Buckner Devotion

May is Foster Month and Buckner evidently send out a daily devotion via e-mail. One of the local Buckner workers asked me if I would write a devotion for it. Little intimidating, but thought surly with all my blogging and crazy experiences, I could come up with a devotion...so this is the result! :)

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.” I Corinthians 9: 24

I am not a runner and have never run a race. But I recently watched our 15 year old run in her first track meet. She did not win first prize, but we could not have been prouder of her! She ran in such a way to win. She quit track the first day. It was too hard. John and I sat her down and explained that we would not allow her to quit. She had started and made a commitment to a team, and we expected her to fulfill that commitment. As I watched her cross the finish line, I knew she had just learned a valuable life lesson, and she taught me something also.

We have been involved in adoption and fostering for 10 years. Those years have brought us to places and battles we never expected. The race has been hard, in fact at times, excruciating! The sacrifices we have made to have a large family and to take in children from hard places has made the race a little longer and more tiring than I expected when we started. But as I watched my newest daughter cross the finish line, I knew that I have to do what I am asking of her. I must run this race God has called me to without quitting. Yes we could have more “things” if we did not have so many children, and I would have more time for those little pleasures I miss at times, but I must keep my eye on the prize of the race God has called me to run. The thing that makes that so hard is the prize in this race is of eternal perspective. It is the prize of raising children who had a rough start but are now pursuing the heart of God and know what it is to be loved not only by a Heavenly Father, but by an earthly mother and father as well. So in those moments when their past seems to overwhelm us and their words seem to cut to the core of our heart, we must choose to focus on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, and continue to run this race without quitting! As I watched my daughter run across the finish line, I was encouraged as I believe God sees me just like I saw her. I don’t always parent as I should – I say the wrong thing, I do the wrong thing, I break a promise or wound an already wounded heart - but as long as I keep running and don’t quit, He is just as proud of me as I was of her!