Flashback Friday

I love this costume. I love these boys. So much of the time that my boys have been little I could not wait for them to grow up. Everyone says - enjoy it - they grow up so fast. Yeah yeah, not fast enough! School can't start soon enough. Bedtime can't come fast enough. These two boys have made me very tired and I have aged 15 years in the past 4. Now they are 4 1/2 and sometimes I want them to be 2 again. They start Kindergarten next year and I still want to hold them and feed them. It is true that life IS short and that time DOES fly. You have to admit, these two are cute!!

Lord help me to cherish every moment you have blessed me with and to really enjoy each of my blessings. They are truely precious gifts from you. Help me to remember that and never take them for granted.

Happy Halloween! Squeeze your little monsters!

The Cost of Being a Foster Parent

How do you do it?

I don't think I could do that, it would break my heart.

I'm not strong enough to deal with the heartbreak.

How do you give them back?

Isn't it hard?

Doesn't it just tear you apart?

You are stronger than I am.

Really?

I've heard it hundreds of times in 9 years, sometimes daily. And here is what I've learned in almost a decade of doing foster care for over 25 kids...It is hard. Of course it's hard. When God calls us to do something, to serve, to serve Him, he doesn't say - oh and I have something for you and it should be pretty easy so go for it. No, He says, "...to look after orphans and widows in their distress" James 1:27. It doesn't say, when it's convenient and easy...look after orphans. In 2 Samuel 24:24 King David says, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." Sacrifices in the Old Testament were a form of worship and an action of obedience. "I will not sacrifice that which costs me nothing." My dear friend Laura Parker who chose to listen and obey and sacrifice for orphans said, "true worship and obedience comes with a cost." I think that is true. There has not been a doubt in my mind in the last 9 years that THIS is what God has called our family to do. To sacrifice for orhpans.

So to answer your questions: YES it is hard. YES it breaks your heart. YES it tears you apart. God never said obedience was not going to come at a cost. If God asks of you, He WILL provide you with the strength and the tools to obey. He will. Sometimes it hurts and sometimes you cry and sometimes you want to give up and sometimes your chest aches with pain but He WILL carry you through. Laura also said, "I'm trying to embrace the sacrifice, instead of bartering my way out of it." Me too.

Have you ever felt the tug on your heart to become a foster parent but thought it would be too hard? Too much sacrifice? Too inconvenient? Go back to that place in your heart and listen. Listen to what God is asking of you. It's not for everyone. I really get that. I get that God has given us gifts to be used for his glory. Hopefully we can know what it is that He wants from us and how to use those gifts for Him. But maybe, just maybe, He is asking you and your family to sacrifice for orphans. Just ask and listen. Embrace the sacrifice for whatever it is he has called you to do to serve Him while on this earth...don't barter your way out of it.

(If you want more information about foster parenting leave me a comment and I'll hook you up with a great Child Placement Agency)

Multitude Monday

I have not actually read this book. It is my plan to grab it and read it very soon but I am excited about my new blog and want to get started on my own "One Thousand Gifts".

One Thousand Gifts

1. sleeping until 9:30
2. snow covering the ground
3. not having to leave the house today
4. pumpkin seeds
5. a sweet, loving, kind, thoughtful husband
6. the ability to rest
7. living in Colorado

8. the ability to jump in the car and go to the dollar movie theater as a family
9. great public school teachers
10. amazing loving friends

Check back next Monday for another installment of Multitude Monday. God is good.

Rest

Our family has been craving good quality family time. The day after Gabriel and Arianna left was a Saturday. Josh worked 7 hours that day. He worked 90 hours the next week. He has continued to work many long not-so-fun hours and Saturdays. We are still craving good quality family time. We had our moments when G and A lived with us but we were desperate for opportunities to focus in. On us. God called Josh and I to sacrifice for orphans and children who do not have families that can take care of them. He called us to make sacrifices as a family for others who do not have what we do. We get that. We are obeying. Our kids get that, believe it or not. We are currently on sabbatical so that we can focus in on our marriage and our children so that we can heal and rebuild in order to serve Him better. God has put an ache in my heart for children who have crappy lives and crappy parents. The problem with my life of late was that there was an ache in my heart for my kids who had crappy lives and crappy parents. So...we are on sabbatical. What does that mean? It means I am truely relaxed. Josh and I have perspective. I can enjoy reading and leading a Bible study. I can focus on what is important instead of living in survival mode. It means we can spontaneously jump in the car and take the kids to the dollar movie theater on a Sunday night and watch Toy Story 3. Thank you Lord for ordering your people to rest.

Ellie turns 7 today!

Seven years ago today my Ellie Marie came into this world. It was a long hard day and I had no idea what hit me but oh did I feel so blessed. There is no other feeling in the world like being a parent for the first time. She was perfect and still is. She is sweet and kind and smart and friendly and talented and helpful and bright and simply perfect. Our precious gift from God is 7 years old today. She is in 2nd grade at Gateway Elementary School. She loves her teacher and her friends. She is a very good reader and very good at math. Last week she received an award from her principal for being the class BFF. Kind, sweet, and friendly to everyone. What a great quality to have. Ellie plays the piano and the recorder. She is a Brownie Girl Scout and loves going to Break Out at church once a week. She loves doing any sort of craft and scrapbooking. She is planning to be a clothing designer when she grows up. She is trying to convince her grandma to go ahead and start creating the clothes that she has designed. God knew that we needed Ellie first. She loves to be Mommy's helper and the big sister. Happy Birthday sweet girl!