Down, flesh!

It has been a while since I last blogged; four weeks since we became a family of seven people.

Amidst the mountains of laundry, the constant meal preparation and the daily need to buy more milk, we are discovering so much about who we are, who the new ones are, and how to integrate them into our family. They are eager to become "one of us," but also struggle with knowing who they are. It seems that if one of them is hungry, the other one is. If one gets a hug, the other wants one. If one gets a compliment, the other points out that he or she is equally significant.

This keeps me in a battle between flesh and spirit. My spirit aches along with them, understanding their constant need for attention and affirmation. With all they have been through, it's no wonder. My flesh, on the other hand, wants them to stop demanding, stop performing, get their own ideas, develop their own identities, stop TALKING so much!!

And so, I am leaning on the Lord. I tell my flesh to settle down. I ask my spirit, which contains the Lord's spirit, to step in with love, compassion, patience, guidance and more patience. I know once they feel secure here, once they know that this really is a forever family, they will settle in to their identities. They will be able to bear the other receiving attention without demanding their own. They won't feel the need to keep checking the boundaries, keep checking whether they are loved.

My prayer is that they will feel it deep down in their souls. I see their desire to belong, to do right, to be okay with silence. I really see it when I have my Jesus eyes on.

Lord, keep my eyes on you so that I may see them as you do. Please don't let my flesh win. Please don't allow my to be a source of further pain. They have had enough for now.