Reckless Abandon and I have a love/hate relationship.

Last week at church our pastor shared an amazing message on the Parable of the Talents. If you haven't read it in a while you should read it here. In verse 29, Jesus wraps up the story: "For to everyone that has will more be given, and he will have an abundance..." Our pastor shared that the English word abundance from an old Latin word that refers to a wave rolling over something. He said he wanted to be faithful with whatever tasks God gives him. Then God would give him more tasks, and God's goodness would be like a wave over him.

I thought back over the past few years of our lives and all that God has asked us to do. Some tasks have been crazy or unrealistic, and others just hard. Some have made complete sense, but none turned out how we envisioned. Recently, I watched a video here from a Ladies Night where I spoke earlier this year and it reminded me of something... I once asked God to give me an opportunity to serve with reckless abandon. What does that mean? In my mind it means throwing caution to the wind and doing whatever God says. Whenever and however, whether the task makes sense or not.

In finishing up my Kisses from Katie book, a quote stood out to me: "The more I strive to live in the center of God's will, the more He asks me to give up, the more uncomfortable I become." This rings true for me as well. The main reason we become uncomfortable isn't because God wants us to have a painful, hard life--it's because we are too busy clinging so hard to what we want. It's not something we are supposed to give up as much as it is someone we are supposed to give up--ourselves.

Back to the talents parable. I look back now and recognize that the past three years serving at New River Church have been that time of abundance, a wave of blessing over us, something we never thought we would experience again. Our faithfulness to God through our crazy journey over the last few years brought us to God's perfect time and place.

Now back to the Ladies Night talk. I thought for a while that our time of serving God with reckless abandon was over and that only existed over the past decade or so.

I was wrong! We are doing it again--serving God with reckless abandon, doing what does not make sense from a practical and financial standpoint. We are adopting internationally. We know God has called us to do it. We know the time is now. And because we are in the center of God's will for our family, we are uncomfortable. We are giving up ourselves. As God continues to teach us and grow us through this process, I trust that the result will be more waves of blessings over our entire family and I am so grateful.

Coming into this weekend and all that Christ did for us on Good Friday and Easter, I think serving Him with reckless abandon is the least we can do. Jesus provided a way for us to be adopted into His family and reconciled with God. How appropriate that we have the opportunity to emulate at least part of that process by adopting a child!