But I Don’t Understand…
20 May 2012 1 Comment
What do we do when we are waiting patiently on the Lord; when all doors have been opened and we feel that we are on the right path according to His will; when we have bathed a matter fervently in prayer and are trusting Him to work in His time and His way—and yet one difficulty after another rears its ugly head to confound and confuse us? Our hearts say, “We trust You, Lord, and know You are in control,” but our heads say, “But I don’t understand!”
This is where our family stands today. Anastasia’s adoption has been completed. The ten-day waiting period will be over tomorrow and she should be released to be with David and Julie by Tuesday or Wednesday. All that will remain is for her American paperwork to be completed—birth certificate, passport, American citizenship, etc.
The problem lies with Oleg’s adoption. Everything has been put on hold for a while due to new protocols in his region. His court date for the adoption now is not until May 30th. In the meantime Julie and David have been cooling their heels in Kiev, longing to go home with their new children and be with the three they left behind in the States. What should have taken about five weeks will now stretch out to almost two and a half months and add about $5000 to the costs of the adoptions. The emotional cost to them and the children have taken their toll, as well.
Julie is coming home tomorrow for a week to spend time with Benjamin, Joshua and Hannah and to finish preparing the house for Oleg’s and Anastasia’s arrivals. She will return to the Ukraine in time for the court date, and then, after that, David will fly home while she remains to work on more paperwork and bureaucracy. David’s leave will expire if he does not go back to work for a while, so he will not go back to the Ukraine until Julie and Anastasia are finally free to go home to the United States. Then he will finally return once more to Kiev to finish up Oleg’s waiting period and paperwork and at last—sometime around mid to late June—he and Oleg will join the rest of the family in Alabama!
Sounds complicated, I know—and very disappointing. David and Julie and others have been praying all along that God will close the doors on these adoptions if they are not His will, and instead the doors have remained wide open. They feel perfect peace that they are walking in His will, and yet it has been far from easy. This week while we have acknowledged that God is still in control, we have wondered why He has not moved things along so that they can have it all behind them go home—especially for Benjamin, Joshua and Hannah’s sakes for whom the separation from their parents has become increasingly difficult. We are trusting—but we don’t understand.
That’s okay. We don’t have to understand. Isaiah 56:8, 9 says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” God sees the whole path from beginning to end. He sees how each twist and turn touches the lives of all concerned. He sees how each obstacle and trial refines, strengthens and matures us. He alone can see how this whole process will, in the end, bring honor and glory to Him.
I’ve been telling myself all week, Don’t fret! Relax and wait on the Lord. Watch and see what great and mighty things He does. Or as He Himself puts it, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.” (Psalm 46:10, 11)
After all, this is what walking by faith is all about—trusting God when we don’t understand. Hebrews 11:1 puts it this way, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” II Corinthians 5:7 says, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” If we understood all the “hows” and “whys” and “whens” of God’s actions in our lives, we would not need faith, now would we? We would not have the dependency of little children on our Heavenly Father, or marvel at how He works all things out for our best in the end. We would not grow or become strong in Him—or have the testimony and praise to share with others of how great is our God!
God’s way is most often not the easy way, but even when we don’t understand, it is the best way. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5, 6)
A Mother’s Day to Remember
13 May 2012 Leave a Comment
I returned home last night from Alabama where I just spent three weeks with my three beautiful Sanchez grandchildren—Benjamin, Joshua and Hannah. What a joy it was to get to spend so much time with them and be a surrogate “mom” to them while their parents are in the Ukraine. They are wonderful, beautiful children and such a delight to be around. I was so sad to leave them, and I know they felt the same way.
There is a bright spot on the very near horizon, though! In just two days I will have my two youngest grandchildren here with me for three weeks! Laurie and Fernando are coming from Ecuador on business with five-year-old Matthew and one-year-old Mandy. Whoo-hoo! What fun! The two of them together are such a hoot! The only cloud on that horizon is that their four older sisters—Sara, Gabi, Melissa and Katie won’t be coming with them. I will miss them, but I am sure we will Skype with them every day while their parents are here.
What truly makes this Mother’s Day memorable, however, is that just two days ago I became a grandmother once again to Anastasia Hope Sanchez, and sometime in this next week James Oleg Sanchez will become our eleventh grandchild! I can hardly wait to meet them when they get to the United States and become one family with David and Julie, and Benjamin, Joshua and Hannah!
Eleven grandchildren! So amazing and such a blessing from God! I feel rich, indeed! I don’t need any gifts for Mother’s Day—I already have it all! Two beautiful daughters and godly sons-in-law; one special, cherished son; and eleven precious grandchildren—not to mention my wonderful husband with whom this whole family began! Thank You, Lord! It is our responsibility, privilege and joy to lead the way in loving and serving the Lord. “One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts.” (Psalm 145:4)
And today I will get to spend time with my dear mother and siblings, celebrating her and all she means to us. She led the way for us. It’s going to be a good day!
In fact, it will be a Mother’s Day to remember!
Disappointments, Delays–and Delight!
06 May 2012 Leave a Comment
There is no sweeter joy, I think, than to see our children and grandchildren growing in the Lord and loving His Word. That is what I feel I have been privileged to see this week. Joshua has grown six inches in one week in the Lord! Benjamin is as steady as a rock as he rests in God’s Word. And little Hannah—well, it has been a hard week for her, but I see her little by little coming to accept God’s plan rather than her ideas of how things ought to be.
This last week saw very little progress in the Ukraine as far as the adoptions Julie and David are trying to complete. They sat there, racking up expenses and losing precious time in being away from their children, while the country had three days of holiday, plus the weekends, which meant very little business was accomplished. On top of that, their lawyer/facilitator was trying to work with a judge who was uncooperative and just downright nasty-mean. She did not want to be bothered with an adoption and could care less about hearing them anytime soon. In the end, their lawyer was forced to re-file the papers in order to get a different judge—which most definitely turned out to be a good thing. The one bright spot in the whole thing was that David and Julie were allowed to have Oleg with them for four whole days.
On Thursday David and Julie told the kids the bad news—Mommy would not be coming home as early as they had hoped. The news was met with tears by Hannah, who had been struggling all along to accept Mama’s absence for the last three weeks. Joshua didn’t cry, but I could see he was upset on the inside. Benjamin took it in stride. Disappointed, yes, but he is fourteen and a mature fourteen-year-old, at that. My heart sank. How was I going to keep the younger kids holding it together, let alone happy, until their mother got home?
We talked every day about how God is in control and He makes no mistakes. I told them that there are no delays as far as God’s plans are concerned. Everything in His timing is perfect because He sees the whole picture and has planned it all from beginning to end for our best. We talked about the importance of patiently trusting in Him and to waiting on Him to work it all out. And we talked about how when we whine and complain about His plans, then that is like saying to Jesus, “I don’t really trust your love for me.”
The first day I noticed Joshua was reading his Bible a lot, and drawing comfort from it. He asked to do the devotions that night and share with the rest of us the Scriptures that had particularly helped and comforted him. Through the rest of the week he eagerly sought out verses that strengthened his faith and brought him peace. I witnessed an eleven year old boy maturing in his spiritual life this week.
The second night Benjamin asked if he could lead our devotions. He had remembered the story of the unjust judge and the persistent widow in Luke 18. He read the first eight verses which say, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” Benjamin then contrasted the unjust judge (whom he likened to the nasty judge in the Ukraine) to the Lord, who is our righteous judge and avenges His people speedily. He also talked about the widow who was unrelenting in seeking justice and reminded us that we need to be persistent in our prayers as well.
How precious it is to me to see my young grandsons turning to the Word of God for strength and comfort and instruction! I am reminded of Psalm 1:1-3 which says, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” I see Benjamin and Joshua both growing up to be godly young men who delight in the Word of God. It will be interesting to see how they grow, like trees planted by rivers of water, bearing fruit and prospering in whatever calling the Lord has for them. They are my delight!
Home Rules
29 Apr 2012 1 Comment
Robbie and I are in Alabama for the next few weeks caring for my grandchildren while Julie and David are in the Ukraine adopting two more blessings for their family. I do not use the word “blessings” loosely. The three here at home are truly a delight and daily inspiration to me. Their parents have taught them well to be polite and respectful, kind, honest, helpful and most of all, to love the Lord and His Word. I dozed off the other day when they were Skyping with some friends. When I woke up thirty minutes later they had finished Skyping and I found Benjamin and Joshua on their beds reading their Bibles! Hannah was reading from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to her Uncle Robbie.
We Skype every day with David and Julie. What an enormous blessing it is in these circumstances! It is what makes it bearable for the kids to be separated from their parents for the month or more that the adoption process will take. It has been wonderful, also, to be able to connect with Oleg and Anastasia through Skype as David and Julie have been able to have each of them stay with them for several days. It is a great time of getting to know one another—fun and also chaotic! Oleg and Anastasia already think their new “babushka” is a “cr-r-razy grandma!”
It is fun to Skype along with the kids, but my favorite time is when Julie calls me late at night so that we can talk one-on-one from the heart. I asked her the other night her impressions of the kids now that they had been able to spend some bonding time alone with them. One of my concerns was how Oleg and Anastasia would respond to their well-disciplined Christian home, where the parents were in control with a firm but loving hand. Their birth homes had been dysfunctional to the point where the children had been removed from their homes and families and placed into orphanages after their fathers died. The discipline in these institutions was not harsh, but it was rigid and minus the love factor, which caused many of the children to be hardened and looking out for themselves alone, as well as being insecure and desperate for love.
Julie’s answer was that in many areas they would have to take baby steps with Oleg and Anastasia; leading them first of all to a relationship with Christ, and then gently to understand and accept that mama and papa know what is best for them and love them; that they have their best interests at heart and that they can trust them. As I thought about this conversation later, my eyes were drawn to a tapestry they have hanging prominently in their living room. It was called Home Rules:
Always be honest
Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.
(Proverbs 12:22)
Count your blessings
I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.
(Psalms 34:1-3)
Bear each other’s burdens
Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
(Galatians 6:2)
Forgive and forget
Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not his anger forever, because He delighteth in mercy.
(Micah 7:18)
Be kind and tender hearted
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,
even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
(Ephesians 4:32)
Comfort one another
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
(1 Thessalonians 4:18)
Keep your promises
And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
(Romans 4:21)
Be supportive of one another
I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
(Acts 20:35)
Be true to each other
…Just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints.
(Revelations 15:3b)
Look after each other
As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men,
especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
(Galatians 6:10)
Treat each other like you treat your friends
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,
do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
(Matthew 7:12)
And above all,
Love one another deeply from the heart
Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.
(1 Peter 1:22)
Benjamin, Joshua and Hannah have been well-taught in many areas. They know the limits and boundaries their parents have put in place and they are obedient to those rules. They have been taught many basic skills around the house and pitch in to help according to the list of chores laid out for them. They have been taught manners and proper etiquette. It is not these types of “rules” however that make this home a blessing to the Lord and others. It is the “Home Rules” that is the foundation for a happy home, where each person is loved, accepted, respected and bonded together as one cohesive, loving family.
These Biblical principles, which are at the heart of their family, will bring them all together despite the differences in culture or upbringing. There will be challenges along the way, but I know Oleg and Anastasia will respond and grow and be nurtured in an environment that is based upon these Biblical “Home Rules”, just as Benjamin, Joshua and Hannah have.
A Red-Letter Day!
15 Apr 2012 1 Comment
Today is a Red-Letter Day! Eighteen years ago today I became a grandma for the very first time! My eldest daughter Laurie presented me with our beautiful Sara. Today that little squalling red-faced bundle of joy is a lovely eighteen year-old young woman. Legally an adult. The same age I was when I got married! It is so hard to believe! Where have the years gone? I have so many wonderful memories of watching that sweet baby turn into my little side-kick, and then a big sister, and then a teenager and now all grown up! Wow! I remember so well the feeling of heritage and responsibility I experienced on the day Sara was born—the sudden knowledge that through Bob and I, the Lord was establishing the generations of our family who would follow Him if we were faithful to live and teach and nurture them is His Word and His ways. Becoming a mother was wonderful. Becoming a grandmother, however, was a blessing that is more than words can describe! Only other grandmas can nod their heads and say, “Uh-huh! I understand!”
Today is a Red-Letter Day! Today my other daughter Julie is on her way to bring home grandchildren numbers ten and eleven! She and her husband David are boarding a plane right this very minute to fly to the Ukraine. The final steps in the adoptions of Oleg and Anastasia will take place within the next few days and weeks, but today it feels like the answer to all our hopes and dreams of the last four and a half years has finally come. There are eight other grandchildren between Sara and these two special children whom we have yet to meet, but already love. Each one of our precious grandbabies is beautiful and unique and a precious treasure from God. We could not imagine our family without them. Oleg and Anastasia will be loved and accepted and just a much a part of us as the other nine. We know from the experience of adopting our Robbie that there was never a difference in our hearts between him and our birth children. Likewise, we will welcome Oleg and Anastasia into our family and lives and hearts as fervently as all our other grandchildren.
Today, listen to these Red-Letters Words! The Bible tells us that grandchildren are a beautiful blessing from God. “Children’s children are the crown of old men [and old women!]” (Proverbs 17:6a) Scripture also reminds us that we are to care for orphans. Psalm 82:3 says, “Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.” James 1:27 also says, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction…”
Today, though, I am reminded of the words of Jesus. In many Bibles you will see His words printed in red, and since this is our Red-Letter Day, let’s see what Jesus Himself said: He said, “Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14) He loves children. They are precious to Him. He gives them to be blessings to us, whether they are our own children, our grandchildren or our great-grandchildren!
He also tells us to especially love those children who are in need—“the least of these.” We find in Matthew 25:35-40 that He said, “For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
Today, on our Red-Letter Day, we praise God for bringing each one of these children into our lives and our family! We are so blessed! May we always be conscious of the legacy we leave behind to them—not of wealth or material possessions, but of faith and faithfulness to the One who brought us all together.
To Sara, Gabriela, Benjamin, Joshua, Melissa, Katelynn, Hannah, Matthew, Amanda, Oleg and Anastasia—we love you with all our hearts! Thank you, Lord, for all of them!
An Egg-Cellent Easter!
08 Apr 2012 Leave a Comment
I was watching the news yesterday and one of the stories highlighted an Easter egg hunt. That’s not uncommon, of course, at this time of year, but it had me remembering my own childhood and my children’s growing up years. I remember waking up early on Easter morning and hunting for an Easter basket, rather than the individual eggs, each year when I was young. Being the eldest child, my basket was usually hidden in the hardest spot. I didn’t care—the hunt was as much fun as finding the basket itself!
I continued the tradition when my own children came along. My mom, a new grandma, threw in a little Easter egg hunt at her house after Easter dinner. The kids had fun scrambling around Grandma’s house finding plastic eggs with candy and sometimes money inside them. As the years passed my youngest sister has had Easter dinner every year at her house, and she has made sure to continue the Easter egg hunt for all the little nieces and nephews. Sometimes it is indoors, sometimes outside, depending on the weather, but the biggest difference now is that it is the teenagers hiding the eggs for their little siblings and cousins.
It never dawned on us, back when I was growing up, or even when my children were young, to question the customs of dyeing eggs and hunting for them, or pretending the Easter bunny brought baskets for us. We knew it was all make-believe, like Santa Claus or the tooth fairy. We knew what Christmas and Easter were all about—Jesus—and that He was not make-believe. All the cute traditions of those special holidays were fun, but we knew the truth about the Gospel and we never allowed the secular to become more important than the sacred.
These days, as materialism and commercialism have overshadowed the true reasons for these beautiful, holy celebrations, there has been a backlash among many Christians against those secular elements that have become a focus of the holidays. My own daughters do not “do” the Easter bunny and Easter baskets and eggs with their kids. They don’t judge others who do, but for their own families they just feel better leaving those things out of their Easter.
Well, let me backtrack on that a bit. They have in the past done “Easter” eggs with their children but not in the typical way. They actually call them “Resurrection Eggs.” These eggs are sold in Christian bookstores or online, but you could also make a set yourself. Resurrection Eggs are a lovely way to share the story of Christ’s death and resurrection with your children, or as an object lesson while teaching a Sunday School class or Children’s church.
Start with a recycled egg carton and decorate it appropriately with the title “Resurrection Eggs” and symbols of the true meaning of Easter. Fill the carton with twelve plastic eggs in different colors. Hidden in each egg, you will place a little token representing different parts of the Easter story. The story may be told all in one sitting, or spread out through the week beginning on Palm Sunday and ending with Easter Sunday. The items inside the twelve eggs are:
1. A bit of palm leaf – “On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.” (John 12:12-13)
2. Bread (or pita or cracker) – And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.” (Matthew 26:26
3. Silver coin - “Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.” (Matthew 26: 14-15)
4. Purple cloth – “And they clothed him with purple” (Mark 15:17)
5. Thorns - “And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!” (Matthew 27:29)
6. Piece of rope, twine, or thick string (a scourge) – “And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.” (Mark 15:15)
7. Cross – “And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: Where they crucified him” (John 19: 17-18a)
8. Nails – “But he [Thomas] said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25b)
9. Sign – “And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” (Luke 23:38)
10. Spear (toothpick or whittled piece of wood) – “But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.” (John 19:34)
11. Rock - “And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.” (Matthew 27:59-60)
12. Nothing (the tomb is empty) – “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.” (Matthew 28:6)
When we think of eggs, we think of birth and new life. John 3 tells us of Nicodemus who came secretly to Jesus, sincerely wanting to know the truth about Jesus and His message. Jesus told him he needed to be born again. He needed a spiritual rebirth and a new life. And then He said something else. It was Nicodemus who first heard from Jesus Himself the world’s most well-known verse of Scripture: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) The essence of the Easter story: God’s love for each and every one of us provided a way of salvation through Jesus’ shed blood and a new, eternal life in Him
Eggs, as well, have long been used as an object lesson to try to explain the concept of the Trinity—three in one. The yolk hidden inside represents the Holy Spirit living within each believer. The white of the egg is between the yolk and the shell and reminds us that Jesus is the Mediator between God and man. The shell which surrounds the egg symbolizes the Heavenly Father, our omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent God.
Yes, I know some say the Easter egg had its origins in pagan celebrations centuries ago. I’m just saying, though, perhaps it has gotten a bad rap. There is a lot we can learn from our “Resurrection Eggs.” They are a reminder of the New Life we have in Christ, and a picture of the very nature of our awesome, Triune God.
Puttin’ on the Squeeze
01 Apr 2012 Leave a Comment
I have such a problem when it comes to buying shoes. My left foot is literally a full inch longer than my right foot, so buying a pair of shoes that fits both feet is almost impossible. If the shoes in question are relatively inexpensive enough, I will sometimes buy two pairs in the different sizes so that I come out with one pair I can actually wear. Of course, then I have another pair just sitting in my closet waiting for someone who has a right foot bigger than their left!
If that were my only problem with my feet I could live with it but, on top of the size difference, I have a very high instep, wide feet, and feet that swell at the drop of a hat. I cannot go shopping when my feet are swollen, or even when they are at their skinniest, because I won’t have a good fit for everyday living. Either the shoes will pinch or even cut in, or I’ll be walking out of them.
Add to all that the styles I just can’t wear any more in my “old” age—straps around the ankles, high heels, high wedges (I’m afraid I’ll fall off and break my ankle!), backless shoes that I will walk out of, thongs because I can’t stand that thingie between my toes, and so on… What am I left with? Tennies (I guess they call them athletic shoes now), sling backs with the strap in the back (really hard to find, especially with all my other criteria) or “old lady” tie shoes. Sigh. I haven’t quite become desperate enough to go for the old lady shoes. Call me vain…
I hate shoes that are too tight. They pinch, they squeeze, they make every step an exercise in torture, and I can’t think of anything BUT how much my feet hurt! I was reminded of those too-tight shoes this week when Bob finally finished our taxes and we were faced with the grand total of how much we were going to have to come up with for Uncle Sam. Ouch! Talk about puttin’ on the squeeze! I kept waking up all night thinking about those taxes. Not that I was worried, really—we have a plan on how we will pay. I don’t know why I kept waking up. Maybe just because it hurt so badly!
The next morning as Bob and I talked it over, we decided to just put it behind us and thank God that we could pay, and even more than that, to thank Him that we even have an income on which to pay taxes! Many in this world do not have even that much. Jesus said, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:21) We ought not to feel bad about paying our taxes, either, because it is a very clear commandment from the Lord—pay your taxes and pay your tithe! If Jesus said it, then we must cheerfully obey! It’s a stretch sometimes to cheerfully pay our taxes, but the Bible also says in II Corinthians 9:7, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” Now, I know this is speaking of charitable giving, giving to God and not necessarily to Caesar, but I think the principle applies—thank God and cheerfully pay your taxes!
I just wish I could cheerfully shop for shoes!
“I Thought No One Would Ever Love Me Again.”
25 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
One of the saddest things I’ve ever heard was the sentence above—“I thought no one would ever love me again.” The sweet little girl who uttered those words is Nastia, an orphan in the Ukraine who very soon will be my granddaughter. She went on to say, “When my father died and my mother started drinking so much that the government took me away and put me in an orphanage, I thought I would never have a family again.” Can you imagine the feelings of hopelessness and helplessness she must have felt? It brings tears to my eyes when I hear the despair in the words of this child. I am not sure how old Nastia was when she went into the orphanage, but she is only thirteen now—so young to have such a sad history already. Unfortunately for most of the orphans there, their future will probably be just as sad—or even worse.
Tom Benz is the director of Bridges of Faith, which is the organization through which my daughter and son-in-law Julie and David met Nastia and Oleg, the other teen they are adopting. In Tom’s words: These children, through no fault of their own, live incarcerated in institutions. They live there because of choices other people made. Most of the thousands of orphans in Ukraine are social orphans. They were abandoned – at birth, as babies, as toddlers, or as school aged children – by the very people who, by all natural rights, should have staunchly and nobly protected them.
If these children live in those institutions until, at age 17 or 18, they graduate, they face a dour statistical future. Five years out, 10% of these kids commit suicide. More than 10% go to prison. Only 10% make any kind of reasonable life. Unbelievably, 60% of the girls land in prostitution. They become involved with drugs or with the Mafia and if they have not died through suicide they have at least attempted it.
Overwhelmingly, these kids have never even seen a healthy family, a wholesome relationship between a man and a woman, or a happy home. How can they hope to hit a target that they have never seen?
Julie and David feel compelled by the Lord to rescue children such as these. They want to at least give them a chance to know the Lord; to give them a happy home and good role models; to have a better future and life than that which is a part of their statistical probabilities. Nastia’s words to Julie the other day were heartbreaking, but then she went on to say, “I cannot even begin to tell you how much it means to me that you love me already and want me to be a part of your family.” It was then that she told Julie that she would like to start calling them mama and papa. There is joy today in the heart of this young girl—matched only by the joy in the hearts of her new mama and papa, brothers and sister.
What Nastia does not yet know is that she has a big extended family waiting to welcome her with open arms and open hearts. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins—she will have more love than she can begin to imagine! This grandma and grandpa truly love her and Oleg already even though we have yet to meet them.
What Nastia may not have known before is that she was always loved whether it was in a sad, highly dysfunctional home, or in the orphanage. There was One there who loved her and held her in His arms and had a better plan for her life. He knew her past; He knows her future, and whether she knew Him or not, He would always love her. Nastia has been introduced to Jesus now. We do not yet know if she has accepted Him as her Savior, but as she sees Him working in her life and feels the love He has for her, we pray that she will be drawn to Him and will want to love Him and serve Him as her Lord and Savior.
We all want to be loved. The cry of this little girl’s lonely heart was to be loved, to be a part of a family again. People the world over have that same basic need, and when that need is missing from their lives, it leaves a large empty hole in the human heart. One of the questions Nastia had for Julie the other day was, “What is your last name? I don’t even know what my new last name will be!” When Julie told her it was Sanchez, Nastia tried it on for size. “Anastasia Sanchez—I like it!” To be loved and to have the family name—what could be better than that!
The Bible tells us that before we even knew Him, God loved us. John 3:16 says it so simply, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Romans 5:8 makes it even clearer: “But God commendeth [or demonstrated] His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Can you imagine? Not only did we not know Him, but we were actually His enemies—and yet He loved us so much that He was willing to die for us. “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (I John 4:9, 10) We didn’t know that we were loved, but we were—so much that the ultimate sacrifice was made on our behalf!
The love of God did not simply provide for our salvation when we trusted Him, but it also made us a part of His family! Galatians 3:26 says, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” and Romans 8:15-17 tells us, “…Ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” We are not merely converts, but His children! We will not enter Heaven as His friends, but as His children!
Oleg and Nastia lost their birth families, but they can never be separated from their Heavenly Father once they become His children. Romans 8 goes on to say, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (vs. 38, 39) Our Father’s love is forever! Our place in the family is secure.
Nastia and Oleg will soon see what a happy home is and will feel the security of loving parents who will protect them and care for them. The way may not always be easy, but with God’s help Who brought them all together in the first place, they will go on to become one family, not only in name, but in love. We pray they will finally know and understand the love of God in their lives and will cherish their places in the family of God. After all, Christ died for that very purpose.
Aren’t you glad that He did the same for you?
SURPRISE!!!
18 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
I’ve been working on the plans and preparations for a surprise party the last few weeks! My sister Cheree, who is often my partner in crime, is throwing a surprise 30th birthday party for her daughter-in-law Nicole. Cheree and I often work on projects together and it is such fun to be at it again! From planning an elaborate menu to making up a silly game based on Nicole herself to trying to figure out how exactly we’re going to pull off the surprise itself, we’ve already had a lot of laughs and been pretty impressed with ourselves!
Nicole is a lovely, sweet girl. She is a giver and always looking for opportunities to help others. She is soft-spoken, but willing to step forward when she sees a need. In fact, whenever her name comes up in conversation, someone is bound to say, “She’s such a sweetheart!” Those words turned out to be the theme for our party. We’ve tried to keep the decorations from looking too Valentine-ish, but there are plenty of pink and silver hearts and even heart-shaped ice cubes. It’s a Ladies Night Out type of party and Cheree has tried to think of everything that Nicole and all the women coming will appreciate most.
It says a lot about her and Nicole’s relationship that Cheree wants to do this for her daughter-in-law. Cheree does a LOT to help Nicole, and in turn Nicole likes to surprise her mother-in-law with thoughtful little gestures or a special little gift now and then. Cheree raised two boys, so it is nice that she now has the “daughter” she missed out on earlier in life. It is a love relationship that is often missing between mother- and daughter-in-laws.
Now, of course as Christians we don’t believe in lying, but I don’t think God will hold it against us if we tell a few little lies to Nicole to try to make sure she is truly surprised on the night of her party. (Oh, and I think I am safe in writing about the big event before it happens because I’m pretty sure she won’t read this blog!) Cheree dug deep into her bag of devious schemes and came up with a plot to get her to the party without spoiling the surprise, complete with a big fib about having “tickets” to someplace special, secret phone calls and all the guests standing on the corner of the parking lot holding posters that say, among other things, “Surprise!” and “This Way to the Party!” Now if we can just get through until Thursday night without someone accidentally spilling the beans maybe we can pull off this big surprise!
I love surprises! I know there are some people who don’t, but whether it is a flower or bag of chocolates that Bob brings home to surprise me, or an unexpected and spontaneous night out, or surprising somebody else, it is just plain old fun. The only surprise I don’t like is not being prepared for unexpected company. I want my house and myself to look their best when someone comes over—so please call before popping in! J
The Lord has some wonderful surprises in store for us but He does not resort to big fibs or little lies to pull them off. Actually, He’s given us a few hints—just enough to whet our appetites and to look forward with anticipation to what He has planned, but not enough to give away all the awesome details and mind-boggling secrets He is preparing for His children. We know there’s going to be a party—a celebration that will last for all eternity—but we don’t know exactly when it will begin. Matthew 25:13 says, “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” The Bible tells us that Jesus himself will come to escort us with the ride of our lives! “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (I Thessalonians 4:16, 17)
Who wants to go to a party in our old, grubby work clothes? We don’t have to worry about that when this surprise party occurs. I Corinthians 15:52-55 tells us, “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” I’m not sure what that new body in its party clothes will look like, but I know it’s going to be a whole lot more beautiful than this old one is!
We know the venue where this celebration will take place—Heaven!– but as for the actual set up and décor, we cannot begin to imagine it! Jesus said He is preparing it for us. “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:2, 3) It must be pretty spectacular because He said in I Corinthians 2:9, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”
The party will kick off with a grand feast—the marriage supper in honor of Jesus and His Bride which is the Church. That’s us—those who have trusted in the shed blood of the Lamb of God for our salvation. “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. (Revelation 19:7-9) What a day of rejoicing that will be! Blessed, or happy, are all those invited to this party!
We know it is coming, but everything else about it is His wonderful secret and a beautiful surprise for us! I simply cannot wait!
Battery Operated and Fuel Injected
11 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
We often say around here that our sweet Robbie may be mentally retarded but he’s not stupid! When we woke him up early Wednesday morning to get him dressed, he knew something was up and it wasn’t good. Usually when we are leaving early in the morning, it is for the long trip to Alabama to see his sister Julie and her family and he is excited and happy about that. This time he sensed that Mom and Dad were up to no good and going bye-bye wasn’t going to be the fun experience he had hoped for. We didn’t say a word about where we were going, but as we put him in the car that lower lip began to stick out and he started shaking his head “no.” By the time we got to the hospital, the lip was waaaaaay out there , his brows were furrowed down over his eyes and he was definitely not his normal, friendly, lovey self! He was glaring at everyone in suspicion and distrust!
Robbie has a Vagus Nerve Stimulator implanted just below his collarbone. About the size of a pocket watch and similar in appearance to a heart pacemaker, the battery pack is attached to wire leads that coil around Robbie’s vagus nerve and help control and sometimes stop his seizures by providing tiny bursts of electricity to his brain. We discovered in January that his battery had died and had been waiting anxiously to get it replaced before his seizures went totally out of control as has happened in the past with dire consequences. A new drug had helped us get through the waiting period, but we were glad to get this additional safety net back in place again.
Once we got his IV in place in preparation for the surgery, Bob and I and the nurses that were hovering around managed to sweet-talk him out of his funk, and for the rest of the day he treated everyone to his beautiful smiles and bestowed his blessings on us all! Whew! It was a long day, a very long day, as we gradually went from being scheduled first on the list of outpatient surgeries to very last. Robbie did very well, though, and eventually woke up full of smiles once more and eager to get out of that bed and go home. You would never know in the days since then that he had surgery at all. He’s showed no signs of pain, the wound looks clean and good and he is back to playing with his toys and loving on Mommy and Daddy.
We call Robbie our Bionic Boy. Not only is he “battery operated” but he is also “fuel injected.” Robbie has a feeding tube. He no longer eats or drinks by mouth, but five times a day we inject his liquid food through his feeding tube directly into his stomach with a large syringe. It is one of the sad things about his life that really hurts me—that he cannot enjoy the pleasures of delicious food or the refreshment of cool beverages in his mouth—but he has become accustomed to it and does not seem to have the desire anymore to take anything by mouth. I tell him frequently that someday we will sit down together at the banquet table of our Father and he will enjoy for the first time in a long time a wonderful wedding feast—and that he will leap and dance and sing and talk then, too! I wish you could see the beautiful smile and joy on his face when we talk about Heaven and all that awaits him there! He seems to understand—perhaps even better than we do.
For now, though, we must contend with things like worn out batteries and malfunctioning feeding tubes. It sure would be wonderful if they had rechargeable batteries for Robbie’s VNS so he wouldn’t have to go through surgery like the one he just had every five or six years. I am thankful for his feeding tube, for we know what it was like when he became anorexic due to an allergy to one of his seizure medicines, and later when he lost his swallow mechanism after being in a coma with a tube down his throat for several weeks. At least now we know he is well-nourished and healthy.
We take for granted what it means to be healthy, I think, and the marvelous bodies that God has given us that work so intricately and complexly according to His master plan. These carnal bodies do become ill, however, and run-down. We begin to realize that ever more clearly as we age, don’t we? More and more I long for the perfect, eternal body God has promised me someday! In the meantime, we must contend with what we have. Both physically and spiritually, God wants us to be charged up and fueled up for what He wants us to do!
Unlike the Energizer bunny, I cannot just simply keep going and going and going. If I want to endure physically and live my life to the fullest spiritually, I must recharge my batteries. It is not enough to simply feed the body. Our minds are renewed and our souls are fed when we stay connected with the Father through His Word. Matthew 4:4 says, “But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” At some point I have to plug in my cell phone if I want it to work when I need it. Likewise, nothing is more disappointing than to find your camera’s battery is dead just when you want to take a picture. I wonder how many times we have missed an opportunity to be used of God in someone’s life because we have not stayed plugged into His Word? How often have we sputtered in our own lives, dragging ourselves through disappointments and trials, because our spiritual batteries have not remained charged in the Word of God?
To recharge our home phone we simply put it back into its saddle. From time to time, though, I have come back to find that the handset has not charged properly because someone did not place it in the saddle correctly with its contacts fully connected to the charging unit. It was even worse a few months ago when the phone wasn’t charging at all. I thought it was broken and—sigh—we were going to have to replace it again, when finally I discovered that the unit wasn’t even plugged into the wall! Once it was plugged in and the connection was restored, it has worked very well.
In the same manner, we must not only be plugged into God’s Word, but we must stay connected through prayer. Oftentimes, after Jesus had ministered to a large crowd, he went away to be alone with His Father and pray. Matthew 14:23 tells us that after Jesus had fed the five thousand and preached and healed many, “And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.” He re-connected with His Father. When the Pharisees sought to kill Him, and later in the garden of Gethsemane, we see Jesus going off alone to pray. If Jesus needed that connection through prayer to His Father, then we most certainly do, as well. Prayer is our ultimate power source, but it is of no use to us if we do not stay connected.
There is another way of recharging and that is of dispensing power! What? How can we power up while giving power away? I learned this lesson the hard way. The laptop I had before this one had its battery completely die after only a year or two. I wanted to conserve the battery, so I very seldom used it and instead relied almost solely on plugging the computer into the wall. When it died I was surprised to learn that a battery must be regularly drained and then completely recharged from time to time or it will deteriorate. Because I was constantly giving it juice and never dispensing that power it finally just gave up the ghost. Do you know how expensive a laptop battery is? It was going to cost me $130 to replace it, so I decided to just forget it, but from then on I had no choice—I was always tied to the wall, like it or not.
We believers are often like that dead battery. We go to church and Bible studies, we listen to Christian music, read Christian books but many times we are guilty of taking power in and storing it, but rarely dispensing it! How do we dispense power? By using it to serve others. Jesus was our example. Matthew 20:28 says, “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Philippians 2:5-8 goes on to say, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” When we take the focus off ourselves and put it on encouraging, uplifting, helping, blessing others, we are recharged and blessed ourselves.
We sure do love our Bionic Boy! The Lord has used Robbie over and over again through the years to teach us and mold us into the kind of people and followers of His that He wants us to be. Even now, when Robbie’s life is so limited, we see lessons to learn and are blessed beyond measure to have his life touch ours. God has provided for Robbie’s physical well-being according to His will and we are so grateful to Him. He wants us, as well, to take care of ourselves physically with proper nourishment, exercise, rest and so on, and even more importantly to stay charged up and fueled spiritually.
