Adopted by The King

     In today's small group session at the women's Bible study, God showed up again (imagine that). Our study had been from Ephesians 1 & 2, focusing on how God prechose us and adopted us as His very own children. In closing prayer, we had asked everyone to confess to God anything that was holding us back from being fully secure in Him, from fully trusting Him. After the session was over, one of our young ladies asked if I would stay and talk with her. She told me she had been living with a man who was not her husband for many years, and had two children with him. This February he left her, and actually did marry another woman. She is hurt by this, of course, and was ashamed to pray in front of the others. She felt she could never be of any use to God because of what she had done. My heart breaks for her, but at the same time I'm joyful that she is now free to truly KNOW her Lord and Savior.
     Amazingly, our team members have been especially alerted to this very situation in this community. In Guatemala, many people will refer to someone as their husband or wife, even though they aren't married. They've even come up with a term for it, to make themselves feel better. They say they are "united" but it's nothing more than what we call "living together" in the U.S. No matter what you call it, it's not marriage, and it's choosing to live outside of God's will. It will be a constant stumbling block in their relationship with Jesus, as long as they continue to make excuses for it. They won't be able to experience the fullness of life in Christ with that wall between them.
     So the fact that this sweet young woman came forward today for that very confession was a confirmation that indeed these women and this community are capable of change. Our goal this week is to help them learn to trust in Jesus instead of clinging to an undevoted, abusive, man who is typically addicted to something or other. Even though that man is spending everything he makes on glue to sniff or alcohol to drink, then coming home and abusing both her and their children, and has never committed to marry her, she thinks so little of herself that she will beg him to stay. She must feel very unlovable to put up with that.
     Please pray that the women in this study will come to truly believe that they are "God's workmanship" (Eph. 2:10) and are "adopted as his children in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 1:5). Daughters of The King are not worthless tokens to be thrown away, nor would such a King leave his own precious daughters to fend for themselves. Just as I sometimes do in my own life, these women would do better to take God at His word, to trust in Him more, rather than trying to fix things their own way. Their way is very broken; it only makes things worse. This entire community could be brought to another level if the women will just stand on the truth of God's Word.

Humbled and joyful,
Dawn