Who Are the Least of These?
My family constantly tells me how much of a hippie I am. As I sit here drinking Kombucha and eating raw almonds, their argument is pretty convincing :).
We've been working on some projects all weekend and things are starting to take shape and I am in love with the outcome! Once things are done I'll post pictures. The only downside has been the level of chaos and the amount of spiders that have invaded the house this weekend. I have killed three in the kitchen so far this morning and I am not impressed by this.
SO, you know how we're on this whole adoption journey? WELL it sure isn't for the faint of heart. I have never in my life experienced something so emotionally taxing, rewarding, challenging and totally life and belief altering as this journey we've been on. I have had my entire world turned upside down, shaken, smashed to bits and then glued back together to create something I barely recognize but find incredibly appealing... I believe I'm beginning to understand the whole "least of these" thing the Bible talks about... please note I said "beginning". Most likely all my theories and ideas will be molded a whole lot more but it's a start.
When we started thinking and planning for adoption we had this idea of an adorable, healthy, bouncing little baby that we would love and they would perfectly fit into our little plan of perfection. That is GONE!
Over the last year through intentional and totally accidental (on my part) moments God has completely re-worked my thinking on adoption. I no longer look at orphanages over seas and think "we can save a baby or those children". I no longer see birth parents as the "other" part of the equation to get my child. I see a heartbreaking story unfolding. I see tragedy, hunger, pain, abandonment, touch choices, sickness, loss, sin. I see in a detailed story what goes on in each of our hearts.
Adoption is about redemption. I believe that with all my heart but it's not really about US, the parents getting to "save" a child. It's about Christ reminding US the parents how HE has redeemed our sorry, sinful selves and because of that HE is ALLOWING us to be a part of a redemption story ourselves. Because of his love we are able to love the least of these. Because of his love we are able to open our doors, hold on in the tough, ugly, painful moments and trust that He will never leave us or forsake us.
This is why I say adoption is a reminder of what has been done for each of us. We are full of ugly, broken, sinful moments. God sent Jesus to SEEK out our redemption. He hung on a cross, took our shame, sin and ugly moments and REDEEMED us because he loves us. This redemption is a life change, a complete removal from where we were and a new start.. just like when a child comes into a home from a broken life.
***side note*** I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Jesus didn't come and die for us so that we could say a prayer and get our "fire insurance" as I've heard it called. Jesus is very clear in the book of Matthew that there will be many who say they knew him and yet their actions said they never did. To be a child of God that means you have turned from your old life, are striving and moving forward to live like the Bible tells us.. and a LARGE part of what I'm seeing in the Bible is living for Jesus means we are serving the poor.. and that doesn't mean giving them a dollar here and there... *** side note over***
As I've thought more and more about this redemption and what it does and does not look like I've begun to think about the parents. In a LOT of third world countries there are a number of children who are living in orphanages because their parents just can't care for them. There is famine, sickness, a whole slue of economic issues that contribute. This does not mean these children were not and are not loved. This does not mean their birth families were bad families. It is heartbreaking to me that the choice has to be made to keep your child with you or put them in an orphanage and they may have a chance. ** I know this doesn't apply to all orphans and I am talking about a specific section here so please no debates about over seas adoption. **
My heart has been wrestling lately with the idea of "social justice". I believe social justice without the gospel is simply prolonging the inevitable. If you do not tell someone why you are helping them, if you do not show them the truth, if you do not show them Jesus.. they will never know. BUT Jesus is very clear that we are to go, serve, help and love the poor. So how do we mesh the two? This is what I'm wrestling with now. How do you serve the least of these but clearly and effectively share the gospel with them?
Any ideas?
We've been working on some projects all weekend and things are starting to take shape and I am in love with the outcome! Once things are done I'll post pictures. The only downside has been the level of chaos and the amount of spiders that have invaded the house this weekend. I have killed three in the kitchen so far this morning and I am not impressed by this.
SO, you know how we're on this whole adoption journey? WELL it sure isn't for the faint of heart. I have never in my life experienced something so emotionally taxing, rewarding, challenging and totally life and belief altering as this journey we've been on. I have had my entire world turned upside down, shaken, smashed to bits and then glued back together to create something I barely recognize but find incredibly appealing... I believe I'm beginning to understand the whole "least of these" thing the Bible talks about... please note I said "beginning". Most likely all my theories and ideas will be molded a whole lot more but it's a start.
When we started thinking and planning for adoption we had this idea of an adorable, healthy, bouncing little baby that we would love and they would perfectly fit into our little plan of perfection. That is GONE!
Over the last year through intentional and totally accidental (on my part) moments God has completely re-worked my thinking on adoption. I no longer look at orphanages over seas and think "we can save a baby or those children". I no longer see birth parents as the "other" part of the equation to get my child. I see a heartbreaking story unfolding. I see tragedy, hunger, pain, abandonment, touch choices, sickness, loss, sin. I see in a detailed story what goes on in each of our hearts.
Adoption is about redemption. I believe that with all my heart but it's not really about US, the parents getting to "save" a child. It's about Christ reminding US the parents how HE has redeemed our sorry, sinful selves and because of that HE is ALLOWING us to be a part of a redemption story ourselves. Because of his love we are able to love the least of these. Because of his love we are able to open our doors, hold on in the tough, ugly, painful moments and trust that He will never leave us or forsake us.
This is why I say adoption is a reminder of what has been done for each of us. We are full of ugly, broken, sinful moments. God sent Jesus to SEEK out our redemption. He hung on a cross, took our shame, sin and ugly moments and REDEEMED us because he loves us. This redemption is a life change, a complete removal from where we were and a new start.. just like when a child comes into a home from a broken life.
***side note*** I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Jesus didn't come and die for us so that we could say a prayer and get our "fire insurance" as I've heard it called. Jesus is very clear in the book of Matthew that there will be many who say they knew him and yet their actions said they never did. To be a child of God that means you have turned from your old life, are striving and moving forward to live like the Bible tells us.. and a LARGE part of what I'm seeing in the Bible is living for Jesus means we are serving the poor.. and that doesn't mean giving them a dollar here and there... *** side note over***
As I've thought more and more about this redemption and what it does and does not look like I've begun to think about the parents. In a LOT of third world countries there are a number of children who are living in orphanages because their parents just can't care for them. There is famine, sickness, a whole slue of economic issues that contribute. This does not mean these children were not and are not loved. This does not mean their birth families were bad families. It is heartbreaking to me that the choice has to be made to keep your child with you or put them in an orphanage and they may have a chance. ** I know this doesn't apply to all orphans and I am talking about a specific section here so please no debates about over seas adoption. **
My heart has been wrestling lately with the idea of "social justice". I believe social justice without the gospel is simply prolonging the inevitable. If you do not tell someone why you are helping them, if you do not show them the truth, if you do not show them Jesus.. they will never know. BUT Jesus is very clear that we are to go, serve, help and love the poor. So how do we mesh the two? This is what I'm wrestling with now. How do you serve the least of these but clearly and effectively share the gospel with them?
Any ideas?
Comments
To answer your Q on ideas, I have learned, and am STILL (and always will be) learning how to handle things, (through God, of course), but the best way to do it is to just love and seek the Lord with all your heart, let the Spirit guide you, b/c we lead the most by example (of how we live our lives). Remember, you'll never know how much ur being watched, we are witnessing ALL the time. My personal experience with raising children is that u can tell (anyone, really) anything until you're blue in the face, but what people take with them is not as much what we say, but HOW we say and do things, what we do, etc... we have to show them what we want them to learn. When we do/say things out of love, catered to their specific personalities, trying to encourage and uplift them, you will see positive results. (Even if it takes a looong time!) I've learned the same goes for marriage and even other relationships as well. Nobody's perfect and we all make mistakes, but just get back up again, but make sure you do not try to do things on your own. It took me a while to truly understand what that means, but relying on the Lord for every single detail is... just an amazingly peaceful, wonderful way to live. I say all this learning it all the hard way, through lots of mistakes and finally learning to stay close to the Lord and listen... seems to me you're soooo much further than I was in my spiritual walk when I started raising children, so I'm not sure I'm telling you anything you don't already know, but sometimes we have head knowledge of things and it becomes so much harder to go through than you imagined when you're actually experiencing it... does that make any sense? LOL I'm not gr8 w/ words like you are, but I guess what I'm getting at is just hold fast onto Him, and everything else will fall into place. Trust in His will- his way is perfect. It will be hard, but such a rewarding privilege. Your right, you get to a point when you realize, especially when you adopt I imagine, that you realize that we as parents are the blessed ones to be a part of THEIR story. They are God's, not really ours, but God has placed them in our lives, whatever way he sees fit, and we are to do the best we can and raise them (with love) to honor, love and glorify Him for the time we have them in our lives, no matter how short or long that time is. It is a privilege He gives us.
I think your family is headed towards a very blessed life, and I think you will be great parents. ;o)
As far as being a writer.. I always said "no way" but in the last year have simply put writing in music in His hands. If he wants my husband and I to move forward in either of those ways he will make it clear! Until then I love just typing away on my little blog... and totally disregarding the idea of grammar :)
<3