Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." Matthew 16: 23 - 28
I was reminded of this verse today while my daughter, Hannah, was diligently memorizing it. Many people say to us when they hear that we are adopting again, "You are saints." Well, actually we are only saints because that is what the Bible calls the believers. Anyone who is a believer in Jesus Christ is a saint. It has nothing to do with the number of good works that you do. You cannot earn or work your way into heaven. I am really a sinner with a sinful nature just like anyone else. The difference is that I have been saved through the grace of Jesus Christ. I read and study my Bible everyday so that I may know and hear from God through his word. That is why we are able to love "the least of these" and bring them into our family. We take up our cross daily and follow Him.
Yes, we have to sacrifice. But it's worth it. I can't turn my back on the orphans of this world and live my nice suburbia, American Dream life. To turn my back on them is to turn my back on Christ. We will all have to stand in front of Jesus one day and give an account of our lives. I wouldn't want to hear him say something like, "You're an American! I've given you everything! What have you done with your life?"
Last year, David and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. How did we celebrate it? We went bike riding in the Cuyahoga National Park near our home. We had a wonderful time. I love bike riding and the park is so beautiful. No trip to Hawaii, Cancun or a cruise. One cannot afford these things of the world when adopting an orphan.
Is it worth it? Absolutely!! Someday, when I look back on my life I will have no regrets. I am surrounded by lots of hugs and kisses and I am never lonely (literally). I once heard a story of a woman who only had two children because she was living during the Great Depression. Now that she is old, she said that she regrets not having more children. She didn't have more children because of fear of providing for them during the depression. To live in fear is to say that we don't trust God. No one ever looks back on their life and says, "I wish I had spent more time making more money." I am investing in the kingdom of heaven and the lives that one day will be with Christ and me forever in heaven. I am seeking the eternal not the temporal things of this world.
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