Trust - Part Three

"Why does it hurt to smile?" asked my sweet girl.


(Hurt to smile?)


And then it made sense...


                                       it's been a long time since my girl has smiled.  


I am reminded when we don't use certain muscles for a while, they become sore when we start using them again.  


This, however, is a good sore. A profoundly good sore.  


My little girl is doing better.


She is learning God views her through eyes of unconditional love. 


She is learning His words are never unkind, never shameful, never blaming, and never condemning.  NOT EVER.


She is learning His voice is gentle and gives life; His voice heals. 


She is learning she is wonderfully made.


She is learning to extend compassion to herself.


She is learning she is valued and she has SO MUCH to give.


There is far more to travel on this journey, we haven't arrived yet. But that's okay.


My little girl is smiling.


I am learning...


                           trust is not a natural response.


Every day, sometimes every hour, I need to choose to trust that God WILL continue to heal the deepest, darkest wounds of my daughter's heart.  It will take time, His time. I need to choose to trust that one day she WILL forgive her Chinese mother. I need to choose to trust that He is good ALL the time, and that He is in control. 


My sweet girl said to me the other day, "Mom, it doesn't hurt to smile anymore!"


Tears. Of. Joy.


Thanks for reading,
L.

The Secret to Survival (Hint: It's Not Chocolate)

When you hear the word "stronghold", do you think of something negative? I do. 

I mean, I did. Until a couple of days ago:

"He is their stronghold in time of trouble." Ps. 37:39 

"The LORD is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?" Ps. 27:1

Definitely not negative.

Check out this definition:

Stronghold: A place of survival. A refuge. An impenetrable fortress.  


This seriously sounds too good to be true.  


God is a place of survival. Your place. My place. Why would I run anywhere else? 


And yet, I do. Repeatedly.


I have bolted to food (sugar-laden anything, not broccoli), and WAY too much of it. I have run to girlfriends, "You are NOT going to believe what happened?!!" (and I am right, right?). I have sprinted to media/technology (little box, please distract me and make me feel better). 


Rather than run to our Stronghold, the most satisfying and exhaustive Refuge EVER, I run to what I think will make me feel better. 


Yeah, that lasts about five seconds.


Oh sure, I run like heck to Him with the "colossal" stuff, but not so much the "little" stuff. As if God rates our needs (He does not). Or, as if He doesn't care about the "little" stuff (He does).  


He just wants us to run to Him.


God is our place of survival. He is our retreat, our sheltered protection, our haven. He is our utmost security where NOTHING can separate us from Him.


While food, media and too many other things frequently seduce the need to soothe my soul, they are temporary at best.  


The secret is out, our Stronghold is waiting for us.


Thanks for reading,
L.

Fear EXPOSED

Cowardly Lion: All right, I'll go in there for Dorothy. Wicked Witch or no Wicked Witch, guards or no guards, I'll tear them apart. I may not come out alive, but I'm going in there. There's only one thing I want you fellows to do.
Tin Woodsman, Scarecrow: What's that?
Cowardly Lion: Talk me out of it!


What is something you would do if you were not afraid? 


It doesn't matter if it's little or big, nonsensical or important, there are no rules here. 


Maybe you would start writing. Maybe you would go to a third-world country. Maybe you would go back to school. Maybe you would start your own business. Maybe you would switch jobs. Maybe you would try a new sport. Maybe you would sing louder.


This is what I think about fear: fear is a fallacious attempt to persuade us to not do something which will be completely wonderful.  


Mentioned more than any other command in all of Scripture is some derivative of "do not fear" and "do not be afraid". 


Also, more good news, fear is NOT from God:

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."                                2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

So, what's with fear any way? We tend to hold ourselves back from doing things because we are afraid to fail, "What if I fail, what will people think of me?" Note to self, so what and who cares?  


Here is what I have learned: Fear and fail are nothing but naughty, four letter, F-words!  That's right, I said it.  


God's alternative to fear?


Courage. Courage is where risk and bravery meet and birth something completely wonderful.  


Without courage from the Father, I would not have adopted China's cutest, little girl.  I would not have returned to college with three children. I would not have started this blog. Without courage I would not have gone to Africa. Twice. 


Let us use that spirit of power, love and sound mind that the good Lord has given us today and tomorrow and the next day and the day after that. 


Completely wonderful things await us.  


Cowardly Lion: Read what my medal says: "Courage". Ain't it the truth? Ain't it the truth?


Thanks for reading,
L. 

Never Alone - Adopted Twice

"Is it true, are you my fake mom?" 
                                                proposed my daughter with tears in her eyes.


(A well-meaning friend of hers had innocently implied I was her "fake" mom.)  


Holding her tight, I cried back, "No baby. It's not true at all. I am your real mom. You are mine forever and ever." 


After being together seven of her ten years, I confess I felt surprised she needed to ask and that she still needed, in my mind, assurance of what appeared like a simple answer.  


Two days later, a friend completely unaware of my daughter's question, said she had been given a Bible verse for Olivia:

"My father and mother walked out and left me, but God took me in." (Ps.27:10 The Message)

I could hardly believe my eyes. He knows. He loves her. He's got this.  

The whole story is, we are all adopted. Ponder these excerpts from Ephesians 1:4-5 (NLT, emphasis mine):

"Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us...God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family...this is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure."

My prayer for my daughter is that she will embrace the truth that, in fact, she has not been adopted once, but she has been adopted twice.

May we all be assured that we are loved, chosen, and adopted by our heavenly Father. 

I'll end with this description of adoption which I very much like:

"We witness a miracle every time a child enters into life. But those who make their journey home across time and miles, growing within our hearts of those who wait to love them, are carried on the wings of destiny and placed among us by God's very own hands." (Author unknown, emphasis mine)

Thanks for reading,
L.