And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Luke 2:8-12
Last night Jonathan read the story and I did a little reenactment with our manger scene to help the girls get a better picture. We talked about how Joseph and Mary didn't make baby Jesus but that God did.
Jesus...our Savior...adopted by his earthly Father brought to this earth so that we too could be adopted by our Father in heaven and have eternal life. The same Savior who later in life taught that “Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us.” James 1:27 (and other places: Deuteronomy 10:17-19, Isaiah 1:16-17, Psalm 10:14, 17-18) What a cause to fight for!
There are lots of foster children in our nation tonight who will remain in their group home because there weren't families to take them in temporarily for the holidays (or forever). We pray for them tonight and wonder how much more we could do.
Families that amaze and inspire me:
Smiles and Trials
The Keller Family
The Cassel Crew
These families (and there are many more like them) have not only taken in older children but also children with special needs and children outside their race. If you haven't noticed there are also (seemingly) TONS of children in each family.
We (our family I mean) are considering whether the number 3 is the perfect place to stop because we want to give the girls and the new baby all the things that you want to give your children (and does that not spread more thin the more there are?). But the hard truth is: if we shut out the world and live by James 1:27 we know we could, and should, do more. We have many years to figure out what that will be. For now it comes in the form of prayer and advocating for the kids out there looking for forever.
MERRY CHRISTMAS to all! I hope in the coming year you will pray for adoptable children and consider who in your life (if not you) might consider adopting if the opportunity was presented. A family for every child!
3 comments:
Sweet Jess and Jonathan... I'm wondering if I should have bought more than two extra stockings or will we need a larger mantel? We enjoyed the girls so much at Christmas... it's hard to imagine that this time last year we didn't even know them and now we can't imagine life without them. I look forward to 2009 and the new baby and making lots more memories with my three little girls!! Love, GG
You are an inspiration, Jessica! The sweet child that we hope is to join our family came over today. She was so precious. Thanks for being such a great friend and a guiding spirit for me in this journey to adopt!
Merry Christmas! Happy New Year too!
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