I found this post in my draft box. I had written it over the summer a month or so after receiving word that Sophie was ours. The impact of this truth spoken to my heart anchors my heart still today...
On our way home from Florida a few weeks ago, I spent a couple of hours, listening to Jon Courson teach on 1 Peter 1. I think Peter is my most favorite disciple because I see so much of me in this often-knocked on disciple.
Peter began his first letter describing himself as a bondservant of the Lord Jesus Christ. Bond servants were slaves, who after serving a full 6 years and were due their freedom, chose instead to stay and willingly remain a slave to their master for life. The master had been good to them and they wanted to live to serve them.
When the slave made this decision, the master would take him to the doorpost of the house and drive an awl though the slave's earlobe marking him as a bondservant.
This facet of the bond servant-master relationship was not new to me. But what was said next was so obvious, yet had not really occurred to me.
Not only was the slave making a commitment, but so also was the master. As the master drove the awl through his servant's ear, he was also dedicating himself for life. He was committing himself to care and provide for his bondservant and all of his needs for as long as He lived.
This struck me powerfully.
I have felt very much like a bondservant as we bring Sophie home. We have a good, loving Master and we have dedicated ourselves to serving Him all of our days. In Sophie, we take on another life commitment, dedicate ourselves again with our lives to serve Him through loving on her...joyously, but soberly.
But to hear that as I willfully yielded my life to Him again that He, too, made a commitment to me...to meet all of my needs according to His riches in glory and all of the needs we will have in caring for her! Peace and gratitude filled my heart.
And I am encouraged.
In Him,
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