Today, is Madelyn's official "gotcha day." It's been a year since Madelyn left the orphanage in China to join our family. I imagined getting to know Madelyn to be wonderful. But. I would never had guessed we would discover so much about life through one little girl.
Madelyn also has experienced loss; she has grieved this last year, missing the only life she knew. As the days have gone by, in the shelter of her family's love, she has had time and space to become who she is, to discover happiness, and to develop an inner joy and anticipation for life. I can only imagine what the coming years will be like as she experiences more of life, discovering the gifts of the day.
And, the story of Madelyn brings me to something greater, something I need to remember, something we all need to keep in mind, each day, which is what Jesus Christ endured, the unspeakable suffering and loss given to provide the way for us to experience a new life and a fresh start.
Consider.
I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. (Lamentations 3:20-23, NLT)
This is our hope: regardless of how hard life becomes, God is faithful, providing the way for us to be made new, to begin the day with a fresh start. He provides the shelter of His love, for us to become who we are created to be, to discover the gift of life, to learn what it means to be freed of the darkness, to experience the continual presence, power, and peace of Christ, covered in fresh mercy.
Begin a new day with a fresh start through the mercy of God.
Be made new.
Put your hope in the unending faithful love of God.
Anticipate what new thing God has for you today.
Remember the mercy of God provides a fresh start each day.
Learning to Kickstart the day with a fresh start through the mercy of God,
Kerrie
(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)
The thing is . . . it is so clear that God has a plan for each one of us . . . a plan of hope and a future.It wrecks me to think how God made this child to be who she is, a child of hope in a world that has lost hope. I am lost in wonder of how God has shifted the details of the universe to make something good out of heartbreaking circumstances. There were significant individuals who suffered loss and I thank God for them, for those who had Madelyn in the beginning, willingly experiencing loss to give this baby girl the opportunity for a new life, for her biological parents who were strong enough to believe there was life beyond her medical circumstances, and for the care providers at the orphanage who loved her, preparing her to leave. They gave all they had to her, willingly experiencing loss to provide a way for her to get the medical attention she needed, a new life, and a fresh start.
Madelyn also has experienced loss; she has grieved this last year, missing the only life she knew. As the days have gone by, in the shelter of her family's love, she has had time and space to become who she is, to discover happiness, and to develop an inner joy and anticipation for life. I can only imagine what the coming years will be like as she experiences more of life, discovering the gifts of the day.
And, the story of Madelyn brings me to something greater, something I need to remember, something we all need to keep in mind, each day, which is what Jesus Christ endured, the unspeakable suffering and loss given to provide the way for us to experience a new life and a fresh start.
Consider.
I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. (Lamentations 3:20-23, NLT)
This is our hope: regardless of how hard life becomes, God is faithful, providing the way for us to be made new, to begin the day with a fresh start. He provides the shelter of His love, for us to become who we are created to be, to discover the gift of life, to learn what it means to be freed of the darkness, to experience the continual presence, power, and peace of Christ, covered in fresh mercy.
Begin a new day with a fresh start through the mercy of God.
Be made new.
Put your hope in the unending faithful love of God.
Anticipate what new thing God has for you today.
Remember the mercy of God provides a fresh start each day.
Learning to Kickstart the day with a fresh start through the mercy of God,
Kerrie
(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)