Is she a fool whose FEET walk paths of exhaustion and drudgery, to bring freedom to those who lay stuck in the mire of their own folly?
Is she a fool whose TIMEforgoes succulence, to mourn with the friendless, weep with the unlovely, and banter with the simple?
Is she a fool whose TALENTSfind use in stays so desperate, thankless, and lonely, that no visible gain is rewarded for the effort?
Is she a fool whose HANDS become those that feed the lame, whose LIPS shout the untold story to the blind, whose EMBRACE preaches Christ to a soul lying cold within a broken body and mind?
Is she a fool whose EARS are tuned to the singing of the saints in the eternal expanse, whose HEART delights in the sword of truth that rebukes and restores?
Is she a fool whose MINDis so rich with the words of Christ, that little else is uttered?
Whose PHYSIQUE is so laced with the integrity of Christ, that it becomes quite forgettable?
Whose SPIRIT spills out the compassion of Christ, that little else can describe her?
Is she a fool whose whole LIFE is so hidden in Christ, that no ambition is too rooted, no ability is too revered, no relationship too intimate, and no luxury too pleasing, to be forfeit for His sake, regardless of the discomfort?
Is she a fool who at the moment of death, feels her heart quicken with delight rather than distress, so as to finally behold His GLORY?
Oh indeed she is not a fool, when on that great and glorious day, He exclaims, “Well done, my GOOD and FAITHFUL daughter! Receive the REWARD and PRAISE you have earned in the city gates.
For her CHARACTER has become so deeply embedded into His own, that she has become quite undistinguishable from Christ Himself.
* * *
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds of things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life appears, then you all will appear with him in glory.” Col 3:1-3 NIV.
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18 NIV.
“…A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30b NIV.
Andrea is a wife of 8 years to her shining steed Darren, mom to three beautiful children – Brody (5), Elyse (3), & Iain (1), and works casually as an Occupational Therapist. She’s passionate about studying scripture, discipleship, global evangelism, and ministries involving women, seniors, or human trafficking issues. Her favourite moments typically involve a good laugh with friends, great conversations into the night, and anything involving chocolate.
It’s been said that life is not about the breaths you take, but about the moments that take your breath away. An amazing sunset. A first kiss. A walk down the aisle. They all qualify. For our family, the last couple of weeks have been a series of these moments that have taken our breath away.
One of those moments has found a permanent home in my memory. It was the day we met our boys, Jonathan and Nicholas, for the first time. We had just finished an hour-long meeting with our caseworker that had given us their brief life history. Their story was fleshed out with some background details about their parents, grandparents, and a few aunts and uncles.
When that part of the meeting ended, she led us down a hallway and through a door. And that’s when it happened, a sort of surreal moment that seemed to be crawling in slow motion. About thirty feet away, in a different room, we saw our boys for the first time through a glass wall. I was supposed to be listening to our caseworker give us some final instructions before meeting them, but I didn’t hear a word she said. My eyes were fixed on my boys, a knot in my stomach, and a lump in my throat. The moment took my breath away.
In Psalm 139, the Bible says that God knows every one of our days before they came to be. The larger context of the passage tells us that not only does God know every one of our days, but he has known about them since before the creation of the world.
That means God knew about July 18, 2005 long before I did. He knew that on a blistering hot summer day in a crowded hotel in mainland China, we would get to hold our little girl for the first time. He knew that on a cold rainy day on November 22, 2010, we would get to meet our boys for the first time. Psalm 139 means that before any of what we see around us even came to be, God knew the day I would be born. He even knows the day that he will call me home to be with him forever. And he knows the same about you.
But only tonight did I realize something pretty amazing. On the way home from our visit with the boys, Stacey said that had we not moved to Niagara three years ago, our lives wouldn’t be changing in the ways they are right now. That’s not what amazes me; even in my limited understanding, I was able to put that together. Nor does it amaze me that Jonathan was born on July 11, 2007, and only three weeks later we moved to Niagara.
What amazes me is that God knew all of that before it came to be. He knows the beginning from the end. What amazes me is that God is the grand orchestrator of all things, and in the midst of weaving together his perfect plan, he is gracious enough to give us these simple yet profound moments that take our breath away.
Our visit at the boy’s foster home tonight ended by putting them to bed, Jonathan in his Thomas the Tank bed, and Nicholas in his racecar bed. As soon as we got home, Katie was off to bed, too.
Only then did I realize something else pretty amazing. Tonight was the first night that I got ‘good nights’ from all three of my kids. First from Nicholas. Then from Jonathan. Then, from my little girl and new big-sister, Katie.
Andrea is a wife of 8 years to her shining steed Darren, mom to three beautiful children – Brody (5), Elyse (3), & Iain (1), and works casually as an Occupational Therapist. She’s passionate about studying scripture, discipleship, global evangelism, and ministries involving women, seniors, or human trafficking issues. Her favourite moments typically involve a good laugh with friends, great conversations into the night, and anything involving chocolate.
