Redeemed!

Forgetting myself I drank coffee yesterday afternoon, I savored the brown liquid of life as it caressed down my throat... God knew the energy and strength I would need later....  I will say, it was not so savory being bright eyed at midnight when I wanted to sleep though.  However, two redeeming things came out of my more alert status-
#1 Mr. Incredible made a surprise appearance and was home for seven hours!  Only the children who crawl in our bed at night and I know this secret information and we aren't blabbing (except here of course!).  He is back on his business trip today, but with all the flying/meetings yesterday they missed 'the dinner' (which was the reason to be in D last night) so he and the pilot flew home for the night and flew out again this morning.  Yeah!  Got to see my honey!

The back story for two:  China is an atheistic, Communist country because of this we pray for not only the country, but our daughters and 'the heritage' that they have from there.  L spent almost 4.5 years in an orphanage.  She was the pet.  It would appear she got what she wanted and 'told' if she didn't.  Adopting L at 4.5 years, was not only a leap of faith financially and physically, but also spiritually.  I have led four out of six of our children to Christ by the time they were five (some younger), this is not a goal, it just has happened.  Adopting a child who was totally ignorant of God, what Jesus had done for her and lacking moral standards has been interesting.  I know you're thinking, 'Come on Jennifer.  She's five! How much can a five year old do wrong?'.  To this I say actions speak louder than words and what a man believes in his heart is what he does.  E is significantly developmentally delayed, so much so that L will 'take advantage' of E's slowness. Not acceptable.  There was an incident yesterday of lying and another of destroying E's property (just a little old Valentine, but not the point).  It all boiled down to she wanted it and she was going to by 'any means necessary' get what she wanted.  I was not going to let her win this.  I won it and in the process two happened.
 
#2 Every time we discipline we endeavor to lead it back to God.  The reason we don't ---- is because Jesus said ----.  Also, our prayer of the last two years of being able to show our (new) child Christ's love so that she would one day accept Him as her Savior.
 
Last night Lollipop asked Jesus to live in her heart!!!!!

There are some that believe that a child can't understand a commitment to Christ.  I disagree.  At five, I committed my life and though I have not always been moving forward in my relationship with Christ (age 13 and 17-19 leap to mind), I have always known that my life was not my own and the things that I might try to keep hidden He would bring to light, so it would be best if I lead a life that was as transparent as possible.

I am so thankful that God used this imperfect mommy to lead her daughter to Christ!  God is good!  He takes the fatherless and sets them in families so that they may know Him! (Ps 68:6) God redeems!