Has a Challenge for You – A Relationship

For those of you who don't know, I'm the proud momma of two beautiful children. I can say that because 1) They are and 2) I didn't have anything to do with their looks, genetics, etc. Both of my beautiful children are adopted. I am blessed beyond measure. My daughter's adoption is an open adoption. Open means we know her birth parents. We have a relationship with them. We know where they are and how to reach them, and they know us and how to reach us. Whenever there is a question or concern, I can pick up the phone and call. For some who anticipate adopting a child fear grips them when someone talks about open adoptions. Fear comes from ignorance. Think about it – if the birth parents have struggled to make the hardest decision in their lives, they've met you and have hand-selected you, they aren't going to do something to jeopardize their relationship with you. The way I choose to look at it is this – There are two other people on the face of this earth who love our daughter with a sacrificial kind of love.

A closed adoption is when the birth parent(s) or agency may choose you to parent a child, but there is no real relationship between the two sets of parents – the birth parents and the adoptive parents. The parents of a closed adoption in our son's case saw our profile and photos and hand-selected us, but the agency is the one who contacted us. It's a one-time communication event. The information I have on them is limited. The information they have on us is limited. It's this relationship that reminds me most of some people who call themselves "Christian." Some people call themselves "Christian" because at one point in their life they prayed a prayer asking Jesus into their hearts to save them. Some might call it "fire insurance." Then nothing. They make that one-time communication – they choose to ask Jesus into their hearts, and then NOTHING. Sure, some go to church and fill a pew expecting to get what they need through osmosis – IT DON'T WORK LIKE THAT, SISTAS!

Relationships take work. If you are married, what if you husband proposed, you accepted and then he stopped talking to you? Let's get real, there really isn't a relationship at all.

There are many excuses as to why people don't read the Bible or have a quiet time. Your fiance' says, "I'd like to help you plan our wedding, find a place for us to live and all that kind of good stuff, but I'm too busy." Your husband says he can't take you out on your anniversary because he just doesn't know how to talk to you? Your child says, "Mom, I'd like to hear what you say and understand, but I just don't want to." Are those deal-breaking statements? Are those relationship-stalling perspectives? And yet, you choose every day to tell God by word or by actions that "you are too busy," and without any effort on your part you say,"I don't know how to talk to You, God nor do I understand the Bible." Or maybe you are His child who says, "I really just don't want to commit to that kind of a relationship with you God." OUCH! We've all done it at some time. We've dug the dagger into his heart and twisted it just like our loved ones have done to us.

My question to you is this, "Are you willing? Are you willing to try studying the Bible? Are you willing to try to grow in your faith and have a deeper, more meaningful relationship with your Creator, your Savior, the Lover of your soul? Are you willing?"

I hope so. If you are, walk with me of the next several weeks, and let's grow together in our relationship with Jesus. I do not pretend to know all there is to know. I struggle in my faith just like everyone else. My last couple of blogs reflect struggling in my faith – just keeping it real and being as transparent as I can be. Will you join me? I will give you resources and tools that I use when I study God's Word. I want to encourage you in your walk.

You may be wondering what happened between last week's blog and this week's blog – it's this. "He restores my soul" (Ps 23:3). My struggles haven't dissipated. My problems and concerns have not disappeared, but God has sent encouragers in my life for which I am forever thankful. They have quoted Scripture to me. They have prayed for me. They have followed-up with me to hold me accountable. That's what sisters and brothers in Christ do for one another.

So, I invite you to join me. I will hold you accountable if you will do the same for me. I will pray for you, and if you would pray for me, I'd really appreciate it.

My challenge for you this week is this: Read a Proverb a day. There is a chapter in Proverbs for every day in the month. Even if you choose to read and meditate on the first five verses that is a great start.