The Christmas Rescuer

This Christmas I have treasured the fact that I can celebrate what
God has done in our family. Most of all, I am blown away by the lessons
He has taught us through adoption.


Before the girls arrived, I saw the situation illustrated above in
my head. We could provide a home to children who needed a home.
We had enough love to give.
We could help!


*disclaimer: I am NO artist.*

As you can see, the picture is pretty simple.
It does not include their life experiences or what God was ALREADY
doing in their hearts as we waited for them.

I saw a world away from us in which children needed help.
As we prayed, we knew that we could be that help for them.
We could rescue them and raise them in a Christian home.
We could give them a family and safe home.


However, in other points in time I think I viewed the
situation as illustrated above. Our love, our home, our Jesus
would make a huge difference in the lives of the
children we would bring home. We could be a huge part
of the plan God has for these children. It was an honor.
It was about a 911 rescue.

Well...until I realized this.....see the dot up there?
Yes, that TINY dot was the "us" in the plan.
I realized that God did not need us to rescue the girls.
He wanted our yes. He did not need our plan. He already
had a plan and we were one piece of a large picture.
ONE PIECE.
I realized that HE was the rescuer.
We were NOT the Rescuer.


And, it was not until our girls were home, did I realize
that the above picture would illustrate how our children would feel.
Why? Home is home no matter where home "is".
In fact, home had several memories that were missed.
The things home included were: a loving foster mother, a family oriented culture,
certain foods, a love of culture and certain routine comforts.
The girls viewed the above items as "home".
In our world, we had a view in which everything we brought to the table was good.
A family unit....a home....lots of love....and our Jesus.
However, our children, at times, feel torn between their former home and
their new home. The things we thought would cause joy sometimes cause
great pain in their hearts.

At times I felt perplexed. I do not understand their feelings of being torn.
They had been rescued. They were HOME. They were HOME......



It makes THIS so much more real this Christmas. This year, more than any
other year in recent memory, I am aware of the Rescuer. The Rescuer who
chose the manger. He chose to come down to this place for our rescue.
He was our Rescuer.

I remember when Miss M and I were taking about Jesus the first time. I shared
the gospel with her through a children's Bible. She looked at me...perplexed. Her words
will stick with me the rest of my life.

"I know Jesus, Mama. I lovee Jesus."

I stopped. Oh. my. word. What was I thinking? How could I be so naive?
He was with you. He saw you in your home country. He saw you during your
time of grief. He knew the very number of hairs on your head.
He was near to you. Your tears were seen by Him.


This Christmas it is important to remember that I was not the
Rescuer. Redemption was His idea. He was the originator of
the redemption. During the times I feel at a loss as to what
to say or do, I will trust Him. I will look to Him for guidance. I will
trust Him to heal our family in a way only He could do for us.
I will gladly take a front row seat as we watch His story unfold.

..funny thing about my plans....
My plan (most of the time) is nothing like what He had in mind.
My worry about our boys taking a back seat and my worries about
the girls adjusting never get to take a front seat in our lives because
He is the redeemer. When we see ashes, He sees so much more.

Christmas is a constant reminder to me of the fact
He came for me. For our family. For you.
He is Redeemer.