For the love of a child

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward."        ~ Psalm 127:3 ~

What wouldn't we do for our children but to provide the best for them with the means that God grants us.  We were placed in a situation that required us to act for the good of Joshua, our oldest, although, all of us have benefited from it.

After several years of fighting the school district for proper Autism services and still not getting what would be best for Joshua and his well-being, we discovered that God was closing the door for our current living situation and pushing us to pursue other arrangements.

We started looking for houses in better school districts in the area praying that God would provide a house for us that not only would be in a better district but would also provide for the needs of our boys as they grow and become more active.  After several months of searching and two rejected offers on houses, the Lord provided us with a home situation better than we could have imagined in a school district that actually makes decisions based on what would be best for a child.  

Our life the last several months has been one major whirlwind.  We got a settlement in 30 days and began the frantic packing.  We settled on the new house on July 22 and moved in that week.  We are in the process of trying to find a renter for our Pottstown house to allow for us to wait until the housing market in Pottstown has turned around--praying that it eventually will--so that we can sell it.  

In the meantime, we are in the midst of boxes working hard to settle into our new home.  Josh was allowed to attend ESY (Extended School Year, summer school that helps children not have regression in behavioral or educational goals) for social skills/behavioral help in our new school district, the Owen J. Roberts School District.  He was invited to start attending before we even officially moved into the school district.  I have been fighting our previous school district, the Pottstown School District, since Josh was in Kindergarten to get him into ESY but was never successful.  Josh has thrived in ESY this summer and has been granted a great leg-up to success for his upcoming school year.  He will be allowed to have the necessary supports in the classroom to build him up for success rather than setting him up for failure.  We are thrilled to death about Josh's new school and the attitude of those in charge of the special education department.  

What we had to go through to get to this point of living in our new home has been really difficult.  It has taken its toll on each person in our family.  However, we firmly believe it was all worth it.  It was the least we could do for our son.  Our heavenly Father has done so much more for us.  We praise Him for His provision.

"If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!"   ~ Matthew 7:11 ~

Silence on the blog front explained

Well, I have been silent long enough, but not without excuse.  A lot has happened in the Russell household since April's last post.  The biggest change is that we are in a new house.  God has been stretching our faith and providing in unbelievable ways the last few months.  I am eager to share these things, but stacks of boxes waiting to be unpacked await.  Check back in the next few weeks for an account of how God moved us to a new location, an update on David's health, new school news for Josh, and ways God is directing our family in the area of missions.

In the meantime, we would greatly appreciate your continued prayers for our family!

You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told. (Psalm 40:5, ESV)

In Total Submission

In March, I was struck by the example of Christ in His submission to God, His Father, while He lived here on Earth as I sat in our monthly church's ladies' Bible study discussing a chapter on submission and godliness from Disciplines of a Godly Woman by Barabara Hughes, the book we are currently reading.  I was severely convicted by the ways in which I fail to truly submit to Christ my King.

Barbara writes: "The message of the Bible is clear: Jesus Christ is Lord!  It's a fact.  Bringing our lives into submission to His will in everything is the key to being a godly woman.  It is also the path to joy."  Later she also writes: "It is the love of God that motivates us to follow Christ's example and enables us to loosen our grip on our plans for our lives, placing ourselves squarely under God's loving rule each day.....We can fully entrust ourselves to our Father's beautiful plan for us."

As I read those words, I realized with frightening clarity that I don't submit to God's will in EVERYTHING and that I have a strong grip on my plans for my life and that I really don't FULLY entrust myself to my Father's plan for me.

The last few years have been especially frustrating for me.  I have such a deep desire to serve God through overseas missions.  I firmly believe that He has called me to be a missionary and that is His will for my life.  However, when we made plans to apply through Mission to the World to go into full-time foreign missions and pursued serving in Bulgaria a few years ago, we felt as is our lives came crashing down around us forcing us to come to a screeching halt in our application process and abandon all hope of going to a foreign field any time soon.  David's health had worsened to the point where he required weekly antibody transfusions.  Josh's struggle with Autism and a newly developing mood disorder made him quite unstable.  I was bedridden for 3 straight months with a migraine doctors could not control or figure out which also led to the discovery of a brain lesion.  Tim had his own battles.

Needless to say, my trust in God was shaken.  God had been slowly leading us along this missions path for years, and finally the doors were wide open.  We found ourselves walking through them frighteningly fast only to get through several and have the next door slam in our face.  How could God do this? Why was Satan winning this battle? In my desire to have answers and get to God's plan for my life, I picked up the pieces of my life lying around me and tried to manipulate circumstances, details, people, and ultimately God to make things work.

Obviously, my efforts got me nowhere closer to my end goal, but God used that time to teach me volumes of truths about Him.  Satan wins only if I lose all hope in God and my desire to serve as a missionary.  God is not finished preparing me for foreign ministry.  I am a missionary right where God has me and in the midst of life's struggles and THROUGH my struggles.  Now three years later, I finally come to the realization that God's ULTIMATE will for my life is for me to live in total submission trusting Him in all things.  It's been a hard lesson to learn but so important.

After that Bible study in March, I began seriously praying asking God to change my heart and help me release my grip on my life and live in total submission abandoning all hope in myself and my abilities and fully relying on Him and Him alone.  As the weeks have passed, I have felt weights fall off of my shoulders.  I feel light enough to soar like an eagle.  I have a greater joy in my heart than I have felt in a very long time.  I don't feel as stressed nor do I feel as anxious.

Being a person who likes to plan ahead and know what to expect and have control of circumstances (yes, I can partially relate with Josh in his own struggles with this due to his Autism), this has not been an easy thing for me to do.  I pray for help daily to place myself "under God's loving rule each day."  Some days, especially when the stress increases, I start to reclaim the grip on my life.  That's when I pray harder asking God to help me keep my hands off of His responsibilities.

There is no better place to be than in total submission of my Maker, King, and Father.  No matter the circumstances around me, I have joy, peace, and God's blessings.  I pray that God will continue to help me live out this important lesson.

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." James 4:7-8