Discomfort with Comfort

When is the last time you considered how "lucky" you were?  Of course, if you believe in a sovereign God--and I do--then there is no such thing as luck.  So, let me rephrase the question, when is the last time you considered how blessed you were?

Odds are, if you're reading this, you were born in America to at least a middle class home.  You may not have been born into opulence, but you've probably lived a comfortable life never lacking food, clothing, or shelter.  If you're reading this, you have access to the Internet, potentially across several devices.

It is unlikely that you would immediately consider yourself wealthy, but a certainty that you are (consider www.globalrichlist.com).

Do you ever feel guilty about how "blessed" you are?  What is it in you that deserves such a blessing?

But really, are you even blessed?

Consider what Jesus says blessing is--Blessed are the poor in spirit...they that mourn...the meek...they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness...the merciful...the pure in heart...the peacemakers...they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake...Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Are you blessed?  Is this what you think of when you think of blessing?

Lately, there has been a restlessness in our souls--a discomfort with our comfort.  We have been, as we always should be, seeking God's Will.  Personally, I don't believe that God's Will is an elusive mystery that we must constantly search for in hopes of receiving some sort of sign or special revelation.  I believe that God's Will is entirely associated with His moral will, which is revealed completely in His Word; but at the same time, I believe that God does give us desires according to His greater plan when we seek Him.  Namely, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."  I don't understand this verse as pointing to some form of prosperity gospel.  Rather, I understand that as we seek God, as we delight in Him, He puts desires in our hearts.

Well, God has planted in our hearts the desire to adopt.

This is not something that has happened suddenly, it has been something we have wrestled with for quite some time.  We have examined our lives and felt like we had things pretty good, as far as the world's standards are concerned.  What has brought us to this reality has been perfect peace in seeking what God wants for us.  To that end, we believe that before the foundation of the world, before all time began, God has set aside a soul (or souls, we're open to sibling groups) that will be born to other biological parents and subsequently orphaned only to be adopted into our family.  We will rejoice to call this child our own, as no different from our biological children.  Just as God has lavished His love on us, so we want to lavish His love through us on this child.

This is an exciting adventure.  There will be struggles.  There will be challenges.  There will be questions (on our part and from others).  But it would be wrong for us to quench this God-implanted desire in favor of our comfort.  We covet prayers and appreciate all of the positive words of encouragement.  We invite you to be a part of journey as we continue to share His story through our story in the coming months and years.

A Very Special Calling

 

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba, Father." For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. Galatians 4:4-6

Adoption. Lately, that word has become very special to me. As I have studied the Bible, God has been revealing to me my adoption in Him. Not only did He make me but He chose me by adoption to be His daughter – one of the great marvels of my God. He rescued me from certain death and separation from Him forever. He reached down to me in all my wickedness and selfishness and brought me into the righteousness of His dear Son, Jesus. I am not sure where my life would be if He had left me to my own devices. Praise His name. He called to me and in the words of a dear friend, “dragged me to Him.”

And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. Matthew 18:5

God has saved and called Nathan and I to do the same. We are pursuing adoption in the depraved country of Haiti. This is not going to be a quick and easy process. It is very costly. It is very time consuming. It is very emotional. But, it is a total surrender to our Father and complete obedience to Him. We couldn’t be happier. We are all in.

We are asking for prayer warriors as we begin this long but exciting process. We have always said, “If God has called us to it, He will equip us to do it.” We have faith that God is working good through all this and will provide and sustain us through all the unknowns.

In the coming months (or years, as there is uncertainty in the length of this process), we will be sharing our adventure and opening up the option for others to play a part with us through prayer, finances, or other creative ways.  Stay tuned….