Seven Less

Sunday afternoon we had an awesome time with some new friends that we’ve met along our adoption journey. In this picture there are 6 children who are orphans no more. The 7th little one was inside eating with his momma so he didn’t make it in the picture. :) On this afternoon, our families represented 6 countries:

Jon & Hope – Haiti (http://ourlittlestangels.blogspot.com/)
Aviella & Joyanna – Liberia
Issac - Ukraine
Justice – Ghana
Abram – U.S.A. (http://thejlees.blogspot.com/)

The 6th country soon to be represented is the Congo as Abram’s siblings will be home soon.

Don’t you love how these numbers start adding up? In fact, Sunday at church our pastor announced that over the next year there could be at least 15 new Congolese children coming that are currently being adopted by families in our church. ROCK ON! The current estimate of approximately 147 million orphans worldwide is daunting. It’s choking. Almost paralyzing. But, to Jesus, each of these precious children matter. Standing in the kitchen on Sunday evening just listening to everyone’s God-stories about their adoptions was breath-taking. All of our adoption stories were completely different….yet we could clearly see the hand of God in each of them. At one point after getting to watch a video made by one of the children’s birthmother’s I had to stand back, take a breath, and praise our awesome God. The awesome God who cares enough about his lost sheep, that he will leave the 99 safe ones, to go after just one who is lost (Luke 15:3-7).

What a picture of adoption. We have an awesome Father who has adopted us into His family by the blood of His son. We were once strangers to God. Blinded and separated from Him by our sin and unrepentant hearts. But because of Jesus we can call ourselves children of God (Galatians 4:4-7). Jesus changed everything for us. And now, as His sons and daughters, God has clearly shown us in His word that He is going to use US for change. Richard Stearns, President of World Vision and author of The Hole In Our Gospel puts it this way….

God chose His followers to be the change – He chose you, and He chose me. We are the ones who will bring the good news to the poor, bind up the brokenhearted, and stand up for justice in a fallen world. We are the revolution. We are God’s Plan A….and He doesn’t have a Plan B.

It starts with you. In the end, God simply calls you to be faithful to the things He has given you to do. He doesn’t require you to be a superstar, just faithful and obedient, by praying, loving, serving, giving, forgiving, healing, and caring – doing small things with great love.

As I write these words, I am looking out a window in my house. I see the beauty of God’s creation – lush green trees, blooming flowers, bright blue skies, and snowcapped mountains in the distance. I can hear a dog barking, an airplane flying overhead, and the thrum of cars on the highway nearby. And yet I know that somewhere, perhaps not very far away, there is pain and suffering – someone crying out to God for help. A neighbor has been diagnosed with cancer. A father has lost his job. A family has lost their home. Somewhere else there is a child without a mother, or a parent grieving for a child. There are children without food to eat or water to drink. There are girls and boys exploited by evil people who curse God as they carry out their evil schemes. In yet another place desperate thousands have been driven from their homes by calamity or war. There are lonely people without comfort or hope, with no one to turn to. Sickness and death stalk millions who have no doctors or medicine. Yes, not too far away, and distant too, there are broken people in this broken world. Broken and bruised. I know that. But I also know the power of the gospel – the gospel without a hole – that we are charged to carry…..

We can do no great things, only small things with great love. ~Mother Teresa~