Brothers make the world go round!

Our six year old, Samuel, has gone on holiday to visit his grandparents.  This has not made his sister very happy.  Lucy has been mildly devastated given that her best friend/brother will not be around for a couple of days.  So, in an attempt to comfort our devastated little one, we journeyed across the cul-de-sac to play with our neighbors.

A short aside about our neighborhood and how much God knows.  Amy and I moved from our previous home a little more than two years ago.  We wanted to find a home that offered a good place for our children to grow up.  We wanted that old-fashioned neighborhood where everyone just hangs out in the evenings and all of the kids play.  We found just that, so bravo to the Lord for His provision.  You thought that was it.  Oh no!  Amy and I had also been thinking about adopting once Lucy was about two years old.  Not only do our immediate neighbors have children the same age as our Samuel, they are all adopted, two little girls from South Korea and one from Ukraine.  We saw this as a strong confirmation for us to adopt.  We are so thankful for our neighborhood, but most thankful to our God for knowing our needs and providing for them perfectly.

Now back to the story.  Lucy had a great time with the neighbors, but it was getting late and it was bedtime.  We had to say good-bye to our friends and come home.  Lucy looked up in the sky and saw the moon.  There is probably nothing sweeter than the way a two-year old talks.  "Look mommydaddy, da moon."  She follow-up her observation with an even more startling claim.  "Brother turned in on for me."  Even with her brother gone to visit the grandparents, she knew that he missed her and wanted to let her know that he loves her.  Children are amazing and I regularly want to be more like them.

Lord, teach us to believe like our children.  Teach us to get all of our baggage out of the way and see what you are doing.  Teach us to imagine, to dream, to hope and to believe.  You have overcome the world and you have given us a great inheritance.  Let us not live beneath what you died to provide.  You alone are great and worthy to be praised.