That's how I wanna' be

Just a short post before heading to bed. I love that I can blog on vacation!! SO much fun!

I just read one of my adoption blogs (another family that I don't know!). :) More than one of you are laughing at me right now!

Anyway, this family has 6 kids- three biological, three from Ethiopia (who just came home several months ago). They made an announcement that they are adopting three more from Ethiopia. That is AWESOME!! The end of their post says:

Since God first told us to adopt our three last summer, our mantra has been "My Life is Not My Own." Paul says in Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." We have known that verse for our entire lives; we just decided a few years ago we would really believe it.

And so here we are; our lives are not our own. We are choosing to be conduits of redemption for these children's lives on earth. God wants to redeem their lives from the pit; we are saying YES to being those vessels through which that happens.

This kind of tags along with my previous post about the Mark Schultz song. I don't want my life to be one made up of selfish ambitions. I want to do whatever He wants. This amazing couple is making major sacrifices. They'll probably retire late, they'll work extremely hard, they'll be exhausted BUT they will have 9 precious kids- 6 of them who wouldn't have parents had they not adopted them. This family has taken up the burden God laid on their hearts. When they see the statistics that show there are 143 million orphans they don't turn their heads- they ask God to show them what to do. They've put aside their plans for the future and turned them over to God.

I've been thinking alot recently about life and one of the many things I have realized is that I still hold onto MY desires and dreams. Does that mean I can't hope that my dreams will come true? No. It just means that I have to surrender them to the Lord. I have to long for and desire God's will above my own. My life is not my own. What will I do with the rest of the days God gives me? Will I seek to fulfill my own fleshly desires or will I seek Him and follow where He leads?

So I was incredibly encouraged and inspired by this family tonight. What an awesome testimony of following after God with your whole heart.

When I grow up..... that's how i wanna' be! :) I will admit, I do hope that God plans for me to adopt! :)

if you want to see this family's blog it's http://blessingsfromethiopia.blogspot.com/