Amazing Love

We met Eden only two months ago but already it's hard to imagine our lives without her. She has brought us so much joy and laughter, as well as to our knees in prayer!
Some of the funny things she's done as she's been getting used to things in our home:

She brought me this plastic orange and wooden knife from the toy kitchen in all seriousness so I could cut it up for her to eat.



Once I pulled out a toy car from under the bookcase and she kept leading me over to the bookcase and pointing under it because she thought that toys came from there.



I know many of you have heard bits and pieces of how challenging this adjustment period has been for us all. Yesterday at church God led me to realize an amazing truth in my relationship with Eden. You see, Malia has been so easy to love because she so clearly loves me back and shows me her love and need for me in little ways everyday. What I've been facing with Eden has been willful and disobedient behavior, independence that causes her to turn away from me and do her own thing, unruliness and disregard for family skills and rules, and all the while knowing that she doesn't love me (yet) nor does her heart bend towards me hardly at all. And while this has been a huge struggle for me, especially in trying to emotionally connect to her, I realized suddenly that we are exactly the same. The way Eden appears to me is exactly how I appear to God.

Eden hasn't come to know me and trust me in a way that would allow her to love me yet, and we often go for days without a positive interaction. While I do love God, I often go for days without showing God my love for Him in any way.

Eden could go on and live her life without me as long as there is a suitable replacement to fill my spot. I do that when I replace God with other idols that appear in the moment to satisfy me.

Eden goes about her business, coming to look for me only when she needs something or something needs fixing. Um, yeah, I do that one too.

Eden constantly tests limits with me, lashes out in anger at me, and shrugs and looks away when I'm trying to discipline her. Enough said.

And the amazing gospel and how much God continues to pour out His love and grace on my life despite my sinfulness and choosing to do things my way time and time again, has taken on new meaning for me. Eden has become a powerful reminder to me of how very much I am loved by God, and not for anything I have done.

I am so thankful for my two girls and for the different ways God is using them to teach me and minister to me. I can only strive to love them as God has loved me.

I Would Fit Right in with This Crew

And Life Goes On

As a follow up to the green chair video, we now have 2 green chairs! And look how happy they are :) The girls have to share everything including their room, so where we can find a small way for them to feel some ownership we'll do it. We've even blocked off a small corner of their room for Malia to have as her "quiet place" when she needs some time away from Eden. It's also for her to play with things that Eden can't get into yet (markers, playdoh, etc.). It was a good idea as Malia goes there for a time everyday and regroups after huge clashes with Eden. It also gives me a little peace and quiet as a result!

We haven't blogged in a while just because life has slowly been getting back to normal and we're increasing our activities and busyness again. No more camping out at home, thank goodness :) We even brought Eden to church the last couple of Sundays and she did great. She loves the nursery and all the toys there and as long as one of us is in there with her she is content to hang out and play.

Eden has been quickly picking up on English and although she isn't speaking it yet she understands a lot of what we say. We started out using Mandarin words with her (well, the 10 or so that we knew) and then we would say things in English and Mandarin, and now it's mostly English. She says "hi", "bye", and "go, diego, go" (no kidding). I've also been using some signs with her, but she hasn't started using those yet. Hopefully soon because it would help a lot for her to be able to communicate with us more.

We're going to go to our first playgroup tomorrow and I'm hoping it's a hit with her so we can add one more thing to our routine.