered our prayers and saved him for us. (The other couple got the son that was meant for them, too, no doubt.)
Anyway, a trip down memory lane always makes me count my blessings. God is so good! I'm grateful for a God that cares about the little things, as well as the great. And I'm thankful that it is no more difficult for God to bring us a child from around the world than it is for Him to do it the "traditional" way.
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- Celee
- I'm an on-the-run mom to 6 kids who studied and taught exercise science in a previous life. I love all things running, nutrition, and health-related. I usually run at zero dark thirty in the morning and am often quite hungry before, during, and after my run, but I live a rich, full, blessed life with my children, family, and friends. My faith in God is my anchor, and looking to Him and His promises allows me to live fully even when life circumstances are difficult. While running gives me an appetite, my desire is to hunger and thirst for righteousness more than for physical food.