Do It For Them!

The past few weeks have been some trying ones... emotionally, mentally and physically. It kicked off with 5 of my 6 kiddos being sick for a week straight (a fun mix of RSV, vomiting, fevers, bronchial pneumonia, rashes, etc) Then, a week ago this past Sunday on of our little foster babies was rushed to the ER... he was turning blue and had gone limp, it was beyond scary! Here we are almost 2 weeks out and my husband and I are still, daily, tag teaming the hospital and our home. Its been trying on our whole family but, you can ask any adult or child in this home and I know for sure we would all agree... this little man is worth it! He kept stopping breathing, his heart rate would plummet, he had PIC lines surgically inserted, ventilator and feeding tubes down his little throat, and was medically sedated and paralyzed. It has been an emotional roller coaster watching this precious little man endure so much. We have to believe though, that God has placed these children with us, to be there for them, at this very time in their lives. I struggled last week with how God could let me get so attached to these babies and go through we are with them, only to have to let them go in the end?!? And... after I threw my fit... I had to check myself! The very words I use to others (who say they could never foster because they would get too attached and it would be too hard to let them go) - "you're not in it for you... you're in it for them!"  Wow! How true that is! I am not at that hospital on a daily basis, up at night with his twin sister and meeting all the demands in between, for me. It was at this moment... with exhausted, tear filled eyes that I realized that... no matter what God has in store for these babies in the long run - they were born His {not mine} 2 months ago today, they are His today, and they will remain His. I am blessed to love on them, care for them, and pray for them... just as with my biological children. But in the long run, they are HIS and He knows whats best for them FAR beyond what I could comprehend, even if that means some tears in the mean time for me, because- I AM IN THIS FOR THEM, NOT FOR ME and when all is said and done we need to believe....

James 1:27

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

This has always been one of my favorite verse. I have always had a heart for "orphans". What I did not realize is that, just as God has adopted us into His family... we too are called, as Christians  to be like Christ, to care for the orphans and the widows. Websters defines "Christian" as "exhibiting a spirit proper to a follower of Jesus Christ; Christlike. It is an "adjective", which is a descriptive word. Therefore, if we are claiming to be "christian" we are describing ourselves as a follower of Christ, that we are striving to be like the one we claim to follow. As I have gotten to know God more personally over the past 6 months I have found Him to be a God of unconditional love, grace, compassion, healing and a God of open arms. So, If I am going to claim to be a "christian", then these are only a few of the words that I should be striving to be used when someone is speaking of me personally. So... how are you putting your Christianity into practice?! How are you setting yourself apart to be used?! We all have a testimony to give, someone we know that is struggling, an empty bed in our home, or even 30 minutes out of our whole week to spare to mentor a teen. Pray about how God is going to use you to be like Him, the one you claim to follow. Being a "christian" is a daily calling. The amazing part is, no matter how many times you fall down in battle... He is still asking you to fight for Him. If God has this much faith in us... who are we to second guess the calling He has for us. OHHHHH, because you feel inadequate! Yeah, been there! Unfortunately, that excuse get thrown out the window when we read REPEATEDLY, in the bible about the individuals God chose to ROCK for him! Check this out...