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Today I have a bit of a heavy heart.  I spoke with a close friend of mine who is in the process of adopting a little one from China.  He is thrilled.  I am with him on that.  He told me a bit about the process and  how he and his wife have gotten to the stage they are in now.

He described the child they are trying to adopt.  Told me of the uniqueness of this child.  I was absolutely overjoyed.  That is until I found out about how this little child got to where the/she is.

You see, in China, I found that if a mother comes to the thought that she does not wish to keep the baby they cannot take the child to an adoption office or local hospital.  They leave the child in a public place and hope someone will find it.  This child’s story is that he/she was left at the gates of the nearest child-welfare office…at two days old.  This is not a judgment against them or their practices.  It just breaks my heart into tiny pieces.  I am glad to know that he/she was taken in and has been cared for.  I just know that there are so many couples out there that have had miscarriage after miscarriage or their children simply pass away.  Then there are those who are just for some reason unable to conceive. 

I do not understand abortion.  I am not going to make a political commentary or anything.  I just simply don’t understand.  It reminds me of a about a year or so ago.  I was working with a program that helped men off the street and out of jail/prison.  There was one of the guys (he was about 23 at the time) who came to me and kept brushing me off about what he was going through…he had been a bit withdrawn within over the previous couple of weeks.  Long story short, he had been involved with a young lady and she had become pregnant.  At that time, my wife and I were pregnant with our first son, but were having  some complications and my wife was on bed rest for a long time.  Finally after a few of probing questions, he finally breaks the silence.  He tells me, “We are getting the money together to have an abortion.”  I welled up with tears.  I asked him why…

“Well, it just isn’t convenient for either of us.  I am still property of the state and she is in school.  She would have to drop out and we can’t couldn’t get married until I am released from DOC.”  I told him that they are not making a good decision.  You are thinking of today…NOT 10-15 years down the road.  I told him that there would be a day when he would wonder what his child would look like.  And as for the young girl he was with…there are women I know that are in their 40s and 50s now that are stilling dealing with their abortion experiences from 20-30 years ago.  They are still being counseled on and through the grieving process.

I went on to tell him that they didn’t have to do that.  I told him that I would find a way to pay for the medical care and the birth.  Then when the baby comes, my wife and I would become the adoptive mother and father.  Needless to say, he did not take my offer.  I haven’t had a chance to talk to him in a long while, but the last time I talked to him (about 2 months after, he told me that he regretted their decision. 

Here is my point:  God makes life.  He knows our circumstances when he brings a new life into existence.  We should honor God’s choice to give us life with the welcoming response no matter the consequence that may seem to be at hand.  Does having children change your life?  YES!! And thank God for that.  Single life was lonely.  Married life was and is blissful.  When you add children to the mix…life can’t get any more full of blessing mixed with a little chaos.  Children teach you to be honest and full of integrity.  They teach you to let your mouth match your heart and vice versa.  Children teaches you unconditional love that God shows us and gives us ample opportunity to show grace and forgive…over and over again. 

So, if you have children, hug them today and no matter what is going on, let them know that you love them.  If you don’t yet have children, you can hug on mine. 

Until next blog thought… 

A Great thing happened this weekend.  I was asked to play in the worship band at the church that my wife and I have been attending.  It was great.  Played a lot of new music…some that I’ve never heard before.  The whole band seemed to gel really well.  It was fantastic.  I could really feel God’s presence there.  They did baptisms and ushered in a few new souls into the Christian life (at least cheered them on as they made their public professions of faith).  Then there was a jaw-dropping, heart-gripping sermon that is typical Pastor.  Simple but ultra-challenging.    

After church, we decided to brave the cold at the zoo with the family.  Didn’t know that more than 1.2 of the exhibits had been torn down for renovations and the building of new exhibits soon to come.  Regardless, we saw the Monkeys, the reptiles, and walked through the petting zoo.  Kids had a great time.  Had a great time watching my wife be lovely.  I surely love my wife.  Just love her.

Overall it was a great weekend.  Got to spend a few minutes with my parent units and grabbed some good eats.  Church by far was the highlight, well that and my wife’s smile, and the kiddo’s laughs.

Until next thoughts…

Now, I’ve never been a competitive athlete.  You could probably tell by just looking at me.   But over the past few months, I have been working out a good bit.  Each day I can feel that I am stronger, more flexible, and have more endurance.  I am still not ready for any type of marathon, but I know that compared to say, six months ago, I would fare a LOT better now than I would have then. 

This makes me think about Paul when he speaks about running the race to win it…not aimlessly.  To build up it takes daily workouts…stretching (sound familiar), extending you just passed your comfort zone, then flexing (pressure) to elongate and strengthen, weight (more pressure) to help to tear down your muscles…as they heal they grow back stronger and able to withstand more pressure/strain/stress and more.

Maybe this is why James says “Consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds because perseverance MUST finish its’ work …so that you gain maturity, not lacking anything. 

From what I have learned from runners (these are people that run in marathons and the 5-10K runs)…Training is daily.  Each day you stretch yourself more and more.  Without stretching, you can easily become seriously injured.  Training can start as much as 4-6 months before a race. 

During the actual race, (especially a marathon) you start out with your pace that you have developed during your training. (You don’t want to “bonk out” early). And you breathe relax, take the up-hills and down-hills as they come, but most importantly…you breathe and relax…be at peace if, you will.  At some point, your body begins to reject the strains of the constant running.  This is where you have to just keep pushing.  EVERY RUNNER HITS THIS POINT.  You have to press on.  This is hard to do if you don’t have your goal in sight or at least have your goal in your mind.  With that “pushing-through the pain” soon a second wind hits and you are back into your pace and running. 

Then the second wind ends…it is just pure drive from that point.  If the runner had not set their goal before the race, the chances of them not finishing the race highly increase.  Also the chances of injury increase.  The runner is no longer running on adrenaline…just pure desire to finish.

The Christian walk doesn’t seem to be much different.  There are phases of spiritual exhilaration where we are running on fresh faith whether that is experiencing an encounter with God (i.e. new faith, leading someone to Christ, healing, answer of prayers etc).  This can quickly fade.  Soon a Christian can find themselves in a dry, desert like phase when it is just the pure drive and commitment to the call.  Throughout this, there are “second winds” where God is near and you can even “feel” Him close (By the way, He does promise to never forsake you.) that bolsters the continued “race” in seeking and finding God. 

Then there are times when only your faith and commitment can get you through that phase…many times this is when many Christians burn out on their faith.  It is easier just to go the way of everyone else or to just give up on their faith. 

Like many things in life, in order to gain the ability…you have to practice it. 

What to learn to play an instrument – practice

Training for a marathon – practice running

Learn to read faster – practice reading

Deliver a great sermon – practice speaking

Let this be an encouragement for you.  There are thousands in the same or similar boat that you are in.  God has not forsaken you.  You have brothers and sisters in the faith that can help you, encourage you, and sharpen you.  Just be willing and ready to be committed and ready to follow through.

Worship yesterday was amazing.  Pastor touched on some HUGE keys points…it was simple yet profound.  There was no mystery to what he said…just the fact that it was exactly what I have been going through in my personal life and guided me back on track.  I can honestly say that hasn’t happened in a long while.  Sometimes information is good, but a simple message with application can give someone the “nakedness of spirit to” to confess, turn, and be changed.

Also, ministry time at the end was life-giving as well.    Words were spoken over me that I really needed to hear prayed.  People that didn’t even know my name heard from God and spoke to me as if they had known me for 10+ years.  It was amazing.  I haven’t experienced that in a LONG while.

So today, where does that leave me?

Well, it leaves me falling on my knees and crying out to God for change.  Crying out to God for His presence in my life.  And waiting (actively) on His promises to be fulfilled in my life and the lives of my family.  It also tells me that God has not forsaken me.  I have seen friends come and go in my and out of my life.  I find that I often base my trust in God as much as I trust “friends.”  That means that when “friends” become acquaintances, I just assume that God has done the same.  That is ridiculous.  That is NOT what God says. 

So I will stand on God’s promises today.  And tomorrow, when I wake up, I will again stand on God’s promises.  And the next day..and the next…etc. 

Thank you God for your unending love.  You are amazing and Holy and I just want to fall at your feet and tell You just how good You are.