Who Are "The Least of These"?

I am aware of the fact that the header pictures I've chosen lately for this blog are unsettling. It is not my intention to heap "affluent guilt" on my readers. We are infinitely blessed in this country. We don't deserve the good things lavished on us, which is why they are called "blessings". The fact that we can feed, clothe, educate and provide medicine for our children when countless families around the world can not is NOT a source of "guilt" for me and I hope it isn't for you.

It's a source of gratefulness.

I became keenly aware, during the surgery of our little son who has Down Syndrome, that were it not for our citizenship, I would likely not be the adoptive mother of this angel. I would not be the one to hold him as he comes out of anesthesia and feed him that first popsicle. I could just as easily have been the heartbroken mother surrendering him for adoption after finding out my baby has a heart defect and knowing, deep down, that I can not afford the cost of his care.

I was aware when my beautiful daughter had strep throat recently and the copay on her penicillin was only FIVE DOLLARS, that I am among the most blessed of women. I think of these blessings each evening when my family gathers at our dinner table and eats a balanced dinner. I pray the Lord never lets me grow cold to this knowledge. It keeps me humble. It keeps me praising Him for even the small things, like turning on the faucet and enjoying a warm shower.

God's word is clear, though "to whom much has been given, much is required" (Luke 12:48).

It is imperative for those of us who are so outlandishly blessed to be ever-vigilant for opportunities to GIVE - time, money, a listening ear, a hug, encouragement, a soft place for someone who's life is hard, our prayers- whatever God has impressed upon us to give.

And we don't do it with an eye on the return. Sometimes the return is infinitesimal to our human eyes. We do it out of love for a Heavenly Father who gave us all things, even his own precious son. We do it to obey him and to imitate him. We do it because it's all we CAN do that is of value during this short time we have here on Earth. We do it because we long for the name "Christian" to stir up images of people who love to give, who go out on a limb for others - even those who are not EXACTLY LIKE THEM- images of a people who's faith is authentic. People they might even want to be like???? Can you imagine? How rare and glorious!

I want to say "THANK YOU" to those in my own life who are teaching me to live out my faith just by watching them live out theirs. THANK YOU, my friends, who have given sacrificially but counted it all joy! THANK YOU, to those who are the hands and feet of Jesus to those who are hurting in this world. I'm sure you know who you are as you read this but are far too humble to even think "I'll bet she's talking about me" - ha ha! It is your graciousness in being poured out for the sake of the gospel that makes me want to GIVE MORE, DO MORE and BE MORE...

THANK YOU

Missing It

This morning, I sit and type, thinking about the great day ahead for our Christmas Eve. We have a communion service at church. We come home, have a devotion and open gifts with our children. Historically, we travel to my parent's home on Christmas day so that is why we began the "presents on Christmas Eve" tradition. Practically speaking, it eliminates being woken up at 5am by eager children!
But if I hear one more comment about Christmas being "all about family" or "just about being together", I may just have to pierce my own eardrums with a knitting needle.

We are going to be with our families. It is pleasant to be with them (theoretically, anyway - ha ha) but Christmas is not about that cozy, fuzzy feeling obtained when familiar people get together, eat, and trade presents.

Christmas is about the God who created the universe willingly putting on a body of flesh, submitting to be born and agreeing that the painful death awaiting him at the end of his short 33 years was worth the outcome. Christmas signifies the first step in the redemption of a fallen world. Christmas is God, extending His hand to us, mending a broken relationship, curing our spiritual disease and claiming us as His own. Christmas is the falling of the first domino in mankind's victory over sin. Christmas changed the world FOREVER.
We no longer have to sacrifice animals to have our sins forgiven.
We no longer have to communicate with God through a priest.
We no longer have to live under the law, that only condemns but can not save.
We can have PEACE WITH GOD.
We can have complete forgiveness of sins.
We can have assurance of our eternity spent with Him, enjoying His presence forever!

These things were not free. They are free to us but they cost the Holy, Perfect Creator His very life's blood.

Your forgiveness, my forgiveness. It cost a life. A perfect life. God came to pay a debt He did not owe, and it was no small bill.

Let's not trivialize these next few days by focusing on the holly-jolly-tinsel-wrapped-mistletoe-pie-in-the-oven kind of sentiments.

ENJOY CHRISTMAS!
But let each element serve to remind you of the high price paid for you and for me.
BE JOYFUL!
But let that joy come from knowing that God loves you enough to come walk this Earth and ultimately die to cover your sins. And mine.
EMBRACE YOUR FAMILY!
But do not miss the fact that Jesus loves them even more than you do and wants to have a personal relationship with each member!

Please don't miss it! Please don't have a counterfeit Christmas!

Emmanuel, GOD is WITH US!!!!

Happy Birthday, Ezekiel

Psalm 139
13For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16Your eyes saw my unformed substance;in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

Happy 4th Birthday to a WONDERFUL WORK of God! You are everything that God intended. No more and no less. You are right where HE placed you. Nowhere else.
Your life is a reminder of how much God loves us. He gave us YOU . . . and we are humbled by so great a treasure placed in our undeserving hands.
May God grant extra peace and comfort to your birthmom tonight. I'm sure she knows what day it is. May he reassure her heart that you are no longer an orphan but somebody's crown jewel. Cherished. Wanted. Protected. Highly valued.
We can't wait to see who you become. How much you will achieve. How many lives you will touch with your sweet, shy, funny ways.
You are spectacular.
Happy birthday, Ezekiel.
Our amazing wonder baby!

Apples to Oranges

I'm not just a blogger, I'm a blog reader. I like having a voyeuristic little peek into the lives of other families. I like feeling like I'm eavesdropping on the victories and struggles that families like mine sometimes face. But I'm often chagrined as I read.
I get the sneaking suspicion that SOME blogging Mamas are painting too pretty a picture of their lives ON OCCASION. Maybe I'm being snarky here. But I just MIGHT have a point . . .

Early on in my life as a homeschooling parent, I would often read the posts from wiser, more "mature" mothers on our online support group and leave the computer in tears. THEIR children were studying Latin at four years old. THEIR children were willingly giving all their birthday gifts to starving children in Africa. THEIR children were cooking full meals for their families at six years old while Mama milked the goats, milled her own wheat, tilled her organic garden and sewed yet another beautiful garment - ALL AT THE SAME TIME!

I wondered WHY it seemed everyone else had brilliant, altruistic, near-perfect children when mine were just . . . regular kids. It was not until I was invited to the home of one of the most active "posters" on the loop that my fears were assuaged. Pardon the graphic nature of this little stroll down memory lane but, within five minutes of entering her home, two of her children had a SCREAMING fight and one ate a bugger while making eye contact with me. It hit me like a ton of bricks - I compared the "public image" she shared of her family with the intimate, deep, inner workings of my own family. It was apples to oranges! My pride was wounded by her paintbrush ... until the visit.

Those of us who are stay-at-home moms, and especially if we homeschool, have an awful lot of self-worth tied up in our prodigy. Singing their virtues to the world is another way of validating all the blood, sweat and tears invested in these tiny, flawed beings. When they shine, we shine.
It is important, though, to remember that those of us who read blogs are often looking for something: encouragement. We want to be reassured that, despite the failings and missteps our children sometimes take, they are normal and forgiveness is at hand. We want to know that although we are not perfect parents, our Heavenly father is and that HE is working, through the trials and joys, to craft our children into the image of HIS son.
Moms need to know that ALL moms . . . even "good" moms, make mistakes or get tired sometimes. We eat cereal for dinner, let the laundry pile up until we have to "go commando", and we take the day off school when we probably should have opened the books. We slip up and say a bad word every now and then and miss a quiet time in trade for half an hour on Facebook. We don't take pride in our shortcomings but we recognize they are there. We ask for forgiveness when it's called for and strive to do better the next day.
That's what grace is for.
That's why blogs and books by "perfect moms" lose their appeal so quickly. The discouragement of an unattainable standard weighs heavy on the heart. The desire to shrink our babies back to infancy and have a "do over" is not an option and we believe the "goat milking, organic food serving, husband nightly devotion leading" life is the only one that pleases God.
Hogwash!
The life that pleases God is laid out clearly in His word.
"A broken and a contrite heart the Lord your God will not despise". Psalm 51:17
and
"He opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble". James 4:6

There is no one perfect but Jesus Himself. Anyone who sets herself up as such is a fraud.
Yes, we moms have much to learn from each other. Many of us are weak in areas where others are strong. Many of us are practiced in disciplines where others are new.
Every word shared should be "seasoned with salt and full of GRACE" Col.4:6.

Read with caution, dear sisters. Stick with what challenges you and spurs you on to love and good deeds.

'Nuff said!

We Are Family

(l to r) my sister, my grandma, me, my mom

My peeps

What a weekend!  I think back over the events of the last two days with such fondness that I'm smiling as I type (although I am home from church today with a head cold).  On Friday, we loaded up the mini van and drove to Charlotte to spend time with my side of the family. My parents, aunt and uncle, my sister and her three kids and my beautiful 91 year old grandmother who is bravely battling cancer.  Add my own six children and husband to the mix and we had a huge, noisy crowd all together eating, talking and laughing.
The next morning, we loaded up the van once again and headed to our adoption agency's annual Philippine Ties pool party.  This gathering is specifically for families who have children from The Philippines. This year's event was especially precious for several reasons.  The most obvious reason is that Francis is home but aside from that, we had the honor of meeting TWO of Ezekiel's buddies from his former home, Gentle Hands.  We met Rammy who was mentioned in Ezekiel's paperwork as his "best friend".  Rammy is a beautiful, tiny little guy who steals your heart just by looking at you!  He is with a lucky family that is madly in love with him, just as they should be!   The second Gentle Hands baby we met was Moriah.  He's a gorgeous little guy with visual impairment and  he is just so engaging and lovely that I had to hold him, even though he wasn't thrilled with it!   Like Rammy, Moriah is in a family that recognizes what a gift they've been given.  He fits in perfectly!

(l-r) me and Zeke, Courtney, Rammy and Kim, Carrie and Moriah

As if seeing these boys in their families was not enough, we got the special blessing of having Courtney Bell  (a precious and beautiful young lady who cared for all these boys before they ever had families) come and join the party!!!!! I met Courtney of facebook while waiting for Ezekiel to come home. I saw her in several pics with him and contacted her with a sheepish "hi, I'm Ezekiel's future mom and if you happen to have a photo or any word on him, I'm all eyes/ears".   Courtney graciously responded and we discovered that she attends the same university I did and that she lives only 15 minutes from my home!!!!!! Tell me that's not a "God thing".  She was all the way in The Philippines  and the odds of us having all these connections were infinitesimal and yet, in God's economy, this is as normal as can be!
I know I've failed to adequately capture the AWESOMENESS of this weekend but I'll add a couple more pictures in an effort to illustrate . .

My Family (yes, Courtney is "mine", too - ha ha)

The "big kids" at the agency party

Precious in His Sight

Rammy is a 3-year old little miracle (his 3rd birthday is TODAY - July 19th)! He was abandoned in the hospital at birth and left, barely attended to, in a basket for the first six months of his life.
He has mild cerebral palsy and cognitive delays but oh, he is a BEAUTIFUL little boy!
He can walk unassisted, feed himself, play happily around the nursery and give and receive affection appropriately. Rammy is going to make someone an absolutely wonderful little son! Are you a family willing to open your home to a child created by God to be the recipient of someone's unconditional love? Are you willing to receive the blessings that come along with special needs adoption? Please consider Rammy. Special needs adoption from The Philippines can happen in as little as 8 months (from application to travel) and is an amazing adventure!
Although the Philippines has specific requirements for adoptive families, those requirements can be waived on a "case by case basis" for a special needs adoption.
If you would like to learn about how you can bring Rammy into your family, log on to the Christian Adoption Services web site at www.christianadopt.org, click on "looking to adopt", "international adoption" and "Philippines". Please call the agency and speak to Jim Woodward about the flexibility of the requirements for special needs adoption.
Our family has been to Rammy's orphanage. We have video of him dancing with our own son, Ezekiel. He is in a clean, loving, low staff to child environment where the children are thriving.
Please pray about this! If you don't feel led to adopt right now, please pray for Rammy's family to show themselves soon. With early intervention, a loving home and prayers from God's people, Rammy's potential is amazing!

It's All Over But The Flyin'

Well, it's done! Airline tickets are purchased, the hotel is booked and a couple of suitcases are even packed. It's so exhilarating!
After much prayer, we have decided that the "travelers" will be my husband, our only daughter and our 11 year old son (adopted from The Philippines when he was 8). I will not be going. Believe it or not, I have a deep peace about this arrangement that I know only the Lord can give. We have specific reasons why each person traveling was chosen and I won't belabor this entry by spelling them out but suffice it to say, we are at peace with our decision. Would I like to be the first Esquivel to meet our new son? Certainly! But there are others who need this trip more than I. I will be at home making his doctor appointments, preparing meals in advance to freeze so I can focus on Ezequiel rather than the cooking and I will be praying and waiting - two things I have developed proficiency in during this adoption process!
I have to pinch myself when I realize that in a few short weeks, Ezequiel will be walking around in this very kitchen where I sit and type this entry!
I have to say as one who has become a mother through natural birth and through adoption, one is no less a miracle than the other. The hand of God is evident equally in both and my feeling of being favored by God remains consistent.
Thank you, Jesus, for lavishing your love on us by giving us another child!
God is so good.