Random Hugs

I can't stop thinking about Luke tonight. Luke is a beautiful, blonde-haired boy at our church. I have the privilege to interact with him on Sunday nights. Every Sunday, at random times, Luke will come up to me and smile and give me a huge hug. He was doing it so much one night, that the lady who was in class with me asked me if he was mine. I don't know why he has taken such a "liking to me" (that's such a southern term...haha) but he has. One of the cool things about Luke is that he is adopted from Russia. In fact, I don't think his parents have even had him for a year. On my way home from church tonight I began to think of what Luke's like could have been if he wasn't chosen to be adopted by loving parents. Would the joy that he exhibits now be non-existent? Would he feel safe? Would he even have the opportunity to grow up or would he have died prematurely as a result of not receiving adequate care? I can't imagine the sad state that child may have been in, if not for the mercy and love that two people from the United States showed to him...and most of all for the grace of God.

It's the same for me...were it not for the mercy and grace of God I would lack all joy. I would not feel safe. I would not have hope. I would die as a miserable soul. It's scary to think what my life would be like.

I've cried a river of tears in the last couple of weeks: my emotions have been all over the map, and at other times I have felt like a zombie just going through the motions. I've been uneasy, restless, anxious, upset, etc. Yet, when I turn my focus on God, it's amazing how much peace and strength I find. I've probably learned more about God's character in the last two weeks than I have in months. The amazing thing is, at other times - in my frenzied state of mind - I can feel God smiling at me and giving me random, undeserved hugs.