Recently I was asked to review a resource from Beth Moore, a woman who is a popular Christian speaker and writer. It was a Bible study-in-a-box, a kit that contained everything you'd need for promoting and then hosting a retreat or a short Bible study. I gave away the kit on my other blog a couple weeks ago, and was planning to only mention it there. But then I watched the study myself, and found it completely applicable to the kind of parenting we often do as adoptive parents, especially with newly arrived older children.

In her presentation, Beth talks about the different types of people in the world. Some are a joy to love, and some are just plain difficult to love. She jokingly labels them 'testy'.

Now, I'm not trying to tell you that newly arrived kids are unlovable. There are heart-squeezingly wonderful moments in the early months, even with children who are grieving. But there are times when kids can be so overwhelmed with grief, or so afraid to trust their new parents that they seem to be trying darned hard to appear unlovable.

Many times after a long day of limit-setting, it has been tough to feel loving. I've had to really struggle to keep smiling--to keep hugging-- to keep reaching out when I've been pushed away many times during the day. There have been days-- ok, weeks-- when I have felt battle-weary.

This DVD presentation turned out to be a balm to my adoptive-mom soul. Not only was it hilarious, but it also described perfectly the difficulty of loving a 'testy' person. Then it went on to remind me of the importance of recharging as a mom by tapping into the power of God. Only then can I have enough love to pass on.

This DVD series was such an encouragement to me that I just had to mention it for others who also might need a boost to do a better job at 'loving well'.
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