Welcome to Your New Family!

God's Words: 

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

~John 1:12-13

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.  In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

 ~Ephesians 1:3-6

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

~1 John 3:1a

In honor of Mother's Day and Father's Day this year, I wanted to share with you a story about some amazing friends of ours who chose to become parents in the most unlikely, extraordinary, I-love-this-story-so-much-it-melts-my-heart-every-time-I-think-about-it way.  This newly married couple are the kind of people that just make you think "wow" and inspire you to be a better person; to look beyond yourself and your own life for ways to help others.  Even if that means personal sacrifice. We met this young couple when they were still engaged.  It didn't take longer than, oh, maybe a third of a second seeing them together to realize they were head-over-heels in love with each other.  Ahhh, young love.  So sweet.  So new.  So seemingly untried (or so I thought before really getting to know this couple). And then we were privileged to attend their wedding.  Now I have been to quite a lot of weddings, let me tell you.  Theirs was by far one of the best weddings I have ever witnessed.  My husband agreed.  Did I mention I've been to a lot of weddings?  Hello, semiprofessional wedding singer here.  I've been to all kinds of weddings.  And theirs stands out among the rest as extra-special.  I wasn't quite sure at the time why that was.  But now I know.  They are an extra-special couple with some of the biggest hearts I have ever seen in action.  Soon after getting married, Mr. and Mrs. Z went through the process of becoming foster parents.  Okay, can I just start off right now by saying that this, in and of itself, flabbergasted me?  I can't think of another young newlywed couple I personally know, or have ever heard of, who desired to become foster parents during their first year of marriage.  Aren't you supposed to focus only on each other and get to know one another better during that first year of romantic, wedded bliss? Well, I think I can speak for most married people by saying that the last thing most newlyweds would think of doing is invite a needy child into their brand-new family and home.  I simply cannot fathom the selfless, benevolent desire that this couple had to do just that, when they had every right to spend all their time and attention on each other during their first year, or their first few years, together. But not this twosome.  They were already thinking about adopting before they were even married.  And here is where the story gets good.  Really, amazingly good.  Do yourself a favor and go grab the nearest box of Kleenex right now.  Seriously, trust me.  Go get it. Okay, ready?  So before she ever got married, Mrs. Z (obviously she wasn't Mrs. Z yet, but you know who I mean) dreamed of either foster parenting or adopting, or both.  It was always a dream and goal she had for her life.  After she knew that Mr. Z was her Mr. Right, she shared with him this very important desire of her heart.  Though not quite sure of that dream for himself, Mr. Z went along with it. Yet, some time later, Mr. Z was hanging out with the guys and mentioned to them his girlfriend's desire to foster parent or adopt someday.  One of the men pulled Mr. Z aside and told him that his baby granddaughter had recently been taken away from her mother by Children's Protective Services.  And if Mr. Z and his future wife were serious about foster parenting and/or adopting, would they consider taking care of this little girl? The reason that Little Girl M had been taken away by CPS is that her mother had been found neglectful due to drug and alcohol abuse.  The grandfather also told Mr. Z that his son would most likely not try to take over custody of the baby.  Nor did it look promising that the mother would be able to regain legal custody in the time required before her parental rights would be taken away by the court. This is the part of the story that makes me cry sad tears.  Not only had the birth mother been neglectful in caring for her infant, but she had also admitted to drinking alcohol and doing cocaine during her pregnancy.  I have no idea what circumstances and struggles this poor mother has faced in her life that led her to drug and alcohol abuse.  I feel an achingly empty sadness when a mother loses her child - in any way.  I can only imagine the twofold pain of having your child taken away because you are seen as an unfit parent.  Just the thought of that happening to me seems unbearable.  So I am in no way casting judgment on parents who lose the custody rights of their children.  No, on the contrary, I grieve for them and their loss and pray that through God’s grace they will experience freedom and healing through Christ. However, because of this poor woman's life circumstances, choices, and addictions, Little Girl M was born with fetal alcohol syndrome.  By the time she was rescued from her unsafe home, Little Girl M was only one year old and very, very small, underweight, and underdeveloped for her age.  She couldn't talk or walk yet.  She was way behind developmentally, in all areas of growth.  Her doctors were afraid that she'd never be able to walk and would need a wheelchair all her life.  They thought she would also have many other special needs for the remainder of her lifetime. Little Girl M was taken in by a foster family that already had a few other foster children.  Both foster parents worked, so all the foster children spent much of their time at a daycare center.  This situation, although much better than what she came from, was still unfortunate for Little Girl M because she couldn't get the vital attention and therapy that she so desperately needed to start overcoming her rough start to life.  Things didn't look very hopeful for Little Girl M.  Or so everyone thought... Well, after talking with the grandfather, Mr. Z told soon-to-be Mrs. Z about Little Girl M.  They both felt like it was the right thing to do for them to start the foster parenting process so that they could someday, hopefully, adopt her.  All before they had ever even seen what she looked like or found out all the details of her special needs.  And all before they'd even tied the knot.  Simply…amazing. And this is where my sad tears turn happy.  I mean, they could have adopted a healthy, newborn baby, right?  But no, once this couple heard about this precious little girl who desperately needed the right care and a loving home, they were determined that they would be the ones to meet her many needs and love her for the rest of her life.  They would willingly become her new parents, taking her into their home, along with whatever physical, mental, and emotional problems she may have.  And commit to being her father and mother forever.  It just blows my mind.  The selfless, unconditional love for a child they hadn't even met yet. Eventually, once they were married and received their foster parent license, they were able to have Little Girl M come live with them.  Mr. and Mrs. Z immediately fell in love with the adorable, precious, pint-sized princess.  They just knew it was meant to be.  And everything that led up to the adoption went very smoothly, better than they could have hoped. Watching this new family interact just tugs the heck out of my heart strings.  Little Girl M is one incredibly blessed child.  To have the doting, adoring attention of a loving mommy and daddy (not to mention both sides of their family) is every child's ultimate need and desire.  And this very special little girl has all that and then some. Her new mommy takes her to all her many doctor appointments, physical, speech, and other such therapy sessions, works tirelessly with her teaching her sign language, how to talk, and walk, and so much more.  And now because of all this love and excellent care, Little Girl M has amazed her doctors by beating the odds.  At just a couple weeks away from turning three-years-old, she can already do so many of the things they thought she'd never be able to do.  Her future is full of hope now that she has a safe, secure home and exceptionally loving parents who do whatever it takes to help her grow healthy and strong. My favorite part of this story is the day that Mrs. Z got something special in the mail soon after the adoption was finalized.  She was so excited to receive a copy of Little Girl M's new birth certificate.  It had her new last name on it, with Mr. and Mrs. Z's names as her adoptive parents.  Oh, the elated joy the couple shared at this piece of paper! According to my state's adoption law, at the time an adoption is finalized, the original birth certificate (the certificate issued in the birth name of the child) is sealed and an amended birth certificate is issued in the adoptive name.  So this piece of paper stated that Little Girl M was now Little Girl M Z!  She had a new last name!  And a new family!  She had been especially chosen and loved by two people that weren't her birth parents.  Two people who chose her and love her in spite of her rough start.  In spite of her many special needs and medical problems, which they would have to spend much time and money taking care of. And do you have any idea what this story reminds me of?  If you read the key verses for this post, I think you might get the gist of where I'm going with this.  That this adoption story reminds me so very much of how God adopts His chosen and dearly loved children to become part of His family. John 1:12-13 tells us that whoever believes in Jesus Christ as Savior is given the right by God the Father to become His child.  This Savior Jesus Christ, God's Son, died in our place, in order that we can be forgiven of all our sins and reconciled to a right relationship with God our Father. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:  The old has gone, the new is here!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:  that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. ~2 Corinthians 5:17-19b You see, when we start out life on this earth, we are born into a fallen world.  We are helpless, needy sinners in a desperate situation of being separated from God the Father by our sin.  We are like orphans with no hope or true, lasting love.  Our lives are full of pain, sadness, bitterness, failure, and guilt.  This reminds me of Little Girl M’s sad and unfortunate start to life and what seemed a hopeless situation for a helpless child. But because there were two people who saw her desperate need and chose to love her and have her become their daughter, she now has a new family, a new name, and a new life full of hope and promise.  And this part of the story reminds me of how, when we feel the love of God calling us to come to Him and find healing and forgiveness through His Son, and we accept those free gifts of grace and love, He takes us into His family and we become His children for all eternity.  We are washed clean of our sinful past and old way of life.  Healed of all our pain and despair.  We are given a fresh new start at life.  With a new name!  His name!  Thank You, Jesus!  The old has gone; the new has come. And the crazy-amazing thing about all this is that God the Father pre-planned (predestined) for this to happen to us; He chose us before creation to be adopted through Christ's sacrifice into His family, because He first loved us and was pleased to do (see second key passage, Ephesians 1:3-6).  Wow.  Just like how Mr. and Mrs. Z pre-planned and chose to adopt Little Girl M to become part of their family because they first loved her and wanted her to be their daughter.  What amazing love.  What a beautiful, perfect example of God’s unconditional love that He has lavished on us when He takes us as His own and calls us His children (1 John 3:1a).  And that is what we are! More verses about being God's chosen: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. ~1 Peter 2:9-10 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household.  ~Ephesians 2:19 In Christ, Suzy

My Favorite Bible Story

God's Words:

Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons.  The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.  “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.  After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.  So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.  He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.  “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!  I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’  So he got up and went to his father.  “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.  “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.  “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.  Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.  For this son of mine was dead and is alive again;he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

~ Luke 15:11-24

Our Bible passage for today is my absolute favorite story in the Bible.  It's actually a parable Jesus told, often called "The Parable of the Lost Son" or "The Prodigal Son".  A parable is a fictitious story which teaches a moral or spiritual lesson.  Jesus told many parables when teaching the crowds that seemed to follow Him everyone.  Sometimes these stories were hard for the people to figure out and He'd have to explain them later.  But this specific parable is not hard to understand.  And I just love it.  I can't ever read it (no matter how many countless times I've read it) without tearing up.

Then one of my favorite music groups, Phillips, Craig and Dean, came out with a song about it.  Gets me every time.  I looked on You Tube for a video of this beautiful song to share, but most of them looked kinda cheesy.  But here is one of the group performing it live and I have to say they sound better in this video than the recording.

Did it move you, too?  Sigh.  The lyrics so perfectly portray how much the father in Jesus' story loved his son and earnestly, patiently waited for him to someday return home.  And that the father was so happy and excited when he saw his son coming, that he ran to meet him!  Jesus used this story to show how much God loves us and how He longs for us to return to Him, accept Him as our Father, and live with Him as His precious children.

Nothing is stronger than a parent's love for their child.  If you have children, I daresay you feel the exact same way as I do about my children.  I can't help but love them unconditionally, no matter what they do-even at their naughtiest.  I can't imagine loving them anymore than I already do.  If I did, I think my heart would explode!

Well, the Bible tells us that God loves His children, the people He created, even more than a human parent loves their child.  Can you even wrap your mind around that?  As Jesus said,

“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?  Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?  If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”  ~Luke 11:11-13

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  ~John 3:16

And here is a prophesy foretelling God's sacrifice of His own Son for us (note the mention of us being engraved on the palms of His hands, which refers to the nail marks on Christ's hands from being nailed to the cross).  All because He loves us that much:

Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?  Though she may forget, I will not forget you!  See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;  ~Isaiah 49:15-16a

Did you also notice that in Jesus' parable, the father doesn't scold or reprimand or punish the son for leaving their home for a life of rebellious sin?  Actually he welcomed him back, unconditionally, with compassion and happiness, and threw a huge party!  Not one mention of the son's rebellion, shame, unworthiness, or how long he'd been gone.

That is exactly how God welcomes us.  And unconditionally forgives us.  It didn't matter to the father in the story what horrible things his son had done while he was away.  And it doesn't matter what bad, sinful things you and I have done.  When we realize our need for Him and His forgiveness in our lives, He immediately washes us clean of all our sins, to be forgotten and never held against us - forever.

That, my friend, is a Father's love unlike any other.  He is our perfect Father.  Our earthly parents make mistakes sometimes because they are human just like we are.  And yes, we might need some therapy sessions to get over ways they've messed us up!  But our Heavenly Father only gives us good things, blesses us, guides us, protects us, comforts us, provides for all our needs, loves us unconditionally...no matter our past. 

And that is why this is my favorite Bible story.  Because Jesus wanted us to clearly understand how it doesn't matter that we've rebelled, how long we've rebelled, what bad things we've done.  God the Father gave His perfect Son, Christ Jesus, to die for us, so that we can be reconciled to Him and spend eternity with Him.  He is just waiting for us to come back to a right relationship with Him.  He is looking out for our return, waiting.  And when He sees us coming, He will run to greet us, with unconditional acceptance, forgiveness, and love.  Then the angels will throw a party in heaven!

In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.  ~Luke 15:10

Are you living a life of rebellion against God?  Or are you a born-again believer who has chosen to go down a wrong path or has been nursing a sinful habit that you know is keeping you from a right relationship with God? Perhaps you have a loved one who is living a life of sin and you have been praying a long time for them to seek God's forgiveness and give their life to Christ.  Or maybe you just feel far away from God.

In any of these difficult situations where there is a broken or damaged relationship between someone and God, this story of the lost son tells of all it takes for one to return to God.  Just come home!  Come back to God, your Father!  He is waiting for you!  He can't wait to throw a party to celebrate your return!  And He won't make you feel guilty or unworthy when you come seeking His forgiveness and acceptance.  On the contrary, He will run eagerly to meet you when you're still on your way back, enfold you in His loving arms, and compassionately forgive and welcome you back to Him, never to lose you again!

Oh, dang it all.  It got me again.  Where's the kleenex?  

In Christ,

Suzy

Persecution: A Blessing in Disguise!

God's Words:

In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.  But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

~2 Timothy 3:12-15

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

~Matthew 5:10-12

A while back one of my children had an issue with a friend in which my child felt persecuted by this friend for something she believes.  Well, it wasn't actually her little friend that made her feel bad for what she believed, but more accurately the friend's parents.  These parents where upset that our child was sharing her belief about the truth of Christ with their child.

This incident left our entire family feeling sad and even a bit angry at first.  How dare they ask us not to allow our children to talk about the truth of Jesus with their child!  What is so wrong about that?  Would they really rather that their child never know about who Christ really is?  If we respect their way of life (even though we may not agree with some of what they do and believe) and keep our thoughts about it to ourselves, why do they feel free to openly criticize our beliefs and way of life?

It goes without saying that this family isn't currently serious about Christ and having a real relationship with Him as Savior and Lord.  We are fully aware of this and are always hoping and praying to be able to plant seeds of truth and faith in their lives as we interact with them from time to time.  After all, we as believers are called to be active in the world, sharing the love and truth of Christ with everyone we meet.  But it just hurts so much when this most important part of our lives is ridiculed and we are made to feel like we are the ones in the wrong.

After we talked about this issue as a family and prayed about it together, we all calmed down and began to look at things from God's perspective.  Jesus often talked about persecution.  He spoke of how He continually faced it, how righteous people before our time faced it, how all believers must also face it, and why we are persecuted. But Jesus also, and most importantly, told us about the blessing of being persecuted and how we should truly feel when it happens to us.

Jesus said we are to rejoice and be glad when we are persecuted because of our belief and faith in Him.  We should feel blessed when we are persecuted for wanting and trying to live godly lives.  Wait...  What??  How can we possibly feel good in any way when we are mistreated, criticized, made fun of or worse for believing in Christ and living for Him? 

Well I think it's only natural to feel hurt and sad (and maybe even a little mad) at first when someone treats you this way.  Those are just our natural human emotions coming into play.  But if you pray about it and try to focus on how God sees things, you will start to see the blessings in disguise!  Once you peel away the initial layers of hurt and sadness, you'll be able to more clearly see how it is actually a blessing and a reason to rejoice and be glad when someone persecutes us.

Rejoice why?  Exactly what kind of blessings are we talking about here?  Well, we can rejoice in the reasons we are being persecuted for, which are really the most wonderful blessings a person can be given in life! 

First of all, we're being persecuted for living godly lives.  That's a good thing!  That means that people are seeing Jesus in us as we live our lives; we're being an effective light and witness for Him in this dark world (Matthew 5:14-16).  We're being "the only Bible some people may ever read", as one of my favorite sayings goes.  It means you're doing things right, my friend.  We want people to see that we are different because someday they just might ask us why and then we'll have the blessed opportunity to share the good news of Christ with them (1 Peter 3:14-16)!

Yes, we might often be persecuted for our belief in the truth of God and His Word.  Well praise the Lord that He opened our eyes to see and understand this truth!!

And sure, we may be persecuted because we believe and trust in Jesus Christ, who saved us from all our sins by His perfect sacrifice and now have an eternal home awaiting us in heaven with Him forever.  Hello!  Thanks be to God the Father for this most precious gift of His Son as our Savior, and to top it all off, heaven!!!  Need I say more about the blessings?  I think not.

But now, how do we pick ourselves back up and keep on going in life, knowing it probably won't be long before we're faced with another form of persecution again?  Just look at what God's Word says in our Bible reading for today.  In 2 Timothy 3:12-15 it says to keep on living a godly life in Christ, continuing to live according to what we know to be true, which is God's Word, and which is also the one and only source of true happiness and wisdom and meaning for this life.  Not to mention the life to come!  So keep on being a witness for Christ.  The way is hard and sometimes lonely, but we have God who goes before and with us and keeps us always in His loving, all-powerful care.  Let Him comfort and build you up with His Word and get back out there and shine that Light!

The lost people of the world may ridicule us for what we believe.  Jesus told us to expect it.  So don't be surprised whenever it happens to you.  But also don't forget to remember the glorious, wonderful reasons you have to rejoice, be glad, and feel blessed!!!

A few more Scripture passages on persecution:
1 Peter 4:12-19
1 John 3:13
Acts 5:40-42
Matthew 5:44
Romans 12:14

In Christ,

Suzy