We had an issue this week that played out to a very positive learning experience and was even followed up with a devotion that I read the very next morning... I love how the Lord does that in my life.
Josiah had brought a dollar of his money to the kitchen and he said he placed it on the counter and it was gone... now my first thoughts were, "It is your own fault kiddo- don't leave money laying around to tempt someone." Of course I knew I had to address the issue of where was the dollar.... Mya had seen it in the hands of Caleb last and of course Caleb denied that. I had also taken Caleb and Jacob grocery shopping with me earlier and they had together bought themselves some donuts... Jacob has money but Caleb did not ... so this was his story," Jonas gave me the money for eating the horseradish ( we had some with our sushi and they all were trying to get someone to eat it)." Oh well what or whom was I to believe.... during the time I was questioning the "suspects" I notice that Mya is crying....
So I talked with her privately... and this was her story.. and I must say it was a precious one.. and one that we all learned a lesson about being tempted. We had been studying the question a few weeks back about ,Was Jesus tempted and if so did he sin? We learned that indeed he was but he did not sin because he did not do the temptations presented to him when he was in the wilderness... So this was sort of fresh in our minds...
Mya said she had held the dollar and Josiah knew that part... She put it in her pocket and wanted to take it... but she said," I told the devil no!" and I decided to listen to the Holy Spirit and not take the dollar. So I put it back... she has such a sweet spirit in her that she was brought to tears thinking about her response and choice to not do the wrong thing but to choose to obey what she knew was in her heart from the Holy Spirit. She shared with everyone later in the afternoon and it was an excellent "real" lesson for all of us...She did not share tears of remorse or being bad because she thought of doing it... she was crying because she had made the right choice and saw the way out that the Lord provided for her....Honestly her spirt as she was sharing was so sweet... just as if the Lord himself was speaking to us.
Then the next morning I opened my devotion and read this:
A Way Out
We will all have temptations today--that is a basic truth of the Christian Life. However, just because we have temptations does not mean we will necessarily sin. Just the opposite. Because you have temptations,you have a unique opportunity for success.
The word that Paul used here for tempted is also translated as tested. These tests can make you stronger if you seek God in them and take the way out he gives you. We need to set our heart on God and resolve that we will listen to him when temptation comes our way... He will show us an excellent way out-- a way that leads us to overcoming or victory.
The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation. 2 Peter 2:9
Ben is our last bio. child... and he turned 18. I love the last 2 pictures of Ben with Josiah looking at him... actually Josiah could not wait to give Ben his present which was a letter he had written. We stress to all of our older children... walk a walk that is worthy... because you have lots of younger ones always watching you. This shot shows that wonderfully.
He also had his first post op for his eye surgery ...and it looks great and has healed well. We should not have to do anymore surgery thankfully. He goes to the ocularist April 12 to adjust or redo entirely his prosthetic eye... please pray that it is an adjustment... it would be way less money compared to a new eye that cost 3,000 dollars.
This starts the Holy Week for us... we love this time of year for all the new life that is around us. It is also my favorite holiday- Easter. One of the ways we try to make it a special time in our home is to make a "tomb scene". We plant grass seed around it and watch it grow... eventually you will see lots of grass growing up. We also do the "Resurection Eggs" - actually this basket of eggs is 25 yrs old. I made them that long ago to do with our first group of children who are now adults :) These eggs have symbols of things that are a part of the Easter story like spices in one egg to remind us of how they put them on Jesus's body when he was put in the tomb, nails for the nails they used to nail him to the cross, and one egg is empty... because of the tomb being empty on Easter morning. At dinner or family devotion time we review the story this week. Also we do crafts...like this one with the baby chicks or bunny puppets...
. In April he will have his oral surgery- teeth cleaned at the hospital under general anesthesia.For now that is all we are doing medically. He needs way more time to adjust to life outside of the orphanage. We feel very strongly about this and have always tried to give our children more time to adjust to eating healthy food and getting loved before we do lots of tests and medical interventions unless they have needed it to save their life. A few of our children have been in that category and needed lots of intervention just to live but he is getting healthier and moving towards the positive.
...she has gone from a very quiet girl to one who is beginning to express herself.. not yet with audible words but we do hear sounds. She will sit with the family during our family time and she loves to be with all of us doing whatever we are doing.... She has been home 3 months now.
