Abandonment

WHEN YOU FEEL THAT GOD HAS LEFT YOU ...

Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.

PSALM 9:10

WHEN YOU WONDER IF THERE IS ANYTHING YOU CAN DO THAT WILL CAUSE GOD TO LEAVE ...

God has said,

"I will never fail you. I will never abandon you."

HEBREWS 13:5

Adoption

WHEN YOU NEED TO HEAR THAT GOD LOVES ADOPTION ...

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress.

JAMES 1:27

WHEN YOU NEED REASSURANCE OF YOUR ADOPTION INTO GOD'S FAMILY ...

We believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.

ROMANS 8:23

You are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

GALATIANS 4:7

WHEN YOUR ADOPTED CHILD NEEDS REASSURANCE OF GOD'S PLANS FOR THEIR LIFE ...

You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

PSALM 139:16

"I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord.

"They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

JEREMIAH 29:11

Anger

WHEN YOU ARE WORRIED THAT GOD IS ANGRY WITH YOU ...

His anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime!

Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.

PSALM 30:5

The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

PSALM 103:8

WHEN YOU'RE ANGRY AND DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO ...

"Don't sin by letting anger control you." Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry.

EPHESIANS 4:26

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.

JAMES 1:19-20

WHEN YOU NEED TO TALK WITH YOUR CHILDREN ABOUT ANGER ...

A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.

PROVERBS 15:1

Assurance

WHEN YOU OR YOUR CHILD NEEDS ASSURANCE OF SALVATION ...

As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last.

And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!

JOB 19:25-27

God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.

1 JOHN 4:13-16

I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.

1 JOHN 5:13

Babies

People often ask my husband and me if we planned to have seven children, and I love to answer that question because it tells the story of a gentle shift in our views. I was forty-one when I became pregnant with our seventh baby — not something I would have ever thought I wanted when I was younger. Early in our marriage, we saw children as a blessing, but I'll admit — the culture's low view of children had clouded our perspective. We worried about the financial commitment. At times, all I could see in front of me was a demanding baby and an ungrateful toddler. Can you relate? If so, take a deep breath with me as we embrace what God says is good. His love for children is clear.

When I began to seek God's heart for children, my heart changed. I began to see that babies are a blessing. Embracing God's heart for children changed our lives. Sure, there have been difficult times. Many of them. In fact, my hunch is that you, too, may be tired and wonder if what you're doing is worth it — but precious mom, know that it is.

God's ways are always good. In answer to our prayers, God gave us a baby in our forties. Saylor Jane's arrival in God's timeline was in keeping with His good plan for us. Our lives have been enriched beyond our wildest dreams by this little "caboose baby" that the Lord gave us out of the goodness of His heart.

Planned or unplanned, fostered or adopted, special needs or perfectly healthy, God says children are a blessing and a reward. Let's choose to see these precious ones the way God sees them — and experience the blessing that comes with embracing what God embraces.

WHEN YOU'RE STRUGGLING WITH AN UNPLANNED PREGNANCY ...

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.

PSALM 127:3

I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

PHILIPPIANS 4:13

Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.

JAMES 1:17-18

WHEN YOU NEED TO REMEMBER GOD'S HEART FOR THOSE YET TO BE BORN ...

You brought me safely from my mother's womb and led me to trust you at my...