My Arthur

I asked my children to give me their favorite verse and to write a testimony for our blog. My Arthur said, "Well, you already know my favorite verse and I wake up every morning. That's my testimony." He's right, I do know his favorite verse:

"... For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future..." Jeremiah 29:11

Arthur's "testimony" is so fitting for him. As long as I've known him, he has always woken up each morning full of energy and with a huge smile on his face. I adopted Arthur when he was 9 years old. He was the one boy who drew me to the sibling set of 3 that I adopted that year. Him and his life of struggles. He had bounced around from home to home, from residential treatment program to residential treatment program. He was angry, volatile, violent and destructive. He hated himself, his birth mother, probably me many times, and God. He was hospitalized many times for his behaviors, which later included suicide attempts.

Each heart knows it's own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy. Proverbs 14:10

Even with all the chaos, he still woke up every morning renewed.
I will never forget the day I was talking to him in our RV, shortly after he came out of the hospital, and his face just changed. It was as if a light bulb suddenly turned on. We had been seeking Jesus wholeheartedly for about a year. It's as if all the bits and pieces finally fell into place. He put his life into prospective from a biblical view. He stopped hating. He stopped holding onto his past hurts and his bitterness. He, like all my other current children, are living free: spiritually free and medication-free.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Ephesians 4:31

Arthur still struggles with the effects of being born exposed to drugs and alcohol but found hope in his favorite verse. He loves God, loves people, and loves himself. He has let go of a lot of bitterness and anger and has forgiven his birth mother for her role in his life struggles. He would like to be a pastor some day. He is also the reason for the adoption of my last sibling set of two. They had lived together in their first foster home and, when he found out they were still waiting for a family, he begged me to adopt them. He also relates well to other foster children who struggle with severe behaviors, often giving me insight as to their thinking process. He is a special guy.

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13

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