Real Life

My daughter gets it.  We memorize Scripture together weekly.  It is just good for our souls and hearts.  It's a great tool to fight satan with and his attacks, to recite Scripture out loud.  God gives us the tools to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  He gives us the shield of faith, He gives us His words and His love.  After all, as David Platt always says, "We are fighting a defeated foe"!

Memorizing Scripture has helped my daughter's heart and her fears at school and being away from us.  She recalls His words when she is scared and I am so thankful for God putting His words on her heart.

Sunday we were sitting with some of my college age girls in the baptism class.  And Brennan happened to be teaching.  And I didn't think she was listening but she was because she would laugh when he would make a silly joke.  And then she drew this.  And she once again blew me out of the water with her faith.  And she once again gave me strength at a time I needed it the most.
And once again God said, "I am here, I am for you, I am with her."

She made this picture all by herself and put the Scripture reference and everything because she knows what true life is.  She knows even if we die, like her little brother and so many more before us, that we have life in Jesus.  We may die here on earth but we are alive!  And her Jesus is waiting, holding tons of balloons!!

John 11:25  I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.

So I am praying you all have real life as well and understand God's wonderful gift for each of us.  And I am praying you too are hiding His words in your heart!  Anyone can memorize Scripture, even my five year old daughter.

Another week has gone by.  And this waiting I don't understand.  I don't like to count to know how many days or years it has been since we have seen Gavin.  So likewise I don't like to count or know how long it has been since we last saw Israel.  That doesn't do anything for my heart.  It puts my heart into planning mode and trying to make sense of waiting.

Our adoption case and others are in the judge's hands.  And this happens all over the world, judges holding the paperwork, causing orphans to remain in orphanages.  They have families ready and willing to love an orphan and bring them into a home, but they hold the paperwork.  And I don't understand this and never will.

Israel is in a wonderful loving home, a place we don't ever refer to as an orphanage because it is a home of love.  And we know he is okay.  And we are grateful and thankful.  So we keep waiting.

Please pray.  Pray for orphans all over the world waiting for their family.  Pray for judges as my daughter reminds me to just pray for our judge.  Pray they make decisions and quickly.  Pray they grant favor for families waiting.  Pray for caretakers of so many orphans.  They love and love well.  Pray for the families waiting.  Pray that one day there will be no more orphans because they will all have a family to call their own.

 

Take Captive Every Thought

Fear.

I struggle with this word far too often.

My human mind playing games + satan's schemes=fear.

Sickness/fever strike fear in my heart always when it comes to my children. 

My mind can't separate this from the night my son died. He had a fever, and shortly after that he died. But deep down in my heart, I know it is different, that the situation is not the same as that August night.

But when my daughter gets sick, I think she too will die and we will have no warning. My heart goes into shock and panic starts. And I think once Israel is home I will have that fear with him getting a fever too. 

Fear makes some nights hard as I check my daughter's pulse or chest to make sure she is breathing. 

And satan starts the blame game on my heart and he begins to try to destroy.

Our adoption papers are now with the higher judge. And from day one I have feared that the judge will not rule in our favor, and that we will loose another son.

My worst fear came true once, my human mind reminds me.

And I realize this is a fault and sin of mine.

I can't live in this fear. I can't let it consume me and my thoughts. It isn't healthy and I don't like my family seeing me like this. I don't want my children to learn this behavior. 

I need to trust in His plans. I need to rest in His peace. I need to continue to place my children in His palms, trusting that He is good.

I need to take captive Every thought and make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5