My Bible has a separation in Luke 12 between verses 21 & 22, but I (Michael) was struck today that these actually go together. Verses 13-21 tell us about the man who wants Jesus to tell his brother to divide the inheritance with him, followed by Jesus telling the parable of the rich fool who wanted to build bigger barns to store his plentiful crops. Jesus' hearers (including us) are warned that the person who "lays up treasure for himself & is not rich toward God" will meet the same fate as this rich fool. If your Bible is like mine, there is now a separation. All too often, we see the separation, which was not there in the original, & fail to see how the passages are connected. But these are very connected! Jesus issues the warning in verse 21 & then flows right into an admonishment in verse 22 not to be anxious about our lives, even the very basic aspects of what we will eat or wear. But we are, aren't we? Aren't we concerned about meeting our basic needs, especially when money is tight? How will I pay this bill? Will there be enough money to cover groceries? This even spills over into bigger issues. The truck needs new tires & brakes. The house needs a new roof. We need to save for retirement. For us, we can sometimes be overwhelmed by how we're going to afford to pay for this adoption. How in the world are we going to come up with $28,000?! On one income! Then, I read Jesus' words in this passage: do not be anxious, God cares for us more than the birds & lilies. I also see His indictment: "O you of little faith!" Choosing to be anxious - & it is a choice - means that I don't trust that God is in control of my life, that He loves me enough to take care of me. Choosing to accumulate possessions & wealth so that I don't have any worries means that I'm choosing not to rely on God. It also means that my treasure is in my "stuff" rather than in God. But, as believers, we're called to higher & better things. "Instead, seek His kingdom first, & these things will be added to you," remembering that "one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions". If we are seeking after Him, He will give us what we need. So, we have no cause for worry! Then, look where this leads us! God is providing for us, we have no need to worry about our needs, & that opens us up to "sell your possessions & give to the needy". We can do this because we have "a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches & no moth destroys"! We show ourselves to be true disciples of Christ by our outward actions, which demonstrate what we value most & show where our heart is. If our heart is with Christ, then we can easily lay aside our possessions for the sake of meeting others' needs. However, if our heart is with our possessions, then we will cling to, & even increase, them because we can't bear to be without them. And when we are seeking after the world's riches ("the good American life") at all costs - even going into debt & ignoring the plight of the poor to do so - we cannot lay up treasure in heaven. As believers, we have to intentionally & deliberately be counter-cultural in all ways, including how we use our possessions. We can choose to be slaves to the ungodly ways of our culture & lay up no treasure in heaven, but then we must clearly understand that this is "friendship with the world" & "enmity with God". If we choose this, we must be aware that we will have our reward here & our eternity will be hell. Our other choice is to break the chains of our slavery to "things", so that we're free to give to the advancement of the Gospel & to the care of the poor & helpless all over the world. But we can't have both, we can't serve both God & money. So, "choose you this day whom ye will serve...as for me & my house, we will serve the Lord"!
*Our most gracious heavenly Father, we thank You with all that we are for providing for us each day! We realize that everything we have - our food, clean water, clothing, home, jobs, & so much more - come straight from Your hand. So often, we forget to thank You, even forget that these things do indeed come from You. Please forgive us & continue to sanctify us through Your Word. Help us to realize that our possessions are not lasting & have not been given to us for ourselves. Help us to use our possessions as they are meant to be in the advance of Your kingdom. Convict us of the millions who are dying each day without the very things we take for granted...& without You. Ignite a passion in us to spread Your Gospel to the very corners of the Earth, showing people Christ's love in our actions. We love You & worship You, for You alone are worthy of all honor & praise! In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Why adopt? Why Ethiopia? Part 2
Yesterday, we explained why we're adopting as opposed to attempting to conceive through fertility treatments & such. Today, we'd like to deal with why we're adopting from Ethiopia rather than domestically.
So...why Ethiopia? There are so many reasons I can give! The most important reason is that we simply feel God leading us there. We could have gone the domestic route - we thought about it & may do so in the future - but we simply feel that for now, God is leading us to Ethiopia. We believe our God is sovereign & that He ordained that all of our children - birth & adopted - be ours from before the foundation of the world. The most basic reason that we're adopting from Ethiopia is that our children are in Ethiopia, just as God has willed. Like I said, we've always wanted to adopt (seriously, like from the time I was 12 & Michael was a teenager), but we thought we would wait until after we had "our own" children. (As an aside, I detest that phrase now; they won't be our biological children, but they will be "our own" children.) Then, my sister- & brother-in-law started the process; we were over at their house one night this past January & spent literally hours watching You Tube videos showing adoption stories, a lot of them from Ethiopia. Watching all of these children who had no one suddenly becoming part of a family was simply extraordinary! I cried the whole time & was completely drained by the end of the day. Michael & I drove home talking about how we didn't have to wait; we could adopt now. One reason we chose Ethiopia is because of how speedy their process is compared to other nations. But the main reason, other than God's leading, is that as we began researching Ethiopia to get a better feel of the culture, we discovered the dire situation facing these beautiful people. For Ethiopia's orphans, many of whom are living on the streets, life is a daily struggle to survive. There are between 4 & 6 million orphans in Ethiopia alone, & most of them don't live to see their 5th birthday; they're dying from starvation, preventable diseases, & subhuman conditions. More than 26,000 children around the world die every single day from these conditions! That's 1,080+ every hour, 18+ every minute! Imagine if our church were representative of these statistics. In a matter of minutes, not one child would be left alive. Learning this, we simply couldn't turn our backs on the situation. We have to save these children.
One of the "flagship" verses of adoption is James 1:27. As Christ's church, we are all called to "visit orphans & widows in their distress". We just recently heard a sermon explaining that "visit" means save, as in all the times that God "visited" His people in distress. He didn't just comfort them & then leave them in their situations; He rescued them from the situations. We are all called to rescue orphans, whether by means of adoption or by means of facilitating adoption. You know what's been amazing in this for me personally? I've never met my children - they may not even be born yet - but I know that before creation, God planned them to be mine, & I love them to the very bottom of my soul. I may not have them in my arms yet, but they are firmly planted in my heart.
*Our most gracious heavenly Father, please help us, as Your adopted children, to reflect your heart by adopting orphans from all over the world. These children are so precious, & they need us to rescue them from poverty, disease, & death. We can't do it without You, though. Please make Your people - Your bride - burn with a passion for adoption for Your glory! In Christ's holy name, Amen.
So...why Ethiopia? There are so many reasons I can give! The most important reason is that we simply feel God leading us there. We could have gone the domestic route - we thought about it & may do so in the future - but we simply feel that for now, God is leading us to Ethiopia. We believe our God is sovereign & that He ordained that all of our children - birth & adopted - be ours from before the foundation of the world. The most basic reason that we're adopting from Ethiopia is that our children are in Ethiopia, just as God has willed. Like I said, we've always wanted to adopt (seriously, like from the time I was 12 & Michael was a teenager), but we thought we would wait until after we had "our own" children. (As an aside, I detest that phrase now; they won't be our biological children, but they will be "our own" children.) Then, my sister- & brother-in-law started the process; we were over at their house one night this past January & spent literally hours watching You Tube videos showing adoption stories, a lot of them from Ethiopia. Watching all of these children who had no one suddenly becoming part of a family was simply extraordinary! I cried the whole time & was completely drained by the end of the day. Michael & I drove home talking about how we didn't have to wait; we could adopt now. One reason we chose Ethiopia is because of how speedy their process is compared to other nations. But the main reason, other than God's leading, is that as we began researching Ethiopia to get a better feel of the culture, we discovered the dire situation facing these beautiful people. For Ethiopia's orphans, many of whom are living on the streets, life is a daily struggle to survive. There are between 4 & 6 million orphans in Ethiopia alone, & most of them don't live to see their 5th birthday; they're dying from starvation, preventable diseases, & subhuman conditions. More than 26,000 children around the world die every single day from these conditions! That's 1,080+ every hour, 18+ every minute! Imagine if our church were representative of these statistics. In a matter of minutes, not one child would be left alive. Learning this, we simply couldn't turn our backs on the situation. We have to save these children.
One of the "flagship" verses of adoption is James 1:27. As Christ's church, we are all called to "visit orphans & widows in their distress". We just recently heard a sermon explaining that "visit" means save, as in all the times that God "visited" His people in distress. He didn't just comfort them & then leave them in their situations; He rescued them from the situations. We are all called to rescue orphans, whether by means of adoption or by means of facilitating adoption. You know what's been amazing in this for me personally? I've never met my children - they may not even be born yet - but I know that before creation, God planned them to be mine, & I love them to the very bottom of my soul. I may not have them in my arms yet, but they are firmly planted in my heart.
*Our most gracious heavenly Father, please help us, as Your adopted children, to reflect your heart by adopting orphans from all over the world. These children are so precious, & they need us to rescue them from poverty, disease, & death. We can't do it without You, though. Please make Your people - Your bride - burn with a passion for adoption for Your glory! In Christ's holy name, Amen.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Why adopt? Why Ethiopia? Part 1
Michael & I have been asked more than once now 2 questions in particular regarding our adoption: Why are you adopting rather than trying to conceive on your own or with a doctor's help? Why are you adopting from Ethiopia rather than domestically? I recently corresponded with a dear friend concerning these 2 issues, & I figure that for every person brave enough to ask these questions out loud, there are a few more who are wondering. So, I would like to share our reasons here.
It's probably easier to start with why we're adopting at all. First of all, it "just so happens" that we have both always wanted to adopt transracially, specifically African. We are not able to conceive right now due to my PCOS, but weight loss will clear that up (which we are working on), & Lord willing, one day we will be "bellied up" (an awesome expression that's new to me!). Regardless of if we ever have biological children or not, we will adopt. We want to adopt in addition to having biological children, not in lieu of. Adoption is costly, & we could spend that money on fertility treatments instead. However, God has chosen not to create a child in my womb right now, while He has chosen to create all of the many children around the world who have become orphans through no fault of their own. We believe our money is better spent rescuing these children rather than bucking against God's plan for us in our barrenness. God is concerned with orphans, as He testifies in His Word, & we as His children should reflect His heart. In adoption, we show the world God's love for & adoption of us. He is, after all, an adoptive Father Himself. Because we have been adopted "vertically" by Him, we have a desire to adopt "horizontally" the orphans in this world. These are children who have no one to love them; no one to protect, support, or comfort them; no place to call home. They are worthy of all of these things, & by adopting them, we show the world who God is. Isn't that beautiful?! We also fulfill the Great Commission in adoption. We are taking children who, if left as orphans, will most likely never hear the gospel of Jesus Christ & are training them in the admonition of the Lord. We are discipling them in Christ! Again, it's just beautiful!
I'll cover why we feel led to adopt from Ethiopia rather than domestically in the next post.
It's probably easier to start with why we're adopting at all. First of all, it "just so happens" that we have both always wanted to adopt transracially, specifically African. We are not able to conceive right now due to my PCOS, but weight loss will clear that up (which we are working on), & Lord willing, one day we will be "bellied up" (an awesome expression that's new to me!). Regardless of if we ever have biological children or not, we will adopt. We want to adopt in addition to having biological children, not in lieu of. Adoption is costly, & we could spend that money on fertility treatments instead. However, God has chosen not to create a child in my womb right now, while He has chosen to create all of the many children around the world who have become orphans through no fault of their own. We believe our money is better spent rescuing these children rather than bucking against God's plan for us in our barrenness. God is concerned with orphans, as He testifies in His Word, & we as His children should reflect His heart. In adoption, we show the world God's love for & adoption of us. He is, after all, an adoptive Father Himself. Because we have been adopted "vertically" by Him, we have a desire to adopt "horizontally" the orphans in this world. These are children who have no one to love them; no one to protect, support, or comfort them; no place to call home. They are worthy of all of these things, & by adopting them, we show the world who God is. Isn't that beautiful?! We also fulfill the Great Commission in adoption. We are taking children who, if left as orphans, will most likely never hear the gospel of Jesus Christ & are training them in the admonition of the Lord. We are discipling them in Christ! Again, it's just beautiful!
I'll cover why we feel led to adopt from Ethiopia rather than domestically in the next post.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
God Provides
Okay, so the most amazing thing happened yesterday! But before I tell you that, I have to give some background. As most of you probably know, Michael & I are a one-income family. He's an RN on a cardiac surgical unit, & I - though once an elementary school teacher - am now a housewife. (Much to both of our satisfaction, I might add, though that's probably another post!) In our desire to add "parent" to our job descriptions, we've embarked upon a journey to adopt 2 children from Ethiopia. Being a one-income family, & not having a spare $27,000 laying around - shocking, I know - we're sometimes unsure how we are ever going to afford this adoption. Two days ago, we were reminded of how truly daunting this venture may be. You see, we had our first home study meeting with our fabulous social worker, Claire, who proceeded to lay out the next few steps that we will need to fund. We've paid around $2,000 into the process up to this point, and our next few steps will cost almost $2,400. Wow! Never mind not having $27,000 laying around; we don't even have this much! Here's where God steps in. He knows our need. He's placed this desire in our hearts & this call on our lives. We've both reminded each other a few times already - & will no doubt do so many more times in this journey - that because He's given us this desire & call, that He will provide the way for us to fulfill it. We know this to the bottom of our souls, & He has proven faithful. You see, on the way home from our meeting, we discussed our new dilemma. How are we going to come up with this amount of money? We are definitely going to have to sacrifice; that's part of being a parent, after all, not to mention being a Christian. (Although, it doesn't really feel like we're sacrificing anything when the end result in both instances is so rewarding!) Extra shifts at Michael's work are scarce, almost nonexistent. I can sew & sell some things, but probably not $2,400 worth. The money from our paychecks mostly goes toward bills & necessities with some left over to put back in savings. So, where are we going to get the money? Turns out, from God. We just got our paycheck & somehow, in some truly inexplicable way, NONE of that money is needed for bills. Seriously -- NONE! Amazingly, the large bulk of this paycheck can go into savings toward our adoption! So, whereas we were a couple thousand dollars short of paying for these next few steps, now we only lack a couple hundred!
*God, You are so faithful to us, & we are so grateful to You! Thank You for giving us this desire to rescue orphans & give them an everlasting family who will love, nurture, protect, & disciple them. Thank You for giving us this opportunity to reflect Your love for us & to reflect Your adoption of us as Your children, by loving & adopting these children. And, thank You for providing the way to fulfill Your calling. We love You! In Christ's holy name, Amen.
*God, You are so faithful to us, & we are so grateful to You! Thank You for giving us this desire to rescue orphans & give them an everlasting family who will love, nurture, protect, & disciple them. Thank You for giving us this opportunity to reflect Your love for us & to reflect Your adoption of us as Your children, by loving & adopting these children. And, thank You for providing the way to fulfill Your calling. We love You! In Christ's holy name, Amen.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Learning to Love as Christ
There is a difficult person in my life that I have to deal with. So often, I don't want to deal with her, so I try my hardest to avoid doing so. Or, I deal with her in a very begrudging manner, lamenting over what an inconvenience it is to me. Until today. Today, I saw her in a different light. I saw her through the eyes of Christ. I saw how lonely she is. I saw how wounded she is. I saw how selfish I've been. In avoiding dealing with her, I've exacerbated her loneliness & pain......and reflected Christ poorly. No, to be more direct, I've lied about who Christ is. I have felt justified in avoiding her as much as possible because, after all, her poor behavior deserves my shunning of her. "I don't have to put myself into an abusive situation", I said to myself (& my husband) just last night. "She has to learn that her bad behavior has consequences & she can't just treat people any way she wants to & get away with it" was my next statement. But today, I was forced to deal with her, & Christ brought me face-to-face with my sin. What if Christ had used the same arguments with me? What if He had said, "I don't have to die for her! She's just going to continue to sin against Me. She's going to take My sacrifice for granted as she chooses sin over Me time & again. She's not worthy for Me to die for. She has to learn that her bad behavior has consequences that she has to pay for." If He had taken the same approach with me that I've taken with her, I would be sent to hell. Thank God (literally), He did not do this! Thank God that He became incarnate, lived a perfectly sinless life, died for my sins - bearing God's wrath - & rose again all on my behalf -- even though I am SO unworthy! Without His grace & mercy, I would be hopeless & helpless. And as His child, as His redeemed & justified child, I am to serve others in the same way. Even when they're rude, arrogant, or simply irritating. Even when they ridicule, insult, & abuse me (as they did Him). Not begrudgingly, but with joy, love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, self-control, & gentleness.
*God, please help me to love this person as You have loved me. Give me Your mercy & humility in dealing with her so that when she looks at me, she sees You. Please use me in any way You choose to minister to her. Heal her wounds & show her that she needs You, all the while continuing to sanctify me. Glorify Yourself through me, Lord. In Christ's holy name, Amen.
*God, please help me to love this person as You have loved me. Give me Your mercy & humility in dealing with her so that when she looks at me, she sees You. Please use me in any way You choose to minister to her. Heal her wounds & show her that she needs You, all the while continuing to sanctify me. Glorify Yourself through me, Lord. In Christ's holy name, Amen.
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