A True Gift of Love "Valentines day"

With today being "Valentines day" for most of us I wanted to write about LOVE. You see I am not one that typically writes elegant blogs or articles online, that is usually done by my wonderful wife Joy. But since my body and mind haven't been able to adjust back to this time zone yet I find myself up at these odd hours of the early early mornings and while doing so have I have been making use of the time to study God's word and reflect on the days past and ahead but felt this morning I needed writ something. So with all the hype of valentines day I have of course been thinking about the Loves of my life, most notably my amazing wife Joy. I truly believe with all my heart that she was brought into my life as a true gift from God and is a blessing I am totally unworthy of for so many reasons. But that is how true love works, as true love is God breathed. You see I have seen God's love so often lately through the kindness of our friends and family supporting us in following his call to adopt again to strangers that I have never met supporting us and praying for us. My Love for my wife is something that I cannot put into words that would even come come close to describing the amazing gift she is to me (so I won't). Instead I would like to talk about what true love is in her heart and how I know that she has the true love that so many people are searching for day in and day out. The true love she has is that of Christ's love who made the ultimate sacrifice and selfless act in coming to this earth and dieing for each and everyone of us so that we would not have to perish. Even though I can say I would jump in front of a bus for my wife and die (which I wouldn't hesitate to do) the sacrifice Christ made was so much more than can expressed with words. Love is best understood by seeing it happen and the actions to give true love. My wife is so full of love that anyone who spends anytime with her will easily see the true love of Christ through her choices and actions. Joy is one of the most intelligent women I know she was a straight "A" student in school and graduated with honors from the University of Florida (this is no small task either in the college of nursing) and has worked in some of the most intense and exciting hospitals. But in 1999 she put that all aside when she became pregnant with our first child and due to a complicated pregnancy and many many month of bed rest gave up that path of her life for her children and family. She put her family and her love for us before herself that is true love. Then we fast forward many years and so much I wont go into and about eight years ago and we come to a women that goes to an adoption seminar and feels called to adopt. Unfortunately for her and this new passion when she comes home to share her husband (myself) is not on the same page. Instead of arguing and pushing this desire she again shows true love in that she waits and prays for his direction not putting her wishes before ours. For this act alone I am so thankful as this could have been a very stressful time for our marriage had she just pushed and pushed, but rather she prayed for us and my heart. Well as you all know that day did come and my heart did change and has forever been changed by this women and here patience and though Christ's love we have been blessed again beyond words. Her patience and willingness to not give up and this calling is something that I admire and love about her and is such a special part of our lives that we will never forget and as difficult as time as that was for us both it was a true test of love to get through it together. We now move to time of our first adoption "Vivian". Again way to much information than I can include here but skimming to the point. We come to an calling to bring this child into our lives and most of the care and daily responsibility will fall heavily of Joy's shoulders from the unknown of the this child's true medical needs to the interaction of bring this child into the other five children's lives and with homeschooling (yes just another one of her many talents). But she never really hesitated (a little apprehension as we all do of course) but she just moved forward head first and because of that selfless act of loving a child she had never even met and putting her needs before ours I know my wife has true love. The outcome of this love and sacrifice is a beautiful four year old girl who is thriving and blossoming into such an amazing individual because of one women's love to follow Christ and his path for her life at any cost. For this and so many more actions I love my wife deeper than the day we first said I do. "True Love" is not something that is earned but freely given by someone. The next and last example of Love for today brings us two where we are now, home with two children from China whom we have only seen in person for the first time just three short weeks ago and whose medical needs we are still waiting to find out and how they will fit into this family unit. The stress and joys of traveling and waiting to get the children is finally over, but now the true journey begins. I can assure you that in the short time we have been home this week I have already seen so much love expressed from this amazing women and how much again she puts others before herself from the lack of sleep to the changing of more diapers (we were finally out of diapers for everyone before Calvin came home) to the stresses of just everyday life. I have seen more of God's true love through my wife in the last five years that it has truly inspired and motivated me to be a better person in so many ways that I am growing now in ways that never occurred to me before and for this I am truly blessed and loved. To end this post I just want to thank personally everyone who is and has been praying and supporting our family for without this we would not have been to bring these children home. I also want to publicly express my wholehearted love for my wife who without my life would have been so much less as she has always supported and lifted me up in ways that no one else on this earth ever could and for so many other reason I say I LOVE YOU!______ John 11:34-35 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."