Rescued to Rescue

With fetal alchol syndrome his mother abondoned him to a Russian orphanage where the workers lied to him and told him that "monsters would get him" if he didn't stay in the bed. One day he brought in a picture of his beautifully decorated Noah's Ark bedroom for the gratitude journal because he wanted us to know how he thanked God for his new mom and dad.

But it was a little incident in class this past week that has been replaying itself in my head since it happened. The children, as little ones learning the art of self-control are apt to do, struggled to sit still, agitating one another as we circled to write the week's gratitude notes. "Ok little ones, since we are having trouble teaching our hands to obey -- let's sit on them! Everyone's hands under your bum."

After a quiet moment he giggled, "I only have to sit on one hand cause the other one's too short!"

Yes. Yes. Yes. His left hand and the lower part of its arm have been missing since birth.

But God,

who sees so different than we do, allowed his adoptive parents to resuce him so that he might be exposed to the Grace that lets us see with new eyes. Through their patient and firm but gentle love he has learned to see his arm as God's special gift.

It is this little one who, having received no love for his first four years of life, is so anxious to be good. His heart breaks if he's done wrong.

It is this little one who thanks God week after week that "Jesus died on the cross for our sins."

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved."

Ephesians 1:3-6