Iron Rose Sister Ministries

Written by Gisela Millán, volunteer of Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Venezuela

When we talk about a crown we refer to: authority, power, reign, reward.

How incredible that something can be taken away from us that was given to us. Just as a young woman prepares herself physically, spiritually, and academically to compete for a crown, so must we, dear sisters, also prepare ourselves. Although they compete for a corruptible crown, we do not compete. But it is a race for an incorruptible crown. When a king is crowned, his children become his princes and princesses, thus becoming heirs to his kingdom. This is how our heavenly Father made us part of His kingdom, but was it just like that? For being beautiful? Or for just being His daughters and that's it? No! First, we recognized and accepted by believing in the words and promises of Jesus Christ.

In my personal and spiritual life, the enemy has wanted to discourage me so that I toss my crown to the ground, the crown I was given when I decided to believe and receive Christ in my heart. He whispers in my ear, “Look how you are: ugly, spent, you can't keep going; give up already!” He tries to unsettle my emotions, because he knows that's where sickness wins, but God says we are called according to a purpose (Rom. 8:28). I think that winning my crown is not easy if I don't understand what and why I am fighting for. If we don't treasure or hold tight to our sword (Heb. 4:12), how can we fight and conquer? When Joshua went to conquer the promised land, what God reminded him the most was to meditate day and night on His words, to believe them and keep them in his heart, and he did so.

Beloved, I have been fighting for my crown for 6 years, I keep my eyes on the award,
because God says that we are His workmanship, that He is that Warrior who fights for us (Josh. 5:15) and the Lord Jesus Christ made us His daughters. When we faint, and we believe Satan’s lies, that's where we throw our crown down, that's where we lose it. So, what is the use of talking about it and not doing it? We must persevere and not allow anyone to take away from us what was given to us with pure blood. It is a promise that is given with love.

Notice how Jesus Himself tells us, “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown” (Rev. 3:11).

As I mentioned at the beginning, a girl prepared to win the crown in a beauty pageant. Once crowned, do you think she gets it and that's it? Is the job finished? Does she lose it? No, my sisters, she must keep that award or accolade for a while and keep working. We should do likewise in ministry, at work, in our homes, but mainly within ourselves.

Jesus sends a message to the church in Philadelphia, which means "brotherly love." The Lord is telling them that He is coming back soon, and although it is not an immediate return, if we read this passage today, tomorrow, or a year from now, He speaks to us in the present, encouraging this church to endure. How wonderful are His words that are also a promise for us! That is why we must continue working on ourselves, because we were made new creatures, daughters of the King.

And what is it that we must guard? They say that the church of Philadelphia had little to no strength. I imagine they were a humble, low-income congregation. However, they had received and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ and kept His words. And it was what the Lord admired about them. For this reason, He tells them that He loves them, because they were a church that resisted in brotherly love. They say that the name of that church was changed, but they kept the word of God in their hearts, trusting in the promises of Jesus Christ.

John continues narrating and says, let no one take your crown. So, did the Lord leave this church crowned? Or does He crown us when we receive Him and keep His word? I believe that this church is praised by our Lord Jesus Christ, because it remained obedient, loving, enduring, and trusting, my beloved sisters. The truth is, we have a crown, but we must work to hold onto it, because another sister cannot take it from us, but rather the enemy that sows doubts and distrust. 2022 years have passed, but we must continue believing every day in the promises of Jesus Christ and not neglect ourselves! For indeed these are the days of confusion. These are dangerous days. These are days when you and I can stray from the path that God has established for us. Well, is it that the chosen cannot be deceived at the end of time? The way to avoid this is by being close, walking and talking with our Lord Jesus.

God says in His word: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (Jn. 10:27). Listen to the indication of the Holy Spirit, who will guide and direct you, and will establish your feet firmly on the path that He has established for you.

Furthermore, Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 4:1, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”

Indeed, if we work and strive, it is because we have placed our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all, especially for those who believe. Christ Himself gives us the assurance. “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life” (Jn. 5:24).

The Judgment Seat of Christ has nothing to do with salvation. Instead, it has to do with rewards for service, for constant growth in grace, for patience in doing good. Our just God will forget our work of love, if we have done it out of love for Him.

My beloved ones, let us continue to hope together, working in brotherly love keeping the word of God and practicing it every day, serving God, taking care of that crown that was placed on us.

As Isaiah 62:3 says, "You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God." Amen.

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Written by Melissa Lindsey, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Colorado

My name is Melissa Lindsey and this is my journey to motherhood through adoption and more importantly, through faith. My husband and I have been married since 2014. Our marriage has been filled with adventures in traveling and has been met with its share of joy, challenges, and adversity. Our faith in God has served as a compass to guide us through times of uncertainty, unemployment, and infertility. In 2015, we became deeply interested in the idea of having a family of our own. Unfortunately, it was easier said than done.

From 2015-2017, we faced unemployment where Berdell had to re-invent himself and embark on a whole new career and I discovered I had stage 4 endometriosis and uterine fibroids. In 2016, I underwent surgery and had a myomectomy performed to remove my extremely large fibroids. By 2018, the fibroids returned with such aggressiveness that it was endangering my health and I was forced to have an emergency hysterectomy. Doctors were shocked I had been living with such an immense amount of pain for so long; they had never seen a case like mine before. The fibroids had attached themselves to my colon, bladder, and the endometriosis had completely destroyed my ovaries and fallopian tubes. Like any couple who dreamed of having children of their own, this was a devastating outcome that came with mourning and depression. To say I was not angry or not angry at God, would be a lie. As a former school counselor of 13 years, I have seen my fair share of children who go home to environments that are unstable: children who face different forms of abuse at the hands of the ones who are supposed to love and protect them. Yet here I was: childless, broken, and damaged. Did God find me unworthy? Too broken to bear a child in His image?

My husband was the one who brought up the idea of adoption. I was half invested in his suggestion; still hanging onto the hope that God would make a way and I would be pregnant. It was during this time I started a deep dive into social media and came across several stories from adoptees and adoptive parents who had situations similar to ours. This is where I found the adoption agency we would eventually use, Faithful Adoption Consultants. They are a Christian based organization located in Georgia. I loved their message and loved listening to the stories from families who adopted through them. We officially became active with FAC in January of 2020 and started receiving profiles of expectant mothers looking to place their unborn babies for adoption. I leaned on my husband, our faith, and scripture during this time; particularly Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV, “Trust the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and he will make your paths straight.” Our belief in the power of the Lord was definitely needed, because as soon as we signed on the dotted line that we wanted to be FAC clients, the requests for payment from every person who would play a part in bringing our baby home, started rolling in. There was no one else, but God, who could have made it possible to raise enough funds needed to adopt, down to the very last cent. Several times we questioned if we made the right decision; were we crazy? We’re just two educators with modest means embarking on one of our wildest adventures yet!

While we were incredibly blessed to have overwhelming support from family, friends, and even strangers. Our road to parenthood was not what we anticipated. While we thought we knew how we’d get to our destination, the reality is, the journey wasn’t what we expected. Our adoption experience didn’t come without some scars and struggles along the way. People unfamiliar with adoption do not understand the mere exhaustion of the process; the strain it imposes on your mind, body, and relationships. The number of hoops you have to jump through with different state agencies to determine if you’re fit to raise this beautiful child. Then there’s the waiting. Waiting to finally be chosen by an expectant mother. Praying each night this woman who’s making one of the hardest decisions of her life, will ultimately choose you to love her precious baby forever. Finally, there’s the one thing hopeful adoptive parents don’t like to talk about and are often too scared to bring it up – disrupted adoptions. Disrupted adoptions are often adoptions where a birth parent chooses to parent the child upon the child’s birth. My husband and I went through this experience twice.

How do you grieve someone that never really belonged to you? These sweet babies that I loved for months will never know me. They will never know how hard I prayed for them and their mothers. Even though I never got to hold or feel these babies kick, they grew in our hearts and will forever be a part of our family. I went to a very dark place within myself during this loss. I struggled to process it all. Adoption is hard. Excruciatingly hard. Even though my heart felt like it had been ripped from my body, if a birth mother chooses to parent, that’s not a failure. While we mourned those losses, we fell deep into God’s Word, trusting the One who has the whole world in His hands. His love is steadfast. His promises are faithful. He brings redemption out of brokenness. “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18). A week later, we received word a young expectant mom and her mother had chosen us to parent her baby after reading our profile. Despite our faith being severely tested, we always knew that God had a plan for us all along! Our greatest blessing was born September 30, 2020.

It is evident that adoption is close to the heart of Christ and should be central to the mission of Christians worldwide. When we receive our Lord by faith, we have the honor of becoming His children. Throughout scripture, there are verses that tell of our spiritual adoption and how we are adopted into His family. “In love He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will…” (Eph. 1:5). We are all equals in the eyes of God. In adoption, every child is worthy of being part of a family, just as He has called us worthy to be His daughters forever. God wants this father-child relationship. He delights to provide for and protect His children. I can always rely on Him. There’s a verse I read every day during our period of waiting, Psalms 73:26, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” God is my portion, He is enough. He was my portion when I was overwhelmed with worry and when we were going through hard situations. He was my portion before we adopted our baby girl and He continues to be what I need each and every day.

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