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Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Family Values

We've been down in Florida this week hanging with the Jobe Family. For your viewing pleasure (and mine), Colleen managed to capture this shot of my favorite little beach bum:


We had the sweetest time with this family. Our time together was tons of fun:

"The Josephs" (pic, by Colleen)

And it's also been such nourishment for my parched soul.

"The Mommas" (pic by...you got it, Colleen)

It's just so refreshing to spend time with another family that looks like ours and values what we value. We did life with the Ugly Couch crew for several days and I was pretty pumped to discover this: a typical day in their home looks a whole lot like a typical day in the Owens home.

There are highs and lows and ups and downs and new challenges for each day. This adoption stuff just isn't easy. As Jesus himself told us in Matthew 6:34... "do not worry about tomorrow... each day has enough trouble of its own." True that.

I read an article on the way to the beach about the value of children in our culture. Although America is a place where most people believe children are highly valued, the author of this article tends to disagree. Sad as it is, I think most of us can see truth in this paragraph...

"Children rank way below college. Below world travel for sure. Below the ability to go out at night at your leisure. Below honing your body at the gym. Below any job you may have or hope to get. In fact, children rate below your desire to sit around and pick your toes, if that is what you want to do. Below everything. Children are the last thing you should ever spend your time doing."

And that's an assessment on biological children. Surely adopted children rank even lower on the list.

To mother or father a large family is to truly lay down your own life. Your hopes, your dreams, your plans -- your idea of what your life should be. It's everything the world tells you shouldn't do.

But this is the gospel. And only those who are willing to lose their lives will find them (Matt 16:25).

How blessed I am to have a sister like Colleen to share in this crazy life. Jobe family, we love you guys!!!

6 comments:

Kim Van Brunt said...

Such sweet, true words for this mama! Does having 3 kids count as having a "large" family? Because I feel like the volume level and the constant putting out of fires qualifies. It's nutso in my house most of the time! I had a babysitter tell me this week, "I don't know how you do this every day!" I was thinking, really? You're 20.

It's refreshing to be reminded that dealing with adjustment issues, attachment worries and transracial family stress is part of living out the gospel, minute by minute. Be blessed in the crazy, sister!

anything but LoKEY said...

Glad you guys had a good time together! :)

Colleen said...

I love that little beach bum. I can't believe you committed two whole posts to the Ugly Couch...I'm overwhelmed. :)
Missing you and wishin' we lived closer...
T

Sophie said...

Oh the cuteness of little baby bottoms!

Sounds like you had a great time, so nice to have the opportunity to vacation with a bloggy friend that you share so much in common with.

Mandi said...

Hey, I noticed on a fb photo the location SeaGrove...if that is just down the road from Destin...we may have to make this the location of a Summer Ugandan Fellowship. Our parents and my friend Kim's parents (she is coming home with 2 young boys from Sonrise next week, yippee) both have places near there..and even more so now, we will only be vacationing at free spots courtesy of our blessed grandparents :)So glad to hear of your time away with a fellow crazy sister. Looking forward to the next time I can share the same :)

Charity said...

Love this - great perspective on children!