NASB
"For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight."
NIV
"Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love."
NKJV
Ephesians 1:4 (emphasis mine)
So what does it really mean to be holy, to be blameless...especially before the Lord? It is so easy to read that passage, but it's so much easier to miss how big of a gift, a blessing it is. Before the Lord of all the earth, the creator, the father, the ruler of all...I am, you are, without blame and HOLY. That word...holy. Like the Holy Spirit, holy like God, Jesus himself. How do I respond to that grace, to that amazing description of my life each day? Lately I have felt that conviction. Am I living like I am holy and blameless before the Lord, or am I living like I am holy and without blame before my family, friends, community? Recognizing the grace and mercy that God has given me allows me to transfer that very same grace and mercy to others so they can see, through me, before the Lord, they are also blameless and holy.
As a missionary here in Honduras it is often easy to put myself on my own little pedestal and find little blame or fault in my life. Sometimes that self-centered, self-empowered thought creeps in that I am holy, bu not necessarily through the Lord. Rather, I am holy in comparison to all of the people by which I am surrounded. But the magnificence of God is that He does not make that comparison like I do. In Him, I am holy and without blame, forgiven with grace by the blood of His son, just as the drug addict on the street is equally as holy and blameless. So what's the difference? I know it, and he does not. Transferring that message becomes the challenge; the good news of the gospel, of Jesus, of grace. By focusing on my God-given holiness rather than my self-empowered pseudo-holiness, I can be a tool to share that message and transfer that grace.
Working with Alex this past month has been a great example of this transfer and how it is easier than I thought, but also harder than I could have ever imagined.
So what has been going on the past month?
My main ministry and focus continues to be little Alex. About two weeks ago he and I moved into the 'kids home' next to the main house on the property. We now live with Molly, little Asmin and Anderson, and Karen, a 30-ish year old deaf woman. The transition has been easy in some ways, but also challenging. Alex loves living and sharing a room with Anderson, who is just two years younger than him; however, it has been a big challenge for him to assimilate to a life with stricter rules.
I've continued to use his schedule as a daily guideline, but he also has a few added rules that he did not have before (ask permission to leave the property, only one hour of TV each day, do homework and bathe before dinner, etc.), and he receives castigo (punishment) if he does not follow the rules. This is a huge change for him because he was not previously punished for any sort of rule-breaking. Generally, castigo means he has to sit quietly in his room without playing with others. We had a lot of screaming, crying, etc. in the first week, but the second week brought much better behavior and respect. He continues to get better each day and is now significantly happier with his 'kid life' versus the 'teenage life' he was able to live before.
It has been a huge challenge for him to understand that the rules are not because we want to continuously punish him or hurt him, but because we love him and are trying to help him. Thankfully, he is beginning to understand this and has started to hug me after his quiet hour of castigo.
Our biggest obstacle recently came this past week with his first visit to the dentist. He was scheduled to have two teeth taken out because they are rotting from earlier. During the visit, he refused to cooperate and screamed, cried, and bit the dentist numerous times. Even after all of her patience, she thought it was best for him to come back a different time. We will return Tuesday for take two and another go at cooperation.
Each morning before school Alex and I pray together for his day, and Molly and I are starting to introduce reading the Bible before bed each night. Just as we have to recognize that we are holy and blameless before the Lord, we are trying to teach the little ones that they are holy and blameless as well. Regardless of the amount of castigos, Alex, Asmin, and Anderson are all perfect, holy, and blameless before the Lord because of His love.
In addition, I've officially taken over all of the accounting for the ministry, grocery shopping for the family for half of the week, and cooking a few meals throughout the week. It has been a full time job each week, especially on top of caring for Alex. The Lord is definitely giving me patience each day to be able to sit and do all of the office work for the ministry, but it is so easy to jump into all of these roles when they are so obviously where I am needed. Essentially, I have jumped into the shoes of a mother of 15 for some things, but especially for Alex on a daily basis.
We are praying for some big changes in the family and on the property in general within the next month or two. I ask for prayers for these changes that the transition(s) will be smooth and for God's hand to continue to be on this place and this family.
As always, if you would like to support my ministry here with this family and the surrounding community, I would love for you to partner with me in prayer, finances, or both. For donation instructions, look to the sidebar on the right hand side of the webpage. Thank you and God bless!
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| Anderson (left) and Alex (right) all dressed up for church |
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| Anderson, Alex, and Asmin enjoying a chocolate-covered mango outside |
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| Beautiful view of the backyard |
