Friday, March 18, 2011
Are You In Need Of Rescuing ???
I am going to borrow this theme from my BFF Emily - You see she said something on the phone to me last night that completely described how I feel about "adoption" and how it has changed the course and legacy of our family ...
You see, Emily is one of my faith giants (I don't put her on a pedestal, but I do look to her for encouragement on how to follow Christ) ... I have watched her and her family take a journey that most would never take and they do it w/ a JOY that is contagious ... She said to me last night how adopting ABE rescued her marriage and her family. Now don't go putting her on some PRAYER list, because there was nothing wrong w/ her marriage or family before ABE came into their life, except that they lived in normal, self-serving, and lukewarm life - just like the OATSVALL'S and I am sure many others out there ... I can look at our life now and think about how each of my adopted angels rescued us in a deeper way and allowed us to sink our teeth into Christ, to see Him more clearly, and to HEAR his call on our life in a loud booming way ... Emily allowed me to see the face of JESUS for the first time, Maggie showed me a small glimpse of how DEEPLY God loves us unconditionally and wants to heal us, Joseph shows me a JOY that I have never experience before, and Daisy makes me understand the true meaning of mercy and grace (EACH DAY FOR SURE) ... And because of that rescuing - we now have the honor to go and SPEAK UP for the 147 Million other orphans out there ... The privilege of being RESCUED is the ability to go out to SHARE the JOY God has given you with others that are hurting, alone, or hungry ...
Please don't get caught up in the political correctness of WORDS like rescue, save, real, or anything else that would hinder you from EXPERIENCING the fullness of the LORD ... to miss his small still whispers !!!
It hits me like a brick at least once or twice a week about the type of life Emily, Maggie, Joseph, or Daisy would have had if we had not brought them home ... I don't say that as any form of YEAH ME, but as a reminder that I was called to be there MOTHER by CHRIST, but I could have just as easily said NO, because Christ gave me free will ... I am thankful that I listened and that HARD is a place that I live these days ... I am thankful for the change in my family and the direction we are going ...
Now that I have been RESCUED, I want to be GOD'S AGENT for change of others ... And I am always up for being RESCUED again and again and again ... Because let's face it ... I am a bit hard headed and need reminding of how AMAZING MY SAVOIR is ... I need to never forget why I am here on this earth for a very short time ...
You see, Emily is one of my faith giants (I don't put her on a pedestal, but I do look to her for encouragement on how to follow Christ) ... I have watched her and her family take a journey that most would never take and they do it w/ a JOY that is contagious ... She said to me last night how adopting ABE rescued her marriage and her family. Now don't go putting her on some PRAYER list, because there was nothing wrong w/ her marriage or family before ABE came into their life, except that they lived in normal, self-serving, and lukewarm life - just like the OATSVALL'S and I am sure many others out there ... I can look at our life now and think about how each of my adopted angels rescued us in a deeper way and allowed us to sink our teeth into Christ, to see Him more clearly, and to HEAR his call on our life in a loud booming way ... Emily allowed me to see the face of JESUS for the first time, Maggie showed me a small glimpse of how DEEPLY God loves us unconditionally and wants to heal us, Joseph shows me a JOY that I have never experience before, and Daisy makes me understand the true meaning of mercy and grace (EACH DAY FOR SURE) ... And because of that rescuing - we now have the honor to go and SPEAK UP for the 147 Million other orphans out there ... The privilege of being RESCUED is the ability to go out to SHARE the JOY God has given you with others that are hurting, alone, or hungry ...
Please don't get caught up in the political correctness of WORDS like rescue, save, real, or anything else that would hinder you from EXPERIENCING the fullness of the LORD ... to miss his small still whispers !!!
It hits me like a brick at least once or twice a week about the type of life Emily, Maggie, Joseph, or Daisy would have had if we had not brought them home ... I don't say that as any form of YEAH ME, but as a reminder that I was called to be there MOTHER by CHRIST, but I could have just as easily said NO, because Christ gave me free will ... I am thankful that I listened and that HARD is a place that I live these days ... I am thankful for the change in my family and the direction we are going ...
Now that I have been RESCUED, I want to be GOD'S AGENT for change of others ... And I am always up for being RESCUED again and again and again ... Because let's face it ... I am a bit hard headed and need reminding of how AMAZING MY SAVOIR is ... I need to never forget why I am here on this earth for a very short time ...
THIS IS WHERE WE STARTED ...
THIS IS WHERE WE ARE ...
AND TOTALLY OPEN TO MORE OF WHATEVER GOD HAS FOR US !!!
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11 kind words.:
Beautiful, sister. I am hard-headed and need rescuing DAILY! :)
I'm so thankful HE sees through all the yuck and teaches me DAILY about love, mercy, grace, and...HARD. so so thankful!
Your family is SO BEAUTIFUL and makes me SMILE!!!!!!!!
Love this Gwen! Thanks for continually sharing your heart. What beautiful blessings you have! Can't wait to bring our first home from Ethiopia. God bless!
So true! And thankful for other adoptive parents who "get it"! How adoption has changed my life, my husband's life and certainly my kids' lives! Thank God! The other day at a meeting at work, a coworker mentioned how I was passionate to the core for adoption. Yay! Along with loving Jesus, that is what I want people to see!
Love this post! And love your heart! We are only at the beginning of our very first adoption and we have felt God doing some amazing things already in our hearts and family. In fact, he is leading us to do something we never considered before. I love how if we listen to His voice, he gives us even greater faith to accomplish his will.
You GO girl!!
Love the way you encourage others to STEP OUT there and honor Him with our choices!
Can't WAIT to see *who* God has in store for your beautiful family :)
Beautiful, truth filled post ... hanging on the edge of my seat from Hong Kong to see ""WHAT" or is it "WHO" will be the next player on Team Oatsvall!
Love & Blessings,
Kim
Your family looks like Heaven.
Kingdom Blessings,
Janet
www.homeward4.blogspot.com
oh how i "get" every single word of this, especially those "politically incorrect" ones! you/emily have nailed it!
:) similarly, i have had the conversation of how adoption has made me more selfless and humbled me. now what i want more than anything is to be even closer to the LORD and what i need more than anything is to be even closer to the LORD. such a beautiful thing to want Him, need Him and receive Him daily. ...all because I brought a little one home. and that's what i look forward to almost as much as bringing the next one home... the sweetness of knowing i will be drawn closer to the LORD as i walk this path He has laid for me.
I am inspired by your posts. So honest...and they help me see that I'm not alone in some of the challenges I face as a woman seeking God's face in how to be all He has called me to be. I, too, see how adoption has been life changing (in a good way)for our family. Bless you Oatsvalls!
www.porteradoption.blogspot.com
Absolutely girl! Only adoptive parents get how adoption changes our inner being so much. My hubby and I continually thank God for opening our hearts to the orphans. Even though we thought He couldn't possible be speaking to us..the parents of 3 little kids...we are so thankful that we took the leap of faith! It has only made us better!
Love it! Experience it daily! We too are open to whatever GOD wants for our family. GREAT POST!