Oh my lands...I have a stirring in my soul....or a bee in my bonnet.....something has me all worked up.

The Lord just keeps burdening my heart for the orphan. To do something more to do an orphan ministry. I feel COMPLETELY inadequate. I just barely GET it myself, and Lord has assured me I am COMPLETELY inadequate, but that He is TOTALLY sufficient.

2 Corinthians 3:4-5 (New Living Translation)
4 We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. 5 It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.

I keep saying to the Lord to wait and then once we get Esther home, I will shout from the roof tops, and that will be my platform for having any authority to speak on behalf of the "orphan crisis". But, here's what the Lord keeps showing me....he calls people when they are at their worst, He can use them because they feel completely helpless, and stupid frankly and they HAVE to rely FULLY on Him and His word. I can NOT speak from experience because I have none, I am a baby in all this, but God did give us His word and when I read it, it talks about the orphan A LOT!!!! It doesn't say...once you feel well educated on the matter, or once you have experience...it gives commands concerning the orphan A LOT!!!!

James 1:27 (English Standard Version)
27Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this:(A) to visit(B) orphans and widows in their affliction, and(C) to keep oneself(D) unstained from the world.

I began to think I felt so passionately about this because I read these blogs about adoption or I'm just IN IT right now....so my mind is feeding on it, and I just need to settle down a bit....well, I have had NO time to feed on it the last couple of days, I have NOT been talking to anyone about it....I have not been even thinking about it or doing anything for Esther's adoption, and the PASSION in me is GROWING the PANIC is setting in stronger, the URGENCY is deeper....

I have had many women come up to me and say they have such a yearning to adopt, BUT blah blah blah. I've heard and SAID ALL the excuses...NONE OF IT IS NEW TO ME. And I keep feeling like the Lord wants me to DO something with all this, all these people that are feeling called to something more. I don't believe it is a fleshly, selfish desire that these women are having I believe it is the Holy Spirit speaking to their very hearts. To care for an orphan is not a selfish act, so I believe the Holy Spirit is awakening a desire in them and it all starts with prayer as to what to do with that desire next.

Romans 14:7-8 (New International Version)
7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

Galatians 2:20 (English Standard Version)
20I have been(A) crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives(B) in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God,(C) who loved me and(D) gave himself for me.

I also DO NOT believe that God has called all of us to adopt, but He has called EVERYONE to care for the ophan and widow....what that means for each person is between them and God, but I think it is worth asking the Lord what it means. He also commands us to PRAISE AND WORSHIP HIM, well, that doesn't mean I have to stand in church with a microphone and lead on the worship team (thank goodness), but it does mean I HAVE to praise and worship, so I'd better be doing THAT. He did NOT call us all to be pastors, but He did call us ALL to minister, and GO and make disciples of men. That does NOT mean we all have to go to AFRICA, it does mean we all have to go somewhere and spread the gospel. I think we all have the GO part down...we are always on the move, and I don't think it means we have to stand on the street corner and hand out Bibles, but I do think it means we GO and spread the gospel. So it's easy...just let Christ live in us, and we have the GO down and then LIVE IT and THAT is SPREADING THE GOSPEL. He will make PLENTY of opportunity if we make ourselves available to HIM. He also called us to LOVE ONE ANOTHER...

1 John 3:22-24 (English Standard Version)
22and(A) whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and(B) do what pleases him. 23And this is his commandment,(C) that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and(D) love one another,(E) just as he has commanded us. 24(F) Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God,[a] and God[b] in him. And(G) by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

I don't think that means just the people that are close to us, or easy to love, or are in our neighborhoods. So to LOVE ONE ANOTHER doesn't mean we can ignore when there is a CRISIS in the world, and the crisis RIGHT NOW IS AN ORPHAN CRISIS. I think it is worth each of us going before before Him and asking Him what He would have us individually do??? And then.....DO IT!

Mark 16:15 (English Standard Version)
15And he said to them, (A) "Go into all the world and(B) proclaim the gospel to(C) the whole creation.

I feel like a fool even putting this out there, when technically we have not done a thing yet. On paper we are not yet adoptive parents, OR in ministry OR OR OR OR....but, we ARE changed. God has changed our hearts and opened our eyes, and we had better speak up and give Him some glory and praise, and let Him use us any "ole way He wants, even if that means opening ourselves up to share in a VERY scary and exciting journey even before we know the outcome.

We will rely and trust fully on the Lord, because we can not do one ounce of this on our own.

Amen!