Thinking of her birth mother

Tonight we loaded the birth mother gift bags into the trunk of my husband's car, and tomorrow he will be delivering these to a case worker who will take these gifts back to the adoption agency to stock their shelves. The adoption agency is so thankful and appreciative! (I emailed pictures of the bags, and just a day later, they scheduled to pick them up!). :)

Our youngest daughter wanted to come help us load the bags and baskets into the trunk. She was beyond DELIGHTED at the sight of all those gifts. She squealed in excitement! Just look at her:



And it got me thinking about her birth mother. We were planning to make a couple of these gift baskets in honor of her birth mother on Mother's Day, but our local homeschool group wanted to help us make more. So, they blessed us with a total of 13 gifts to be given to precious birth mothers in the hospital.

We do this in part to honor a birth mother on the other side of the world who gave her baby the priceless gift of a family. I don't know who she is, but she will always be part of our family. My daughter will carry part of her always with her, and I'm thankful. I'm thankful for the most amazing gift anyone could ever give. I'm thankful for the laughter and the hugs. I'm thankful for the beautiful little girl who wears a different bow every day because she feel she NEEDS to. I'm thankful for the sensitive and gentle spirit that comes wrapped up in this tiny frame of a child. I'm thankful for the extra chromosome that gives our home an extra dose of interesting events and amazingly rich love. And I'm even thankful for that stubborn streak that keeps us on our toes!! I'm just thankful for our daughter and the precious birth mother who blessed us with such a selfless gift.

I prayed over the gift bags and baskets that will be delivered to birth mothers over the next months. I prayed for healing of their hearts...and purpose in their steps...and guidance from their Heavenly Father who cares so deeply for them. It's the same thing I pray for our daughter's birth mother...with a whisper of "thank you."

Lessons on the front porch

So this morning I was settling into my favorite comfy chair in the living room, but the Lord urged me to go to the front porch instead. I got situated on the porch swing, and something caught my attention out of the corner of my left eye. An ugly spider had spun his web down from the hanging pot of flowers and attached the other end to the chain of the porch swing. Every time I swung forward, he'd swing forward...every time I'd swing back, he'd come right with my swing. Now, I'm a living-in-the-woods girl, so I'm fairly used to seeing spiders and other critters. I let them live out in their area (the whole woods!), but I like to have MY territory to myself too. So, I took my pen and just broke the one thread that attached his web to my porch swing, and the whole web went limp. Mr. Spider then did an amazing thing... He sat for about 10 seconds as if evaluating the damage, and then he began to quickly roll up his web. I watched as he climbed back up the web, rolling the whole thing up as he went along. And then he retreated into the hanging basket of flowers...perhaps thinking about his next housing project.

And I knew that God had brought me onto the porch for some lessons. Sometimes He teaches me straight from His Word out here, and I barely hear the buzzing of the bees. But other times, He brings me out here and says, "Watch and learn." So, I peel my eyes open and just watch, with an open spirit that wants to learn. Today was one of the watch-and-learn days. Two thoughts came to my mind as I watched that spider:

1) Dumb spider! Why on earth would he attach his web to 2 movable objects?? Come on...he has the whole woods...trees, bushes, plants...some secure natural dwellings, no? And if he prefers to be closer to people, then why not attach onto the side of the house or garage or shed? He attached to a hanging plant on one end and a movable swing on the other end! Dumb spider! And me?? Okay, so do I hook my life securely to the immovable anchor and Rock, or do I hook onto the movable things of this life? And here's a thought...the immovable truly secure place to anchor is often the UNSEEN, and it's the thing that *feels* like a crazy unstable place to put our trust....while the movable truly insecure place is often the VISIBLE, and it's the thing that *feels* like a stable place to put our trust. (Reread that sentence until it clicks..really clicks) Do I attach to the movable or the immovable? "Don't store up treasures here on earth, where they can be eaten by moths and get rusty and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where they will never become moth-eaten or rusty and where they will be safe from thieves. Wherever your treasure is, there you heart and thoughts will also be." (Matt 6:11)

2) That spider could not have attached to my porch swing while it was moving. I found myself trying to keep the swing moving so that Mr. Spider wouldn't rethink this housing option. I figured that if the swing was moving, he'd look elsewhere for a place to attach his web. And I remembered how amazing it was to watch him roll up that web. All I did was detach it at its base...the point of contact with the swing. And then he rolled up the entire web (no messy web sticking to things!), and he retreated! And the Scripture came to my mind: "Resist the devil, and he will flee."

We are stepping out in a huge way into God's calling for our lives. This is one of those biggie moments when we are stepping out of the boat and onto the crashing waves. (Really, more details will be coming in time as we are able to share them!) But, with stepping out comes a torrential onslaught of trials, challenges, spiritual battles. Recently, I've felt so war-torn that I have wanted to RUN AWAY from it all and just find any comfy place to slip into and hide. But that is the strategy of the enemy. He wants us on the run...he wants us scared...he wants us focused on anything and everything except for the Kingdom of God.

But my spider friend taught me some lessons. I am to hook my life onto the immovable Rock. HOW? Focus ONLY on Him and what He has called me to do...never mind the seen things that scream out security...but rather step into His calling, no matter how crazy it seems...put my whole trust in Him as my refuge and Rock. And I am to resist the devil at every turn...detach his point of contact with my life and then watch him roll up his web and retreat. HOW do I detach his web from my life? Refuse to focus on the temporal irritations, the arguments, the tensions and even the "good and fun" things that could so easily distract me from His callings. Resist the urge to fight for my rights. Resist the desire to be right in the conversation. Resist the urge to control. Resist the devil, and he WILL flee. And I love that he has to roll up his web and retreat! If I resist him and his temporal things he wishes I'd focus on, I can instead focus on what I'm called to do for the Kingdom.

I also learned a tremendous lesson from the hummingbirds this morning. There is a hummingbird who has been coming to our feeder for what seems like forever. He finds our feeder in the spring and stays until fall. He's a dear friend that I feed when he's here. But, as is the case with feeders, he has competition. Other male hummingbirds try to steal some nectar, and I'm always thinking that surely they can learn to share. There are, after all, 4 holes for drinking the nectar...and how much nectar can a tiny bird need, right? But this morning I saw it in a new light. (Remember, God brought me out here to watch and learn...so I peeled my spiritual eyes open and sat to watch).

My hummingbird friend was guarding his nectar fiercely today. Any time visitor hummingbird came by, my resident hummingbird fought him off. Have you ever HEARD them fight? I think they clash beaks or something because there's an awful crashing sound, and then they fly off squawking in their high pitch voices. It looks like it HURTS to clash like that...mid-air. If you haven't watched this, really you need to get a hummingbird feeder. It's far better than the sports channel in my opinion!

Okay, so I got to thinking about this. My resident hummingbird is guarding his nectar. It's his life source. And I remembered our pastor's message yesterday about keeping out "oil" in our house. The "oil" was a word picture for the Holy Spirit. We have to keep the Holy Spirit flowing in our home. Complacency is deadly. And I saw my resident hummingbird as a pretty smart guy. He was on guard, making sure that his life source was guarded. He has a "wife" too that he allows to drink the nectar, while he stands guard to keep other visiting hummingbirds away. He is on guard all the time. He will come out of the trees quick as a flash to guard that feeder, and he's relentless to clash and fight other hummingbirds all for the sake of guarding his life source nectar. And I saw him as quite a model to follow. We MUST keep guard all the time. Like the builders on the wall in Nehemiahs' day...some built the wall, while others stood guard the whole time. We have to be on spiritual guard. There is no complacency in nature. Hummingbirds guard their nectar out of necessity. Spiders build their webs out of necessity. And we must stand guard over our "oil" out of necessity to make sure that we are never outdone by the enemy. He wants us to be complacent. He wants us to sit back and be comfortable. Remember, complacency is deadly.

But you cannot get out of the boat and remain comfortable at the same time. It's impossible. And you cannot guard your nectar if you sit in comfort. And you'll have spiders all over your porch swing if you don't cut the web at it's source. Absolutely amazing the lessons that God can teach on a front porch!

Gift bags for birth mothers

Last night several moms (and one sweet teenager!) from our local homeschool group got together to assemble gift bags and baskets for birth mothers. Every person brought some items for the gift bags, including matching baby blankets for birth mother and baby, matching bracelets for birth mother and baby, photo frames, photo albums, journals with pens, beautiful handmade note cards, and disposable cameras.

We lined the items up on the table like a buffet line. :)




Then every person grabbed a bag or basket and filled it up with one of each item.

It worked out perfectly that we had exactly the right amount of "boy blankets" for the blue "boy bags" and exactly enough "girl blankets" for the girl bags and exactly enough "neutral blankets" for the "neutral bags." (We didn't plan it that way. We just asked for blankets and bags, without specifying gender colors.). I had been praying for all the items to come in and for the right amount of gender specific items to come in. And God always is faithful! ALWAYS! I'm finding that the more I leave things in His Hands, the more perfect things turn out.

And just like He multiplied the loaves and fish, He also somehow multiplied the gift bags and baskets. We had planned on making 12. We had asked for enough items to make 12 bags, and yet somehow (in a way that only God can explain because the rest of us were confused at how it happened!), when we finished making our 12 bags/baskets, there was one extra! In case you wondered if God still multiplies, you can be assured that He indeed does!

This spoke volumes to me because how often do we wonder if He will really come through? How often do we wonder if the little we have to offer is enough accomplish anything in the huge needy world that we live in? How often do we hold back from offering the tiny bit that we can give because we think it's "not enough"? He doesn't need us to give a lot. He needs us to simply give what we have...no matter how small or insignificant we think it may be. And then HE takes it, breaks it and multiplies it! Remember...it's about HIM, not us! We still serve the same God of the Bible miracles. Let Him multiply whatever you have to offer for His Kingdom work. And you too will find His miracle of multiplication done right before your eyes!

Here are the bags and baskets all finished and ready to deliver to a precious adoption agency in our state.

Thank you to all the sweet ladies who made this possible by donating items and time. (And, by the way, with all of us working on this project, it only took 25 minutes to put these bags/baskets together!) Y'all did an excellent job, and God did the work of making sure we'd have exactly what we needed...and then some extra!

What is His Hand upon me to do?

A few weeks ago, our pastor spoke about doing the things that God's Hand is upon us to do. Some people may become missionaries while others carry His light to the lost and lonely right in their own hometowns. Neither is more important. The factor that all things revolve around is whether or not God's Hand is upon you to do a thing.

Someone may step out to become a missionary because they long for the adventure or because they want to experience another culture or because they feel guilted into that lifestyle. All are wrong reasons to go. The only thing that matters is whether God's Hand is upon you to do it.

Someone may stay in their hometown and never consider ministry anywhere else because they like the comfort of their familiar surroundings or because they are afraid of the unknown or because they simply don't even consider such "radical" changes in their lives. All are wrong reasons to stay. The only thing that matters is whether God's Hand is upon you to do it.

What is God's Hand upon you to do? What burdens your heart? What stirs your spirit? Consider on those things, and ask God: What is Your Hand upon me to do? And then DO IT. You cannot stay if His Hand is upon you to go, and you cannot go if His Hand is upon you to stay. You want to be wherever His Hand is upon you because it is there that miracles reside. It is there that His Kingdom advances through you in mighty ways. And it is there that you will be happiest because you'll be in the center of His Hand and Will.

I've gone back again to study Nehemiah and how he led the rebuilding of that wall. In chapter 4, we see how half of the workers were working with their hands to rebuild the wall, while the other half of the workers were standing guard to make sure that nothing stopped the rebuilding of the wall. Both jobs were important and necessary. Neither job was of lesser value. It all depended on what God had created each person to do.

Some people may step into adventures that take them across the globe to bring light into the darkness, while others may stay home to stand guard to make sure that work gets done (praying, supporting, advocating). We all have a divine calling, and every job is necessary and important to furthering His Kingdom. The deciding factor should always be: What is His Hand upon me to do?

And then go do that thing with all your focus and energy and love!

Following in His Footsteps

I've been quiet on this blog lately. The past few months have been spent limiting distractions and trying to focus completely on hearing His voice as He leads us into another chapter in our lives.

I will share more in time. For now, I want to pass along a very short but very powerful message that says things much better than I could ever say it. Click here to listen to that 5-minute message, and let this sink into your spirit.

Keep at Your Work

The Lord has given every man his work. It is his business to do it, and the devil's business to hinder him if he can. And as sure as God has given you a work to do, Satan will try to hinder you.

My dear Christian friend, keep at your work. Do not flinch because the lion roars; do no stop to stone the devil's dogs; do no fool away your time chasing the devil's rabbits. Do your work. Let liars lie, let religious sectarians quarrel, let corporations resolve, let editors publish, and come what may, let the devil do his worst; but see to it that nothing hinders you from fulfilling the work God has given you.

Keep at your work. Let your aim be as steady as a star. Let the world brawl and babble and bubble. Keep at your work. You may be assaulted, wronged, insulted, slandered, wounded and rejected; you may be abused by foes, forsaken by friends and despised and rejected of men, but see to it with steadfast determination, with unfaltering zeal, that you pursue the great purpose of your life and the object of your being, until at last you can say, "I have run the race...I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do."

---Author Unknown (quote taken from K.P. Yohannan's book Living in the Light of Eternity)

Live To Be Forgotten

Elijah's birthday came and went this year as quietly as he arrived in the labor and delivery room 3 years ago. A few sweet people remembered his birthday, and that warmed my heart. But many didn't remember. At the close of his birthday, I had a moment of sadness. When I was alone that night, I was praying out loud and asking God, "Does nobody remember him? Do they not remember that he is real? Have they all forgotten him??" But just as quickly as that thought came into my mind, another thought came right in to take its place...



God brought to mind a video I had just seen a few days earlier. Patrick Fung is the President of OMF (Overseas Missionary Fellowship, which works to reach Eastern Asia), and he wrote a book called Live to Be Forgotten. Click this link to see a short 12-minute interview with Patrick Fung. It is so worth the time.



Patrick Fung talks about living to be forgotten...living our lives in such a way that Jesus is seen and we are forgotten. What a thought! Don't we deep down inside want to at least be remembered? We are willing to give up our lives, but don't we hope that we will at least be known for giving up our lives? Countless missionaries have lived their entire lives in order to reach the unreached...they've given up comfort and safety and have lived simple lives among the people they wanted to share Jesus with. Most of these people we have never heard of. They lived in such a way that we cannot recall them but can only see what Jesus did through them. They lived to be forgotten.

And as that thought entered my mind, I was so pleased with my little Elijah. He is not remembered by many. In fact, his Daddy and Mama (and a handful of nurses) are the only ones on earth who laid eyes on him. And yet countless people have been touched by his life story. Orphans have been reached because of his life. Our family's entire direction and purpose were altered by this under-one-pound baby boy. Elijah's life was not his own but instead reflected God's love and life amazingly. Elijah lived to be forgotten. Instead of being sad that he isn't as remembered as he "should" be, I find myself wanting to be more like him.

I want to live to be forgotten.