7/23/2020 2 Comments Some good newsIt was years in the making. An on and off process that seemed too big for my heart to handle at times. The angles to consider, the legalities to observe, the hearts to guard, the mistakes to forgive and the missed deadlines that taught me to trust God’s plan for our family even when things were far from my control. But often I was left wondering, would this work? Could we gather all the necessary paperwork, proofs and signatures? How many notaries would we pay before everything lined up perfectly or would our mailman deliver another manila envelope declining our efforts, asking for more info, more proof, more signatures for a third and forth time? I knew if this never lined up we wouldn’t be faulted for not trying. We had followed the rules, collected the documents, tracked down signatures up to seven times over and hired notaries on the weekends. And really for us, for our story, this adventure was far more about a legal name than anything else. Adoption begins in the heart and that my friends, happen long ago. The end goal was His, in His timing and under His grace. Covid-19 couldn’t stop what needed to be accomplished on this day, it was finally time and my heart was so thankful. And just like that, with masks adorned on everyone from the armed guards who kept us six feet apart to the Honorable Judge who asked for a final time if we would like him to sign the gold sealed document, it was finished. But truthfully, thankfulness came long before a set adoption date. We knew what great things God had done for us by joining our three hearts 12 years ago. This was simply another stone in our family’s foundation. So I write this today for you with the process that feels only like pain, I promise it’s purifying.
And though it might seem like you’re a sitting duck with no visible steps to take and vulnerable on all sides, sometimes the way we move forward is by standing still in faith. And for you who feels as though nothing whole could ever come from your broken heart and your broken past, it’s God’s great pleasure to reset and replace the cracked and loosened bricks of your foundation. You can leave behind what once was and press into God’s redeeming power for what lies ahead. Take courage in God alone. “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14
2 Comments
7/10/2020 0 Comments The Bread of all livesShould I state the obvious and start this blog with, the days are long and hot? Or have you already realized it’s a dry, sweltering July? I’m sure you have. The pool is heavily utilized here and I find myself wishing I could send out more invites to share in the coolness of its simple 4 feet. I dream of it often but have come to realize summertime freedom isn’t without constant child training too, exactly like the cooler days of September with its sharpened pencils and scheduled time slots, there is still much to be done. There’s no overlooking the fact that I still have a little boy with a stomping problem when he doesn’t get his way. I can’t brush aside two young girls who need to fully grasp what’s worth keeping in their bedroom and what should be tossed (hint: Dove chocolate wrappers SHOULD be thrown away). Summers ease doesn’t give allowance to leave gaps in bringing up godly women and men. Training and nurturing the people in this home is my faithful duty, no matter the season outside, no matter my strong desire to be hostess inside. I hear the Lord remind me that He is the bread of life. The bread of THEIR lives, the bread of ALL lives. He is the sustainer of our days and although I am given to the task of nurturing my children, the gaze my babies once held for me must eventually shift to Him. I must gently angle their faces to Jesus daily, open their eyes to who He is and what He has for them in this world and the one to come. So I tell myself: Be the reminder of His majesty through the pointing out of constellations in the clearness of a nights sky, be the whisperer of truth when lunch table conversations heave with weight from news articles filled with hopelessness, be the rudder in the sea of uncertain futures teaching the pressing on in faith to finish with eyes fixated on Jesus through all the storms. Find satisfaction in the love of God each morning so His praise is readily on your lips. “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.” Psalm 90 Nothing can satisfy like the love of the Father, though our hearts are prone to dabble in finding another worthy, there’s not yet one to be found. The commander of the rising sun is the only One able to gratify our hearts longings, the only One with the immeasurable depth of love we all cry out for, the only One able to offer life giving Bread to all. There’s sweet joy in finding and being found by Jesus. Even in the middle of a world that’s raw with wounds from the lashing opinions of its sinful inhabitants, we are continually surrounded by His grace and Spirit of truth. Moments stilled with the touch of my thumb. Moments I recognize as His faithfulness over my life. Praise worthy pictures even in a broken land full of broken hearts. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Freeze a few moments through the lens of a camera and be satisfied by His love today.
“Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35 |
Author"My life passes as swiftly as the evening shadows. I am withering away like grass." Psalm 102:11 Archives
October 2022
Categories |