What will you leave your children?

Oh money, oh taxes...oh phewy. As we get older and as we talk tax season and because we live in this crazy time, I hear people say so often, "What will you have to leave to your children?" If I were to answer this question right now, it would be so discouraging to the world's ears. We have nothing to leave them....financially. Seriously, there is a small 401K from my OFL days and maybe some inheritance from grandparents...but from us, right now, in this day and time, financially it's not much.

Today, though, I was reminded of what we WILL leave them....and can leave them..and prayerfully need to remember to leave them every day. Here it is.....Love God, Love others. Well, that won't pay for college or buy them their first home, or give them a new car.....but it is all they really will need.

So many people have warned us about how our upcoming foster/adoption may affect Jackson and Presley. And believe me, I am not naive to the fact that we might be subjecting all of us to some pain and challenges along the way....hmmmm...sounds familiar and it's really what we all experience in our lives, unfortunately. I hope that they will be affected in another life changing way. I hope that they understand that we are all God's family and that it is the call on our lives to love God and love others. Love is sacrificial, love is kind, love is loving the unlovable, the forgotten, the weak, the weary, the orphans, the widows.....

 We have included them in this whole process through many, and almost daily, conversations, prayers and stories. They are excited for a "new kid" as they have termed it and understand that we will be bringing someone into our home who needs a family. They have open hearts to the "new kid" already and I see the Lord working in their little hearts. They wish it could be NOW, but understand we are waiting on God's plan. It's such an amazing thing to talk with them about this journey on a spiritual level and know that this part of our lives will be part of their testimony. It's bringing us together as a family in really rich ways.

I pray that THIS is what we are leaving our kids.....the ability to see with God's eyes and love with God's heart and live out the gospel. Anything else we will leave them will surely perish.

1 John 4:9-11 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.