A friend recovering from a major surgery
A fellow homeschool mom
An adoptive Mama with whom I've shared many heart to heart conversations about the trials and joys of older child adoption
A woman I've never met who lives in California
A couple of blog readers who don't know my last name
An adoption agency professional who is probably busier than I have ever been
A man who quit a lucrative job to serve the poor in a country in which he was not born
A pretty young, single woman who has dedicated her life to serving young men with difficult pasts
Some members of my own extended family
These are people I call "The Salty Ones" . . .
And for good reason.
On Friday morning as I sat in the waiting room of the oral surgeon's office waiting for my son, Lem, to have his wisdom teeth removed, a troubling message popped up on my ipad:
"Hi,need an urgent prayer request:Ariel is in a
hospital right now for a possible operation immediately
for a bone fracture . . . bone pierced the skin . . . lot of blood"
You get the idea. If you've been a friend in real life or a bloggy friend, you might remember who
Ariel is to us. He is the biological brother of our son Lem. He was not adopted as a child and remains in the capable, loving hands of Believers who run an after care program for street boys.
But since he was fifteen years old and I first learned about him, he has been a "child of my heart".
I have spent much time and energy devising a way to bring him into our home when no legal path seemed to exist. I have blogged about him often, in posts like this: http://bringinghomezeke.blogspot.com/2012/12/i-have-wanted-so-badly-to-share-all.html
and many others.
As days went by and Ariel's injury showed itself to be more complicated than a simple "set and cast" break, the expenses for his care began to mount.
And here is where "The Salty Ones" came in . . .
I posted a plea on Facebook for anyone willing to help pay for this surgery and hospital stay.
And THOSE people . . . the ones in the list I wrote to open this post, they gave and gave and gave.
They gave despite their own bills and commitments.
They gave to a young man they have never met.
They gave generously and quickly (within an hour of my facebook post)
and some even checked back to see if more help was needed.
They gave because of all that Jesus gave to them.
And don't think for one moment that the kind of radical, selfless, trusting giving that happened last night happened JUST for Ariel's care.
It happened for that, yes, and for a bigger purpose as well.
It happened because many who have not yet come to Jesus are watching and listening.
They are seeing this unusual behavior . . . they are taking note that in a skeptical world where each person has to guard his pennies and check out every "worthy cause" to make sure it isn't a scam, sons and daughters of The Savior of the World just gave open handedly to a handsome stranger who had a need.
And that, my friends, speaks VOLUMES to the lost. In this tough economy. In this cynical time.
That is how "salty ones" are set apart and make HIS name great.
"YOU are the salt of Earth . . . . YOU are the light of the world. A city on a hill that can
not be hidden . . .in the same way, let your light shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your father in Heaven." Matthew 5:13-16
And THIS is how the body of Christ is to love :
" . . . not just with words or speech but with ACTIONS and in truth."
So there, you have it.
Faithful God using a difficult situation to call his children "out of the saltshaker" and make his presence known.
And that is why being "salty" is a great honor. And a humbling privilege.
Thank You.
