Faith + Hope + Love + Action = Lives Changed

A while back - about 3 or 4 months ago - I prayed that God would give me a concise "saying" that would express a truth about adoption.  I wanted something that would speak of  the blessing of adoption, not only for children being adopted, but also for the family whose lives are also changed and blessed by adopting.  But I didn't want the "saying" to be limited to a message about adoption - I wanted it to apply to all areas of life.  And I certainly knew that I couldn't come up with something like that on my own!  (Unfortunately, being "pithy" is not a strength of mine - just ask my kids!  LOL)

After praying on a Saturday night, I woke up with "Faith, Hope, Love, Action" running through my head.  I knew it was from God - it expressed all that I was learning and all that I had in my heart, but I never could have come up with it on my own. 

We hear "Faith, Hope, Love" all the time. It's on everything from coffee mugs to wall art to t-shirts.  It's a great, wholesome idea to put it on all kinds of things.  It's sweet and kind.  It's everywhere, and everyone has heard it before. But there is a hidden tragedy in the familiarity of it.... 

The tragedy lies in the fact that if I'm not careful I'll allow each of those powerful words to become merely a concept or topic for discussion rather than a call to action.  When Paul spoke those words in 1 Corinthians 13:13, I'm sure he didn't plan for those words to be used as nouns - they were all definitely verbs!  Paul was a man of action!
So, what do you get when you add "Action" to the "Faith, Hope, and Love"? You get lives that are changed!  This not only applies to adoption, it applies to every area of life.  When we walk in faith, when every decision we make is founded on the hope of what is to come, and when we love like Jesus loves - lives are changed forever! 

So, that's why we have made the bracelets - as a reminder that
"Faith + Hope + Love + Action = Lives Changed"
- and so we can be reminded that it is our duty and our privilege to live in such a way that lives are changed because of Christ living in us.

Now, that's an exciting life!

(If you would like to order some of our wristbands, please see our "Fundraising" page.  THANKS!)