Hope is an expert imitator. I walk in the kitchen and sigh, and I hear an echoing sigh right behind me. I put my hands on my hips and say, “ Now what do we need to do next”? I look down and Hope has her hands on her hips just like I do.
We sit down at the bar to eat and she bows her head waiting for me to give thanks. If I don’t start immediately she cuts her eyes up toward me and pats me on the arm. She says amen just before I am finished almost every time.
All of this and more she has learned in just over a six weeks. Of course she doesn’t know the why of any of these things she is just imitating. It makes me aware of how careful I need to be in what I say and how I live. Her understanding of our faith and why we do what we do, pray, go to church, etc. will come later.
Our blog is read by people all over the world. We know that those readers represent many different religious or even non-religious beliefs. We hope that all will continue to read our account of Hope becoming part of our family. Our intent is not to preach, just to share. There may be some who fear that Hope will have religion forced on her, and that she will lose her cultural and spiritual roots. It is true that she will lose touch with the spiritual beliefs that she might have had in China, but we could no more force faith in Christ upon her than we could capture the wind.
That is the beauty of the true Christian message. It is a belief of the spirit and the heart. Our lives will be an example to Hope and she can imitate, but there will come a time when she questions who she is, who we are, and what is true. She will go to church with us, she will hear the singing, the preaching, and it will influence her, but not convince her. Only God’s Spirit can do that. Of course that is our heart’s desire, that she would experience this peace, joy, and hope that we have, but deep down in her heart it will be her choice.
Ruth 1:16….where you go I will go, and where you live I will live, your people shall be my people, and your God my God.
Ronnie
We sit down at the bar to eat and she bows her head waiting for me to give thanks. If I don’t start immediately she cuts her eyes up toward me and pats me on the arm. She says amen just before I am finished almost every time.
All of this and more she has learned in just over a six weeks. Of course she doesn’t know the why of any of these things she is just imitating. It makes me aware of how careful I need to be in what I say and how I live. Her understanding of our faith and why we do what we do, pray, go to church, etc. will come later.
Our blog is read by people all over the world. We know that those readers represent many different religious or even non-religious beliefs. We hope that all will continue to read our account of Hope becoming part of our family. Our intent is not to preach, just to share. There may be some who fear that Hope will have religion forced on her, and that she will lose her cultural and spiritual roots. It is true that she will lose touch with the spiritual beliefs that she might have had in China, but we could no more force faith in Christ upon her than we could capture the wind.
That is the beauty of the true Christian message. It is a belief of the spirit and the heart. Our lives will be an example to Hope and she can imitate, but there will come a time when she questions who she is, who we are, and what is true. She will go to church with us, she will hear the singing, the preaching, and it will influence her, but not convince her. Only God’s Spirit can do that. Of course that is our heart’s desire, that she would experience this peace, joy, and hope that we have, but deep down in her heart it will be her choice.
Ruth 1:16….where you go I will go, and where you live I will live, your people shall be my people, and your God my God.
Ronnie
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