Sometimes, life is hard and we feel like crying.
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| (Alyssia needing some Mommy-love after an "owie".) |
And I have cried. And prayed. And not shared a word about it on my blog because I want this to be a haven. A refuge for weary moms. An encouraging word for adoptive families. Not a place where I complain.
But that's not really fair, is it? To only share the really-great-cute-as-a-button-perfect-family pictures and posts but leave out the so-exhausted-I-don't-know-if-I-can-get-up-tomorrow-and-do-this-again pictures and posts?
I'm still torn---between baring my soul to the world and protecting my family's privacy delicately.
But I did want to share this........maybe because I need the reminder right now more than anything. :)
In God's kingdom, everything is upside-down from what the world's kingdom offers.
In God's kingdom, the first will go last and the last will go first: I don't need to be the best or the first, or worry for a second what place anyone else holds. Being last is God's way.
In God's kingdom, to get you have to give: I can be "on empty" and still give one more time. It's not about what I can get out of it, it's about what I can give. God can give THROUGH me.
In God's kingdom, the servant is the leader. I can lead the best by serving--even if no one else notices.
In God's kingdom, the road less traveled should be the highway for Christians. God is calling me to something greater than my dreams and plans---and harder, too.
Sometimes we paint a rosy picture of Christianity and we fail to tell the world that true discipleship requires our ALL.
God asks us to be willing to give up everything dear to us, to hold nothing back, to love and serve Him with abandon.
And that means that life will not always be easy. In fact, it might be extrememly lonely, full of heartache and trials, and quite opposite of what our ideal might look like.
It could be that, like with Job, God has allowed some horrendous, mind-boggling painful trials to sweep down on your life like a whirlwind and you can't even catch your breath or take a second to process the loss.
Or it could be, like with Moses, God is allowing your character to be formed through a series of ups and downs, mountains and valleys, slavery and starvation in Egypt mixed with milk and honey in the Promised Land.
Whatever your story is, remember this: GOD is the author.
And in HIS kingdom,
everything is upside-down.......
I don't know what you're going through but the Lord's grace is sufficient! Thank you for sharing your heart so openly but encouraging others with God's promises while you do--you are a blessing! I will be praying for you and your family...((hugs))
ReplyDeleteSelina...you know I share your pain! And we both know that every tear, every prayer, every day that we have to pray ourselves out of bed in the morning, is SO worth it as we guide these wee ones out of darkness into HIS marvelous light! Praying for you guys!
ReplyDeleteGreat points! I will tell you what I experienced with the "always rosey" blogs. We have 8 kids, 6 special needs China adoptions. We had an excrutiating time with adjustment with 1 adoption. I felt like a failure daily. Instead of being encouraged by the "rosey" blogs, I had to stop reading them entirely. Reading that other people were doing so well in their adoptions, and never about a bad day, letft me feeling even more like a failure. I was comparing myself to them, instead of realizing our small steps of progress. Being encouraging is super, but not to the point that people think your perfect and have a fairy tale life. I'd much rather be encouraged most of the time, but STILL hear about the bad days, and how you deal with them; that way I can also pray for, and encourage you!!
ReplyDeleteParenting is just plain hard - no matter the ages of our children. And whether they are all birth children, all adopted, or a combination of the two.....it is hard. We are going through struggles I never in my wildest dreams would have imagined, but yet there is that part of me that wants others to think that all is well and that our parenting style works. It's very difficult to admit defeat, to the outside world, and especially to other Christians. But none of what we are going through (and what you are going through) has taken God by surprise, and I am learning that each day is another opportunity to try again and do my best to serve my Saviour. My children have free will and will sin. Our job as parents is to train them "in the way that they should go", pray for them diligently, and guide them as they get older. So, from one struggling parent to another - keep on keeping on! Blessings to you from Arizona!
ReplyDeleteWanted to add this scripture that my pastor spoke on yesterday:
ReplyDeleteMark 10:27 "And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men [it is] impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. "
When it seems that nothing is possible in your limited human ability, you are exactly right.. BUT with God alone, all things are possible.
I love the picture you shared. It's a great visual for what I try to picture when I'm in the depths of sorrow... only it's our Heavenly Father that's comforting a crying me. Sometimes moms need to be comforted too and our Creator is there waiting for us to turn to Him. Saying a prayer for you. In my readings this week the following statement caught my attention and was encouraging.
ReplyDelete"The more closely the people of God strive to imitate Christ, the more perserveringly will they be pursued by the enemy; but their nearness to Christ strengthen them to resist the efforts of our wily foe to draw them from Christ."