Seeking Advice

I have been learning a lot about advice lately.  And this is not to say that there is not a lot to be gained in seeking advice and wise counsel from others.  But in my own experience, I have been reminded that more important than any input from friends, is taking the concern directly to the Lord. 

For me, I prefer the audible response of clarity, which I often feel lacks in my conversations with God.  If he would send me an email, I'd more quickly turn to him with my problems.  But because it is so much easier to go to a friend and get a quick and resolute response, I often find that I err too much on that method of solving my dilemmas.

My recent quandary, whether or not to take in 2 innocent bystanders involved in a tragic situation of their own mother's poor choices, caused me much anguish. 

I talked with some women in a community mom's group I have been involved in for years.  I shared about our plan to take in these 2 little girls as part of our family.  I was inundated with opinions.  I was reminded so clearly of the message our culture feeds us.  Take care of yourself.  Put yourself and your family first.  The advice I was given ranged from "You don't have to do this" to "that's fine, but your family is your first priority, so if it gets to be too much, or has negative effects on your family, you make them a priority and you say no."

Why?  Why are these kids not as important as my own kids?  They certainly are to God.  So shouldn't they be to me too?  Obviously they aren't important enough to their own mom, so who is making them a priority if not me?

Then I heard counsel from others who shared my belief in a God who calls us to love our neighbor as our self.  Even then I was struck by a message that seemed more worldly than the scripture I have come to know as God's commands for our life.  "Yes, this is a calling, but it may not be yours," "This is an opportunity to serve, but pray to see if it's where God would have you right now." Doesn't scripture command that every opportunity in front of us is for us to do something about?  Where does it say we are to wait to make sure it is something we are being asked?  The very nature of our knowledge of the need is us being asked to respond.  We are asked commanded in scripture to do these things.  These commands apply to all of us, all the time.  How has our culture allowed us to think otherwise?

And it is because of this understanding of the scriptures that I feel no choice but to respond by opening my home, my heart, and all that comes with it to these two little people who are in need.  Yes, I have to let go of my comfort, and possibly even my sanity.  Yes, I have to let go of the ability to be available to serve others who have needs around me because my time will be otherwise occupied.  Yes, I have to let go of what I thought our family would and should look like.  Yes, I am stepping out in faith to truly trust and rely on God to sustain me because I can NOT do this on my own.  But the deal is, the day I said yes to following Christ I agreed to die to myself and to live for Him.  And all the blessings that he has poured out on me are not mine to keep, but mine to share with others.  And so I say Yes to Him. 

Jesus opened his arms wide and died on the cross for me.  In comparison, it's pretty insignificant for me to open my arms wide to include and welcome these two little girls into our family.