"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you, and to not harm you. Plans to give you a future and a hope."
What I also know is that following the Lord isn't easy. He doesn't claim it will be. Jesus didn't have it easy following the Lord to His ultimate destination: the cross of Calvary. Moses, David, and all the other faithful men and women of God didn't think it was an easy journey.
The road to adoption isn't easy. It is long, painful, full of twists and turns, and it can be heart wrenching. You follow the Lord and obey him when He calls you to adopt. You rid yourself of the fear, uncertainty. You submit to His plans for your time, money, plans, future, etc. You lay yourself down to follow His heart, after all, you asked the Lord to do whatever He would want with your life. You asked Him to break your heart for what breaks His.
And here you are.
Then you find out that Ethiopia is having a HARD time with adoptions. Due to corruption and greed, Ethiopia is an uncertain course. Despite spending countless days, months, years of doing paperwork, paying a bunch of money, and waiting, it might not ever happen.
This is our story. HIS story really. The story of trying so desperately to fulfill His calling on our lives and bring our daughter home. Where is she Lord? Is she in Ethiopia? Maybe she is in China instead?
So we talked with our case worker at AGCI. She said we could consider switching over to China Special Needs, and if we did, AGCI would wave the agency fees to do so.
What? Switch? Give up on Ethiopia? Start all over with adoption paperwork? What? It will cost an extra $15000 on top of the $10000 we know we will need to pay already?
And then we prayed. Begged the Lord to give us His answer. Desperately searched the scriptures for confirmation. Wasn't sure if He was going to answer through them, through prayer, through someone?
Slowly but surely Ethiopia began to fade in our minds. Our passion for that country. My longing for traveling there to get our daughter.
Suddenly He was changing our hearts. Never before had we considered special needs. Now, our hearts were flung wide open to them.
Funny how He stirs in your heart when it is open to His leading and His plans.
And then, the kicker of it all. One day I sat down to read in Deuteronomy. I started in chapter 1, and in verse 6 the words JUMPED off the page into my mind and heart. The Lord had answered (at least that is what I took it for).....
"God, our God, spoke to us: “You’ve stayed long enough at this mountain. On your way now. Get moving. "
His sheep hear His voice. I heard His voice. He said to change...and to get moving!
1 comment:
Oh wow! That verse is so cool!
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