A few words about my family...
My parents are the most amazing people I know. The love and grace they give to me and my brother is incredible. The decisions that Eric and I have made over the past few years have sometimes confused them. However, they choose to listen to us and believe in us every time. They are confident in my relationship with God and they know that these difficult decisions have been made because we desire to obey Him. That is enough for them. My brother has made some more choices that are not exactly what they would desire for him, yet they continue to offer him grace and to love him unconditionally.
So much of who I am now is because of what my parents modeled at home. My parents decisions to give weren't always logical. They gave when they didn't have it to give. They gave even when it didn't make sense. I remember very clearly one afternoon in high school when my dad asked me to ride with him to Eric Spraggin's house. Eric was involved in the youth group at our church and played on the basketball team my dad coached. Eric was constantly in trouble with the police and later played basketball for my dad with ankle alarm because he was on house arrest. Dad said Eric's family needed money to pay their electric bill. I remember walking away from Eric's house that day frustrated and angry. It was very obvious that the money wasn't for the electric bill. As we got back into the car I asked my dad why he gave him the money, didn't he realize he would probably just use that money for drugs. My dad answered with a quiet "yes." He said that didn't matter, he did what he was supposed to do. I can't tell you how many times I've thought about that afternoon. My dad taught me an important lesson that day, a lesson in simple obedience. My parents also had a very broad definition of family. While I was growing up I had several "adopted" brothers. Most of them were boys that played basketball for my dad and had a rough home life. We usually set extra places at the dinner table without even thinking about it. They were there when we set up the Christmas tree and for all the big Buckeye games. They called in the middle of the night when they needed my parents and my parents were always there for them in the same way that they've always been there for me and my brother. So, this decision to adopt seems natural to me. My parents taught me to obey when God speaks to you and that maybe as followers of Jesus we shouldn't define family in the same way that the world defines family.
One more thing...MY HUSBAND GOT A REALLY GREAT JOB TODAY! This has been an extremely difficult season in our life, especially over the last few months. We are so excited! My grandma has prayed daily for us. When I called her today to tell her the good news, she ran to get her Bible. She read Isaiah 30:19 to me. She told me that God had given her this promise while she was having an intense time of prayer for our family, and specifically for Eric's job situation a few weeks ago. My grandma is an amazing woman...maybe that will be my next post.
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