THREE MORE....REALLY?

Just a little more than a week to go before our house is full of nine children! We still don't have a vehicle to fit us all but I am leaving that up to the Lord to figure out. Frankly, I am tired of trying to figure it all out and am tired of trying to get it all ready. I am exhausted and am ready to get on that plane.
Just as I become overwhelmed with all of this and sink into another pity party of "I can't do this Lord. I am unable. I am tired. Surely I do not have the energy, patience, and the finances needed to parent nine children!" He always brings me back to Him. And it is in His strength that all of this will happen...not mine. WHEW!
Today, I got this reality check again as I read Katie's post at http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/
She took the words right out of my mouth. Her feelings mirror my feelings and heart for why we would possibly add three more children to our family. So I hope that she doesn't mind but I am going to borrow some of her amazing post (please go and read it) as it will help to explain how we became a family of 11!
From Katie's blog:
As I thought of all the different life changes that would need to take place for us to accommodate (three more children,) it completely overwhelmed me, but the only reasons I could think of to NOT move (forward) with (this) were completely selfish. We have enough room, we have enough food, we have enough love. We have enough. I kept coming back to Matthew 25, a passage etched in my heart that says:

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for the least of these brother’s of mine, you did not do for me.’

Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

I BELIEVE that when Jesus said, “I tell you the TRUTH,” He meant just that, that His words were true and He wasn’t kidding. YES, I believe that I am saved by faith through GRACE. Grace that is freely given and cannot be earned by anything I do. But I also believe that sometimes we rely so heavily on the Grace of God to cover our sins that we blatantly disobey His word and feel ok about it. “Depart from me you who are cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” THAT is what Jesus will say to those of us who do not care for the least of these. I believe this is true because I believe His word is true, EVERY word is true, plain and simple. That is a heavy, heartbreaking thought. How often have we neglected you, Lord?

Thank you Katie for sharing your heart with us and allowing me to share my heart with others.

We are choosing to live out loud and provide for "the least of these." They deserve food. They deserve a home. They deserve to have to have clothes that belong to them. They deserve a Mommy to take care of their boo boos. They deserve a family.
Thank you Lord for choosing us to be the forever family of these three.