Now we could argue about this all day, but you can't change my mind that I have the BEST mommy. I always joked with her that I feel like I turned out pretty good, so she can raise my children so I can be proud of them. The responsibility used to scare me that my decisions on love, discipline, and being a Godly example all rested on our shoulders to mold this little person. I guess I feel that responsibility even more now that we are adopting. I am going to get a child to raise, under the idea that we can give them a better life. That is easy as far as material things, they were sharing a crib with 3 other babies and now they have their own, they have clean new clothes, and they have all the food they could want to eat. As far as emotionally they will have Reid and I to wholly focus on them rather than waiting their turn for their babushkas. But the hard part is how do you make sure your child is getting the spiritual aspects?
I can take Mason to church everyday they are open, we can read our devotions before we go to bed at night, and Reid and I can tell them all of the right things. Unfortunately, this is when I have to remember my own conversion experience and how much my mom was a part of that. I had to hear about God and accept him on my own. My mom gave me the tools by talking about God to me so that I probably understood salvation earlier. She had me at church so that Pastor Gurley could share the gospel message with me. She showed me how a Christian was supposed to act though most importantly. My mom didn't flaunt her Christianity as though it were a show, rather I would catch her reading her bible every day. I still interrupt her every morning during her devotions when I call her "just to talk", just as I did in person when I was a kid. My mom also taught me about being fruitful. She is the kindest and most loving woman in the world and she treated everyone like that. Even in all of my fathers outbursts and hateful things he did, she never spoke down about him to us. She never treated anyone poorly, no matter how bad her day was going, and she never had an unkind word to her children.
As I write this I realize that I never told her how much that she was the reason I became a believer. Pastor Gurley led me to salvation, but my mom spent her whole life leading me to the cross. That is the kind of mom that I want to be.
And even now she still continues to amaze me. Reid and I wondered how our parents would feel when we told them that we didn't plan to have any children biologically, but rather we wanted to adopt. My mom was ECSTATIC! She had her grandma name picked out already...FYI, the shall henceforth be known to all grandkids as GIGI-the cool grandma! But once again, my mom doesn't just talk the talk, she walks the walk. When I came to her crying one day about how the Ukraine was closing, and the other programs were too expensive, she informed me that she had started saving for our adoption the day we told her about our desire to adopt. Her additional funds were the difference we needed to do the Russia program. And she did this because she was listening to God, which knowing that her generosity is an outflowing of her love and closeness with our Creator makes the gift that much better.
And did I mention that she is there for me to talk to about this whole process and encourage us along the way. My mom is the best about letting me talk forever about everything and everything, but she will call me on spiritual trust issues. She will speak scripture over me and talk with me about trusting God to provide, or just to realize how he already has. She continues to lead me back to the cross with every chance that she gets. She pretty much rocks--basically!
And now the newest pictures of the nursery. Not only is she helping fund the adoption, but she has also painted his nursery. Officially one corner is done!
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