As it turns out this is the only family picture we have at a
pumpkin patch this Fall. As we were getting ready to take the picture I
wondered whether it would be appropriate to ask Myra to come over and sit with us,
after all she had only been in our home one week and would be leaving soon .
But as soon as we sat down, she naturally ran over and jumped on my lap for the
picture.
I remember awkwardly holding her (as you can see in the
picture, I’m not even really touching her). But shortly after her little hands
reached for my hand and wrapped them all the way around her waist. She snuggled
in closer to me and smiled big for the camera.
What a sweet gift this was. Just seeing her love us
back as if she had always been part of our family without any hesitation or awkwardness.
Because when I wonder if respite foster parenting is something we should be doing, when I question
what kind of impact (if any) we are having on these children, I am reminded of how
God loves us. A love that gives all, risks all, and never holds back no matter
how dark, hopeless, or unlikely the circumstances may be. God would not fear of getting
hurt like I do sometimes when I love on them (or anyone else). He would go to
great lengths just for the small chance of loving on us, and that type of love is
BIG, and it changes us, and it is eternal.
My friend Kaitlyn shared on bible study a few weeks ago
that most of the things that we are thankful for could change at any second.
Whether it’s our home, our food, our family, our possessions, etc. She
challenged us to be thankful for things that are eternal and will never be
taken away. And she was right. Because our husbands may fail us at times, our children may disappoint us, friends may reject or walk away us, our possessions may be gone, our we may get news of a fatal disease overnight (today
a friend’s sister found out she has cancer and just a few months to live). It truly could all change in a matter of seconds.
And on the other side I am thankful for my blessings- undeserved blessings that have been given to me for a short period of time. But if my identity, security, or hope is centered on any of these, on anything other than Christ... then I am setting myself up for disappointment and heartache.
As these blessings change I am reminded that God’s love will still be the same. There may be times when I feel as if he loves me less, I may even be mad at him for these things being taken away from me. But despite my emotions on any given day, His love will never change.
This Thanksgiving I am thankful for my husband. I am thankful for the gift of being a mother and what a humbling process it has been these last six years. I am thankful for family and friends to share life with. I am thankful for my health and all the other ways we have been blessed. But I am most thankful for God's love which can never be taken away.
And on the other side I am thankful for my blessings- undeserved blessings that have been given to me for a short period of time. But if my identity, security, or hope is centered on any of these, on anything other than Christ... then I am setting myself up for disappointment and heartache.
As these blessings change I am reminded that God’s love will still be the same. There may be times when I feel as if he loves me less, I may even be mad at him for these things being taken away from me. But despite my emotions on any given day, His love will never change.
This Thanksgiving I am thankful for my husband. I am thankful for the gift of being a mother and what a humbling process it has been these last six years. I am thankful for family and friends to share life with. I am thankful for my health and all the other ways we have been blessed. But I am most thankful for God's love which can never be taken away.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor
life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any
powers, neither
height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate
us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”
Romans 8:38-39
