That You May Know Him Better

The Reality: Sometimes life is just HARD.

Sometimes everything is going along easily and you start to pinch yourself, thinking, "Wow, how did we get here? Thank you, Jesus!" And then, unexpectedly, the other shoe drops, and you think, "Wow...how did we get HERE? Help me, Jesus!" This is the case whether you've adopted or birthed your children, whether you're single, widowed, or divorced, whether you've never had kids or never been married. Life changes in an instant and you're left scrambling to figure out how the pieces fit now.

And it's not always changing for the worse! Sometimes they are good changes. Changes that bring about opportunities to grow, to trust God more, to step out in faith. But even exciting changes can be scary. Stepping into the unknown is always a leap of faith, even when you trust that God is guiding you. When we adopted our 5, we KNEW - no shadow of doubt - that God called us to do it, but that didn't keep us from quaking in our boots.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

The last few days have brought about some challenging changes in dynamics for us - not bad, per se, but different. New. Potentially hard and full of pitfalls. There have been some tears, some anger, and a WHOLE lot of prayers for wisdom. I think it's often easier to step out in faith when it only involves you, or perhaps you and your spouse, but when it involves your child or children, it's a little harder.

This week I felt protective of the kids, not wanting them to have to deal with...well, I guess with life. Which isn't realistic, and that's quickly where God brought me. He reminded me, yet again, that these kids belong to Him - I'm just a temporary caretaker (just like ALL parents - biological, adoptive, or foster). He created them, He saved them, He is growing them, and He knows what their futures hold. He already knows the challenges they will face, and how they will respond. My job is to pray, to guide, and, ultimately, to continually point them back to Christ and the Scriptures for...everything!

Take ACTION: Pray for your kids!

I was reading in Ephesians yesterday and was struck by Paul's prayers for the church in Ephesus and how appropriate they were to pray on behalf of our kids (emphasis mine)...

"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, SO THAT YOU MAY KNOW HIM BETTER. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that YOU MAY KNOW THE HOPE TO WHICH HE HAS CALLED YOU, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and in His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms," {Ephesians 1:17-20 - NIV}

This. This is my prayer for the children God has placed in our home. This is my prayer for myself - that I may know Him better and know the hope to which He has called me. This is my encouragement for you - to pray this for yourself, your children, your spouse, your church family. The world will crumble and fall - some days it feels like it already is! - but the Word of God will last for ever, and His power will sustain us through the highs and lows of our earthly lives.