Free in Christ!

Before going to pick up our daughter in Vietnam, my husband and I made lists of essential items to bring on the trip.  Garth is a bit of a germaphobe.  He was worried about the drinking water in Vietnam, and so he brought a water purifier and iodine tablets to rid our drinking water of bacteria.  Luckily, we were able to purchase bottled water in Vietnam.  However, in a Vietnamese store, we saw one brand that bore the following words on its label: "Free Bacteria." This was obviously a grammatical mistake. Needless to say, we did not purchase this brand of water!:)

John 8: 31-35
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "if you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
They answered him, "we are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?"
Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Later in John we read,

Jesus said: " I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

What does it mean that the truth will set us free?
Academic organizations will use the phrase stated by Jesus, "The truth will set you free." to posit that knowledge will open a new world to us and allow us to better understand what we experience in life. Yet, I don't think this was Christ's intent when He made the statement.  His words had nothing to do with classroom learning.  Jesus was speaking about a different sort of knowledge. Christ had just spoken at the temple where He was explaining that He is not of this world.  He was telling those gathered that we will die in our sins if we do not put our faith in Him (John 8:23-24). Many believed in Jesus because of His teaching that day (John 8:30).  Jesus then spoke to His followers: "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples" (John 8:31). Christ was implying more than academic knowledge.  His followers "hold" to His teaching or Word. His Word gives them an understanding that brings freedom - freedom, not from governmental oppression but from spiritual oppression. We are free from sin and the anxiety it brings to us.  In verse 35 of John 8, Jesus says, "Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever."  If we do not know Christ, we are slaves to sin. Yet, if we "hold" to his Word and know that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, we become His adopted children and, despite not being biological descendants of Abraham, are now members of God's family. Those who believe in Christ as the Truth are free from sin and are invited into the family of Christ.

What does this mean to me? I may still have to worry about bacteria, but my conscience is clear, even when I do stupid things or make mistakes, or say something fallacious - because I am free in Christ.  I can live unburdened in the knowledge that my Savior loves me and forgives me.  Praise be to God!

Running in Circles

Running in Circles

Our lives are so busy nowadays.  How do we keep up with all of the commotion, the blogs, e-mails, activities, work...that consume us?  We rush around in circles and have little energy left for quiet time.  Even our home life becomes a scuttle to complete chores and check them off. Are you so task oriented that you are unable to sit still and enjoy the beauty of summer?

How do we center ourselves in God when our minds dart to so many areas that require our attention? How do we learn to "be still" and ground our lives in the Lord (Psalm 46:10: Be still and know that I am God)?  Please tell me if you've figured this out! 

In Romans 12:2, we read, "do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." I can best renew my mind when I sit still and pray. This means finding a quiet place and sometimes forcing myself to be still before God.  When I can't figure out what to pray for, I tell God all that I am thankful for.  It is amazing how much calmer I become when I take the time to relate with God.

I ask you too to take time to be still before God and share your busy life and your gratefulness with Him.

Am I thankful, triumphant and sweet-smelling?

Am I thankful, triumphant and sweet-smelling?

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:12-13).

As the mother of an adopted child, I marvel at the fact that each of us who is saved by Christ's blood is adopted into a new family.  We have been given new life by our Redeemer. By the power of Christ's blood, we who trust in Jesus Christ, have been adopted and renewed. We are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), holy and blameless, because of our redemption through Christ (Ephesians 1:4-6). As adopted children, we belong to a new family, a united family of believers. Our new condition is not a result of anything we have done - it is because of the sacrifice and grace of our Savior alone that we have been given this gift of love, a gift we do not deserve.

How do I respond to Christ and share my new state with others?  In 2 Corinthians, we read:

But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ's triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.  For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.  To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, and aroma that brings life.  And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit.  On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.

Paul first thanks God. When I am grateful, I am more able to wear my gratitude as a fragrance that is enticing to others. As a member of God's family, we can be Christ's instruments to share His love with others.  Christ has won the victory for us; we are no longer in bondage to sin. We can get up after failing, dust off our boots and take on the aroma of Christ in our behavior and attitude. How encouraging this is to me!  I try, fall, but will get up and walk again bearing the aroma of my Savior as His adopted daughter. I want to be an aroma that brings life. With Christ in me, I can walk in His triumphal procession and share His Good News with others. I may not be equal to this task, but if I ask Him, Christ will intercede for me and enable me, His adopted child and His new creation - rather than to issue a sour smell, to leave behind a fragrant reminder of His love. Christ makes it possible for us to be thankful, triumphant, and to bear His fragrance.

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Couldn't you men keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."

When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!" (Matthew 26: 36-46).

I must admit that blogging to people whose faces I can't see is not yet comfortable to me. I am learning the process and ask you to bear with me as I get used to this oddity.  
I've started reading and responding to adoption blogs, and this has opened my eyes to the tremendous amount of pain felt both by adopting parents as well as birth parents.  I've read entries written by young women who have endured repeated failed IVF procedures.  Their hopes of having a child have been raised and dashed over and over again.  One of these women then went through two adoption proceedings.  She and her husband were matched with birth mothers (2 subsequent times), decorated a nursery, excitedly bought furniture, toys and clothing, were thrown baby showers - only to encounter the decisions of both birth mothers to change their minds last minute and parent the babies themselves. 

In response to this woman, one blogger wrote harshly that no one should go into the adoption process without realistic expectations that the birth mother might change her mind. Birth mothers chimed in to share how difficult it is to know which couple can best raise their child and expressed the sadness they experience throughout the pregnancy carrying the knowledge that someone other than they will raise their child.  I am repeatedly reminded that I'm not alone in having endured  heart-wrenching waits and disappointments.  I am at a loss as to how to comfort these parents.

I'm reading Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest.  Today, the devotion I read is entitled: The Initiative Against Despair. Chambers begins with Matthew 26:46: Rise, let us be going.

Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane where he prays in preparation for what He knows will be a painful death.  He is emotionally distraught. He asks his disciples to wait with Him while he prays, yet, they fall asleep. When his disciples awaken, they realize they weren't available to comfort their teacher. Oswald Chambers writes, "The sense of the irreparable is apt to make us despair, and we say --'It is all up now, it is no use trying anymore.' And Jesus Christ comes and says---'Sleep on now, that opportunity is lost forever, you cannot alter it, but arise and go to the next thing.'" Chambers continues, "Let the past sleep, but let it sleep on the bosom of Christ, and go out into the irresistible future with Him....The disciples in this instance had done a downright unforgivable thing; they had gone to sleep instead of watching with Jesus, but He came with a spiritual initiative against their despair and said -- "Arise and do the next thing." If we are inspired of God, what is the next thing?  To trust Him absolutely and to pray on the ground of His Redemption."

I cannot comfort the despairing women whose blogs I read, but I can pray that they will "Arise and do the next thing" leaning on their Savior and trusting in Him absolutely.

You may be a person who plans out your life years in advance. You've set clear objectives and neatly laid out how you expect things to run.  We need to remember that our plans are often quite different than the way reality plays out.  How do you react when roadblocks, changes, and delays alter your vision into the unexpected? If you're like me, you try to control the situation by actively doing things.  This keeps your mind occupied and makes you feel that you can somehow manipulate the unexpected.   Or, you may react passively and withdraw, filled with a sense of hopelessness.

Scripture reminds us that although our plans may change:

I the Lord do not change. (Malachi 3:6a, ESV)

and

Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)

When life throws us curveballs, we can be comforted in the knowledge that God is with us:

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

What can we do with our frustration when things don't pan out as we had planned? We can learn and grow in faith through the experiences we face. We can embrace change, because it brings us into a closer relationship with God.

Ephesians 3:14-21 (NIV) reads:

 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

I love this prayer Paul said for his Christian friends in Ephesus.

What truly is rich and glorious? It is easy to get caught up in a fear about what we have and must constantly repair or what we don’t have and long for. I often think, “If I only had a bit more money, I could fix my house up or travel more often, etc.  Do these material things bring me strength? No!  I derive strength from my Lord and Savior.  When Christ dwells in my heart through faith, His Spirit entrusts me with a power I do not possess on my own.  When I am rooted and established in Christ’s love, I wonder at the sacrifice Christ paid for me. I recently went to a writers’ conference and took a class on power speaking. While standing in a circle, the instructor asked us to reach with our arms and place our hands toward the center of the circle with eyes closed. We were to stay this way until we heard something from God. I am of Lutheran heritage. We are quite reserved and value solitude in prayer with God.  Although this made me a bit uncomfortable, I played along.  Sure enough, God started to send adjectives my way!  The first word that came to mind was actually a noun – health.  When I am nervous and anxious, my health suffers and I sleep poorly and get indigestion.  The second word that popped into my head was “scattered.”  When I’m anxious, I’m scattered.  My mind flits to all corners thinking, “I need to do this and then complete that….and then another thing until the anxiety increases exponentially. The last word that stuck with me and would not leave my mind was “grounded.”  I realized that when I am established in Christ’s love and rooted and grounded in Him, I don’t fuss and fume and become scattered.  My strength becomes centered in my Savior and He gives me peace and focus. His love surpasses all knowledge!  I pray that you “may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God!

I am excited to announce that my book "Great Expectations: An Adoption Story and Devotional" is now in print! If you would like to purchase a copy please click on the link provided below. The book will also be available for purchase on Amazon.com. Thank you!

http://www.crosslinkpublishing.com/product_detail.php?product_id=171

Journal about your adoption experiences

During the long and distressing journey to adopt my daughter, I sought the healing power of words to assuage my pain. Writing enabled me to articulate the confusion brought on by transactions with dishonest Vietnamese officials. It presented an avenue to express my yearning to hold my daughter and endure the painful longing that ensued from what seemed a never-ending wait. Furthermore, writing provided my daughter with a record of her heritage. In the realization that she would not have contact with her birth family, I felt that writing about our adoption trials would give our daughter an understanding of her own history and a glimpse of her significance as a child of God, created in His image to be His daughter  in the family of Christ.

My adopted daughter, Rachel, now 15 years old, arrived home today after attending a CRU DCC high conference in Denver.  She had a wonderful time - would recommend the conference to teens and college students in 2014. According to Rachel, the speakers were inspirational encouraging teens to reflect on their character and learn to serve God.  I'm excited that she wants to connect with other Christian teens.  The teenage years are awkward as teens try to figure out who they are and where they fit into our chaotic world.  So, I am thankful that high schoolers can look up to godly role models. Yay!

Patience

After having brought my daughter home from Vietnam, I assumed that I had conquered the "patience battle" or that patience became easier to access with age - Wrong!!  It is not easier or less frequent.  Nor do I get less frustrated with the stress it causes.  One thing I have perhaps learned: to expect struggles in life.  What sort of patience battles consume me at present?  When our kids get older, we deal with their waiting issues in addition to our own.  It is painful to watch our children struggle as they try to understand the consequences of living in a sinful world.  My 16 year old, a great soccer player, recently tore his ACL. This junior year is the year soccer players are recruited for college teams. He started so strong and one small move changed his hopes and dreams. His ACL was reconstructed, but now the rehab and recovery comprise his and my painful wait until he can once again play soccer. What do I do when I am impatient?  I fuss, I fume, I get angry, I try to inform myself which gives me a sense of control....Finally, after all of this, I lay my burden at the cross and ask Jesus to carry it with me. Jesus said:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30, ESV)

Today I pray for my loved ones and for you, that you would give your burdens to Christ. He will give your rest for your soul.

Why is the wait for an adopted child so difficult?

     The adoption process is not easy. The questions that plague parents considering adoption fill them with fear and hesitation. Once the decision to adopt is made, the process of filling out form after form begins. Even the paperwork can seem insurmountable. I found that I did not get truly excited and hopeful about our child until the phone call came: "A baby girl was born last week. Would you be interested in adopting her?" "Yes!!!, of course!!," was our reply.
     And then, the wait resumes. My daughter was born in Vietnam. The wait to hold her and unite her with our family seemed to drag on forever. I did not experience relief until I learned to empty myself and lay my daughter at the foot of the cross, handing her into Christ's care.
     The purpose of this blog, is to give waiting adoptive parents a sounding board. I am repeatedly reminded that I was and am not the only person who struggled or struggles still with the lack of control which confronts adopting parents. I hope to give encouragement to parents who suffer from the same impatience and grapple with the inability to enjoy the moment until their child arrives in their home. It helps somehow to vent and to find out that you are not alone . And, the support and prayers of others can and will lift you up.