It was a fun couple of days with 11 kids in tow! The cousins all had such a great time together and we miss them around here.
Joy's surgery was a success and she is back home now and recovering in loving arms. She has 2 more surgeries to go, poor girl, but she is a trooper and also very blessed to be getting the medical care she needs.
I remember back before Noble and India came home, we had 2 sets of 2 little girls stay with us on 2 separate occasions. I got the chance to practice lining up 8 plates, 8 cups, 8 snacks...and I loved it. It felt right.
I've always desired a big family (though I NEVER thought we would adopt!) and jokingly we've said from the beginning of our marriage that we would probably end up with 10 kids. It's funny how close to 10 we've gotten and it still feels very "normal".
I LOVE the love and blessings and even the challenges involved in raising each one. I LOVE the potential wrapped up in each individual life. I LOVE the relationships and friendships we share. I just really enjoy them, even when it's hard work (and every day it is!). I cherish this season of them all being little and home. Surely a new season will arrive in due time when my ducklings will fly off to their God-ordained missions in life and I'll cheer for them as they do. I'm their biggest fan.
As a mom, I think of Jesus' ministry with His 12 disciples. He focused on them. He invested in them. He abided with them in a unique and precious fellowship. Jesus ministered to the masses, but He intimately bonded with, spent Quantity Time with, intentionally taught, trained, and became yoked with His 12.
I think of my family like that. I think of us as a band of disciples. We're all following the Teacher, Jesus, and He has placed us, the parents, in charge of rearing our little pupils. With His help and grace, I pray that we can disciple our children's hearts well. Even when we fail them (which we will daily), I know that He never will. He loves us and He loves them and His plans are always good.
I can't think of any better way to minister here on earth in this season of child rearing than to invest our time, efforts, and prayer in the ministry of parenthood. It's a very large task, but the One who blessed us with each child we love is faithful and I know He will guide us all as we submit ourselves to His lead.
"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am
your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my
righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
So, who knows...maybe one day we'll have our 10, 11, a dozen (?!) kids in tow should that be God's will. Only He knows the plans He has for us and we're following His lead every single step of the way, trusting that He knows best, and seeking Him first on this journey through the ministry of parenthood.
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13
"Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from
him." Psalm 127:3
[The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson offers wonderful encouragement on this topic. I would recommend any book by the Clarksons at Whole Heart Ministries. They have spurred me on through these parenting years, for which I am grateful.]
