We have one week to decide if this child is to be our daughter.
Tonight E called us into his room and said, “This is my thinking pose.” We got tickled as he showed us how he thinks so we all made our best pose. As a family we are deep in thought this week. My sister’s family comes up with dance moves. Our family comes up with thinking moves. Sigh. I always knew she was more fun!
But thinking we do.
Have you ever felt tempted to place your kids in the center and make decisions based on them? I face this temptation often as I make decisions.
One day my four year old asked, “Mommy, do you love us or God more?”
I answered, “I love God more.”
His response (imagine amazement and disbelief). “Huhhhhhh?”
“Yeah, by loving God more than you it makes me a better mommy. Remember commandment 2, ‘Don’t have any idols?’ If I love you more than God, then I would have an idol.”
“Oh, yeah, I forgot about that one mommy.” He skipped off, content with my answer, to his next adventure.
Having a referral in my hand for a precious little girl, my heart is so tempted to just say, “Yes!” How can I look in her eyes on the photo on my computer screen and say anything else?
But my spirit stops me. I want (read this word want as I inwardly ache) for God to guide me and truly be God in my life, not precious eyes of a child. I want my life to be built upon responding to the Creator God for everything. I love the mission of Jesus and how he summarized it in John 17:4, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” I so want to be able to say this statement someday.
Anything or anyone I place before God in my life is an idol. If anything captures my devotion more than Christ, it is an idol.
So I realize that to move forward, to keep God at the center of my life, He must do the talking. I must do the listening.
What an important decision – God, is this the ONE you are choosing, that I will then choose to enter our family?
So I find myself telling God over and over, “Not my will, but yours…” “Not my will, but yours…” “Not my will, but yours…”
So, we have one week to hear God. We must hear the Lord’s voice, and not just view her precious face, to move forward.
Because we must bow to no person or thing. We must place only Jesus Christ before us. All else must come behind – and that will make us a better parent, spouse, worker, or citizen.
