reflecting...

A little over a year ago we were in full on pursuit of our son. This was pre-knowledge that we were going to be in pursuit of two sons. :)

Lord, today I ask you to make our life a drink offering before you. Help us to daily pour our life out to you so we can be fully consumed by you. 

Blog post from our adoption journey, www.bringgaryhome.blogspot.com

FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2013

All this pain...how is there joy?

“All this pain, I wonder if I’ll ever find my way, I wonder if my life could really change, at all?”-  These words from Gunger’s song “Beautiful things”, run through our heads and hearts at one time or another in our life…. Or maybe on a daily bases.  Am I ever going to find my way?  Can my life change, at all? Can all the pain, and hurt and unfairness that seems to just find it’s way upon me EVER change??

As I ponder these thoughts and the answer to these questions I cannot help but let my mind wonder to our Gary.  The feeling of being unwanted, the heart breaking story of his loss and abandonment by his parents, the hurt in being turned over to a welfare institute… And my heart aches to the thought of his grandparents. His grandparents, who love him dearly… Who do not have the means to even provide the most simplest of necessities to survive. But out of pure love and desire for their grandson signed him over with the hope that one day, one day before his 14^th birthday, he would be found… He would be wanted… he would be loved… he would be adopted…he would be a part of a forever family!

On Christmas day 2012, our family decided to follow a command and a calling at our hearts. We decided to host Gary…On February 2, 2013 as we saw Gary walking down the airport hall (we were in love, head over heels) He and Aaron embraced in the most amazing moments I have ever seen in my life.  At that moment of that simple hug, a hug, his life was changing and so was ours.  We tried so hard to not make any fast or hasty emotional decisions about adoption, and boy was that SO difficult!  But we were diligent in prayer and when I mean diligent I mean every waking moment an every breath breathed while Gary was here and even more before he arrived! But on March 8, 2013 our son left for China. He was leaving home and will be back again. He HAS been found, HE IS wanted, HE IS loved, HE IS being adopted before his 14^thbirthday, and HE IS a part of a forever family!! 
Oh, but it gets better…Gary not only is becoming a part of a forever family but 2 weeks after he was here, in America he surrendered his life to Christ and became a part of the forever family of God.

*On Wednesday, April 11, my mother and I drove to Mount Ulla, NC for her uncle’s funeral.   As I sat back and listened to this pastor of this small church, build in 1804, in a town of North Carolina that has not changed since 1804…. I was struck by the joy that was in this place.  I am not kidding, at a funeral, there was joy.  The pastor’s message was all of 10 minutes per my great uncle’s request and the pastor said zero about my great uncle…per his request but all about Christ. And that was just it…. The pastor speaking all about Christ spoke Loud and Clear all about my mom’s uncle!  Do you get that?  Oh, how I want my life to be lived in a way that all that is heard is Christ!  

Philippians 2:17 -“But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy.”

Here is one of the most wonderful verses in the Word of God.  It pictures what the Christian life should look like.  Paul is referring to one of the earliest offerings in the Old Testament.  
The Drink offering/ Liquid offering- Genesis 35:14

“The nesekh represented the devotion of the fruits of man's work to G-d, because it was not a natural product, but something created through man's effort. A representative piece of the offering was burnt on the fire of the altar.” –Judaism 101  

NESEKH  Original Word: נָסַך Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: nacak Phonetic Spelling: (naw-sak') Short Definition: cover I. נָסַךְ verb pour out

Why would this be significant to a Jewish believer/ Christian?

In the books Leviticus and Numbers the sacrifices are described.  WE learn that there was a drink offering and the meal offering.  It was never added to the sin offering or the trespass offering. It was a most unusual offering in that it had nothing to do with redemption; it had nothing to do with the person of Christ.  They would bring a skin of wine and just pour it on the sacrifice which was being consumed by fire.
What would happen to it????  
It would go up in steam and disappear!!! 

Hummmmm…Paul is saying, “I want my life to be poured out like a drink offering on the offering of Christ!” Paul knows that the Lord Jesus Christ made the supreme sacrifice. He wanted his life to be a drink offering-just poured out to go up in steam. He wanted to be so consumed and obscured that all that is seen is just Jesus Christ. He wanted Christ to receive all the honor and the glory. This was the mind of Paul. This needs to be the mind of us.