Smoldering Tuesday . . . it comes again. Each Tuesday before Ash Wednesday will always have huge significance for our family. It was the timing . . . it was the journey that we were beginning . . . it gave Lent such purpose for us. It was the day in 2012 that God placed adoption on our hearts and forever changed our lives and the way we view the world.
(A side note . . . if you want to read that particular story check out this post from last year . . .
http://ajourneybutnotalone.blogspot.com/2013/09/smoldering-tuesday.html)
I am so deeply grateful that God has given our family the opportunity to experience this and use our journey, where we are not alone, to show HIS glory in the world. Kevin and I have the opportunity to shape the lives of the children, God's children, that have been entrusted to us. This is not a responsibility we take lightly. I pray that our sweet girls, all 5 of them, grow in faith, hope and love that only God can truly provide. I think they have a good start.
"S" came to me just a few days ago and we had the following conversation:
She said, "Mommy, did you know that there are a lot of kids in my class that have their own electronics, like ipods and ipads and stuff."
Me, "Oh, what do you think about that?" (Our kiddos have electronics they can use, but nothing that is just theirs.)
"S", "Well, those things seem to be really important to them. That's sometimes all they talk about."
Me, "How does that make you feel?"
"S", "It makes me feel sad for them. Because the important thing to me is my family. Maybe they don't have a family that is important to them."
Whoa! "S" gets it. She really gets it. I see this kiddo someday being a missionary in some remote village in Africa, loving the life she has. And we will be so very happy for her! Our relationships are important. 'Things' are not important. Yes, 'things' can be functional. We do need certain 'things' to live day to day life. 'Things' can be sentimental. However, 'things' can't hold our memories, our emotions, our value. It is our relationships with others that do all of that. It is the time spent with those around us that birth our memories, that create our feelings. It is our relationships with others and especially with God that grant our lives value. Each person has intrinsic value because they are a loved child of God!
That's what this day is about for our family . . . relationships. How we are engaging differently in the world around us, following God's calling in our lives, to live into relationships with others.
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