As I sit and contemplate the path of our adoption I have spent many hours in prayer and reading my Bible. Something I don't do nearly enough of on a normal basis. I have been reading through Matthew. I figured since that is where we are working through the Beatitudes in church it is a good place to start. It has really got my mind running. Bare with me while I process through it with you on this blog. There are many verses that have been speaking to me and I am giving my opinions on them. If you don't want to hear it then you are free to leave. If you are interested then this is my view on what I have been reading. I'd love your feedback. Whether you agree or disagree with me. Just be nice.

Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns." Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
Matthew 16:23-25
What does it mean to " deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me"? It means to die to self. To give up the plans you had for your life and the things that you have always seen as important if he asks you to, to do the will of God. It means fulfilling God's call even if it is not the way you would choose to do things. Going where you are needed even if it is not where you would choose to go. Helping those who are lost and hurting even when you don't want to. Even when you look at what it will cost for you to do it, what you will have to give up in your life to do so. Your time, your money, your freedom. God does not usually ask us to do those things that are in our comfort zones. He asks us to stretch our faith and go outside where we are comfortable. He asks us to trust Him even when it is hard and we don't feel that we are able to do what He asks.

See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.
Matthew 18:10-14
Who are the lost sheep? The lost sheep are those that do not know God. Those who are alone and hurting. These are some of His lost sheep, the least of these. The most innocent among us. Those who because of medical issues face life alone. What a horrible thing to go through life without anyone who really cares whether you live or die. To not have anyone in this world to show you the light of Jesus. To be completely and utterly alone. They need people who will step up and make them sons and daughters. Who will love them whole-heartedly all the days of their lives. To be there for them no matter what.

Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.
Matthew 19:13-15
Children are special in the sight of God. They have an innocent, blind faith. They do not need proof to believe in Him. They just trust that He is real. How wonderful is that to be able to just trust. To be able to walk along the path with Him and know that when He calls, He equips you to complete the task. What He asks of you will always be in your best interest, even if it is not easy. Even in difficulty there is growth. Sometimes He asks you to do things that you are clearly not qualified to do, so that He can be shown in the midst of it.

When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment. Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 17:14-21
I have faith that God has a purpose and a plan for my life. I have faith that He has another child picked out for us to raise to know him. I have faith that no matter who that child is or the struggles and challenges in life that child has He will give us the strength to parent her. That no matter what medical issue she was born with He did not make a mistake when He created her and she is perfect in His eyes and she is perfect for our family.

Lord I have faith in your plan for me. I trust you with my life, with my future, with my family. I command the mountain standing in the way of our adoption to move. I pray for your strength and for your direction. I thank you for guiding my life. For caring about me. For dying on the cross to forgive me of my sins even though I do not deserve it. I thank you for all that you do for me every day of my life. I Love You Lord. With all my heart, with all my soul and with all my mind. I am grateful for your love.
Amen

I'll just leave you with this verse......

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink. When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Matthew 25:31-46
Who can you find to help today?