The Mark of the Cross

One of the things I was amazed to discover about my sweet Zechariah boy (over the course of *much* time spent in his house :) was that the scar on his chest from a prior heart surgery perfectly forms the shape of a cross. It was such a sweet little thing to glimpse, a physical symbol that he will probably always bear of G0d's amazing love and mercy for sinners. A scar that points to the ultimate scarring that was paid to redeem mankind from our fallen-ness and rejection of our Father. Every time Zechariah glances down at himself or looks in a mirror he will see that cross and be reminded that there is a Savior who paid everything to adopt us as His own, who showed us the true meaning of Love, who rescued us from our sinfulness and raised us with Him to righteousness.

My "heart's son" will be leaving Shepherd's Field this fall or winter for a forever home (praise G0d!), but I pr*y that what He experienced there in his first few years of life...joy and love from G0d that trickled down through the staff and visitors that loved and cared for him, the sounds of "J*sus Loves Me" or "My G0d is So Great", the pr*yers that were said over him countless times...will come back and shape his life for all eternity. I pr*y that, though most of his memories of Shepherd's Field will soon fade away, he will always remember the J*sus that people sang, showed, and spoke to him and that he will grow in the grace and knowledge of Chr1st throughout his whole life. I pr*y that the cross would not only mark the outside of his heart but the inside as well, that he may know and love Chr1st and the G0spel with all his heart and soul. There is nothing greater or more important, and nothing that would be more amazing and special to me than to see my Zechariah boy treasure and serve the G0d who brought me to Ch1na to meet him in the first place. <3