Adopted.

Five years ago, God brought one, precious orphan into my life. Watching hope transform my Hope's life has forever changed my heart. I've also seen hope transform the lives of the kids at Children's Hope. God has written one orphan's name at a time on my heart so that I can be transformed by His joy through giving His hope. I am so incredibly blessed to say that God used some of His most precious "orphans" to change my life. As a believer, the words "hope" and "orphan" go hand in hand. What an incredible phenomenon that is! Similarly, how "joy" and "pain" can coincide with the power of The Lord! Jesus states in John 14:18, "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." What amazing hope we have in The Lord. He doesn't leave as orphans because we are His children. "How great is the love the Father has LAVISHED on us, that we may be called children of God!"- 1 John 3:1. And what amazing joy we have when we get to be a part of John 14:18. Giving hope to the hopeless is what Christianity is about. We are called to make disciples through love showing all of God's children their amazing Father. When we show who God is and what His love looks like through our lives, we give hope. Everybody wants hope. Hope is what we cling to in trials and what we strive for in actions. This hope from our Father transforms lives to lives of joy and love. Once again, God has given me the HUGE privilege of watching hope transform lives right in front of me. The cool thing about joy is that it has the ability to persevere in trials. One trial, I have to say I didn't expect, was the challenge of discipling these kids who I wanted to love on constantly. Will and Lena are "stinkers". In Moldova, Will thought the word 'no' was just hilarious (and yes he did understand the word). Lena has a talent of spitting and seemed to find much delight in it. They just have so much to learn about everything really and God chose us to help teach them. We have to start with basics like not spitting and pulling other's hair. We get to teach them what love is and who God is. Not only are we bringing them into our earthly family, we want them to join us in our forever family. And it all starts with love. God is love. In Hebrews 12, it says that discipline is showing love for your children. I always looked at this from the perspective of the one being disciplined, and I didn't think I would see it as the discipliner until I was a parent. I was wrong, because God is just really cool like that. Seeing this Scripture in a new light causes me to appreciate God's fatherly role in our lives. Oh what great love we receive that the all-knowing power is our Father. 

 We have had Will and Lena for about two weeks now. Looking back to the day we picked them up from their orphanages and watching them play in the backyard now, I see almost completely different kids. I see laughter. I see happiness. I see curiosity. I see family. It's amazing how the bond of a Christ-centered family can expand like it's the most natural thing in the world. God's love is so powerful and I'm reminded of that every time I hold Lena's hand or tickle little Will. How amazing. Will and Lena's transition into our family has already been beyond a blessing. They are two precious kids and I am so thankful to be able to call them my brother and sister. While our household is somewhat CHAOTIC, we have had so much fun. Lena might have a feisty temper, but she has a sweet, sweet heart. She loves to play hard and loves to find new clothes to wear (even if they aren't exactly hers like my clothes). She has a laugh that could make anyone smile. And this girl loves to eat. Will is so silly and loves to talk. He is already picking up English. Will is just one happy kid who has a huge smile. Will is super tiny just like Hope and just like Hope, energy is limitless.

 When I sit and think about what the Lord is doing in my own home, I'm in awe. I'm honored that He chose us for one thing. And I'm so greatly humbled that I have been adopted into His family. I've experienced the trials and joy in adoption firsthand. This allows me to see just how important love within a family is. I love the verses, Romans 8:14-17, that prove the power of being children of God to the point of living without fear. When one realizes what it means to be a child of God, the impossible can happen as we give our lives to our Father. Romans 8:14-17 says "For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." We can cry out to Him and He answers because we are His children. Wow. The God of the universe hears us as we cry out in need of a loving Father. It breaks my heart to think of those who cry out in despair and have no idea just how loved they are. And His love is great beyond our comprehension. As Christians, our job is to show God's children just how loved they are. What an awesome job. We aren't all called to adopt, but we are all called to love and can find great joy in doing so. I could go on and on about God's love, but I want to take a moment to thank my grandfather for leaving a legacy of love. My grandfather died last Saturday, and he was an incredible, loving man. I realized that's what I want to be remembered by. I want to leave a legacy. It says in 1 Corinthians 13, that if we don't have love, we have nothing. Because I am a blessed child of the King I choose to love with the love of God all the time. Because I am so in love with Jesus Christ. Just to held in my Father's arms is enough.