Though He Knew

“What they saying about? Laid down His life?” Abby asked me this afternoon as we colored chalk pictures and listened to a Hide’em in Your Heart cd.

“They’re talking about how Jesus willingly laid His life down and choose to die on the cross for us. No one could do it to Him unless He allowed it to happen,” I explained.

This morning I told the kids that the His Little Feet International Children’s Choir had a Christmas cd. They screamed with excitement as I went down to my room to get it. I bought the five song cd for the song He Made a Way in a Manger. When that song came on, Joseph hurried to the living room to try and sing along while Alexis danced.

“He made a way in a manger, a way to the cross, Messiah the Promised, before time had begun, for God so loved this world, though He knew what love would cost, He made a way in a manger to make a way to the cross.”

As the chorus sang out I looked over at my siblings dancing and singing and images of John flashed through my mind …though He knew what love would cost…

Sometimes we get surprised by our decisions and we find ourselves giving our lives away simply because the opportunity now demands it. But other times… we know exactly what we are choosing, and still we willingly lay down our lives… though we know what love will cost…

It’s been such a blessing to watch my parents bring home my four younger siblings through adoption, yet with that blessing has also come understanding. I can’t cling to ignorance, because I know what it’s going to cost me someday when I too enter into what they have already done. Yet even after all the challenges, trials, and hard places, I see them once again laying down the life they no longer have, knowing full well what love will cost. In two weeks, they will take into their arms another little boy, who through them, the Lord will give a life that he never would have had.

Today I ran the house and watched the four kids, and all day long that song ran through my mind.

Why would anyone pick this road? Why would anyone surrender unreservedly their life to the Lord? Why would anyone want to give their lives away for children who need to eat every two hours, forget to say please, and ask you for the twentieth time if they can “Paint or not?” even though you’ve already said “No,” about fifteen times?

Because once, not so long ago, you were all alone, abandon to die, without help and… He made a way in a manger, a way to the cross, Messiah the Promised, before time had begun, for God so loved YOU, though He knew what YOU would cost, He made a way in a manger to make a way to the cross.

“What they saying about? Laid down His life?”

You don’t know it now Abby, but two people willingly laid down their lives to Jesus, …though they knew what love would cost…and He made a way through them, to make a way for you to get to the cross.

…though He knew what love would cost, He made a way…

 

Thank you Dad! Thank you Mom! For allowing Jesus to make a way through you, for me.