Hair Cut

It is very common in Chinese orphanages for the children to have their heads shaved. Unfortunately, Lily was one of these victims. Her hair was so short when we met her that day in China. Once we got home, many people thought she was a boy.



I have been dreaming about the day that I would get to fix her hair. That day, however, is going to be quite a ways off. I did decide that we would get her hair trimmed at the end of this month. Last night Lily and I headed over to my hairdresser for her "first" haircut. I don't really count that buzz cut in China!

Here's the end result-



Oh my! Isn't that the cutest picture?!?!?!

Here's a back view-

Acceptance

The other night I watched a movie called Penelope. If you are interested in watching it do not read the first paragraph for I am going to ruin the story line for you.

Penelope is a young girl who is cursed from a previous generation. This curse comes in the form of a pig nose and ears. She is doomed to spend her life with this deformity until her knight in shining armor rescues her with his love. In the end, Penelope realizes that no man can redeem her. Only through acceptance of herself does she shed the curse and become fully human. Once she is "whole" Penelope discovers that she misses her old self. She realizes that who she was did not change with her looks.

This movie caused me to think about how we perceive others. Never before have I been on the receiving end of stares and whispers. Having Lily in my life has really made me aware of how I look at those around me. Really, we are all different. We all have deformities. We are all imperfect. Some are too fat, others too thin. Some are too tall and others too short. Some have white hair and some have black. We are unique.

We are created by a loving God in His image. "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." (Genesis 1:27) We are the ones that cause the deformities. We cause them by our nonacceptance. We point and stare and draw attention to someone who appears different. If only we would look inside. There we would see the beauty that God has created in His image.

Recently, I was reading in John chapter 9. Here we learn about Jesus healing the blind man. Jesus' disciples ask him who has sinned to bring on this imperfection; Him or his parents. Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him." (John 9:3). Over and over again I have seen God being displayed in the imperfections around us.

Imperfections like Lily-



Imperfections like Bella-



Imperfections like Josiah-



What we forget is that they are perfect; perfectly made by God with a purpose to bring glory to Him. Click on their names and read their stories. God is a mighty God.

I pray that Lily will find acceptance in Christ and through His love also accept herself. I pray that she will look to no man to determine her worth. I pray that she will realize that she is beautiful in her differences.

The Unwanted Becomes Wanted

Before receiving Lily in China, our family visited Harmony House. You can read about that visit in this post. Seeing those children and nannies was a life changing experience. My heart cried out for those little ones. It is heartbreaking to see those eyes and know that they were unwanted and abandoned.

Unwanted.


Like this little guy-

When I met Josiah I felt such pity for him. Who would want this child? I remember commenting to Jon that this child was most likely unadoptable. His arms are useless and he has club feet. He would spend the rest of his life in China begging. A life of poverty and hardship.

Imagine my surprise when I received an email from a family who had found my blog. They informed me that they were already in the process to adopt this little boy. I was stunned. This unwanted child was wanted! This boy who has no family will belong!



Joyfully, I discovered that I am not the one who is to say who is adoptable or not. What a great lesson for me to learn. God's hand is clearly seen in this little boy's life. This family's story is worth reading. Check it out here.