Thursday, January 24, 2013
Unthinkable Peace
When my heart's full if questions, or the answer is clear
You are my promise, I know you are near
When I'm lost and doubting and I've wandered from home
You are my promise, I'm never alone
Back to the Start
When we began the journey to adopt E one of the catalysts was the testimony of a family who recently adopted. The M family had three biological children and had just adopted for a second time. They experienced some setbacks during their second adoption but at the end they were able to bring their daughter home. The M family has since adopted two more children!
Along the way we have witnessed our adoption community expand. We meet people out of the blue, and good friends of ours have also walked down the path of adoption for their own families. Some friends are in-country right now!
Part of our journey to adopt E includes the story of Ruth. Ruth had every reason to abandon her mother-in-law but chose the path of commitment and compassion. We also wanted to live lives that were not for ourselves.
And I don't have to wonder if you are good
I don't have to question your heart
Though I walk through the desert my cup overflows
You are always enough
God at Work
Toward the end of our adoption of E we learned that adoptions from Russia were suspended. Then they weren't. Adoptions are an up and down journey. And such is the case with our adoption of Etcetera. When our family and friends heard of the adoption ban in Russia we were swarmed with encouraging notes and calls. We never had a point of wondering where God was in all of this. He is here, in the middle of it all. We knew that God had a plan for us. We had to believe it. Getting from head to heart can be so hard. "I believe, help my unbelief!" (Mark 9.24)
The weekend after the Russian adoption law was signed our pastor preached a message, "How to Have Peace of Mind." What timing! It was a message we needed and knew we would hold on to for the upcoming weeks. And God provided as our pastor extended the series for an additional two weeks. This was the perfect nourishment for us.
I have joy, joy, unspeakable joy
I've found peace, peace, unthinkable peace
You're the hope that I cling to
And I choose to trust you
Unthinkable Peace
We knew God was moving us out of our comfort zone and into a conviction that cannot be seen. So we sat at the kitchen table one night and reviewed the checklist before us. In a cloud of clarity we moved forward on our road of commitment and compassion that included a boy who would otherwise be passed over because of his condition.
The leaders in our church recently wrote a song called Unspeakable Joy, parts of which have been sprinkled in this post. True joy and true peace can only come from God. In a time of prayer, as this song was sung over us, our conviction was confirmed and our hearts established in the way we should take. We're still ready to travel thousands of miles and cross oceans. It will be a different country, a different ocean, but the same story. We're adopting. A boy. Our son.
We're headed to China.
You are my promise, I know you are near
When I'm lost and doubting and I've wandered from home
You are my promise, I'm never alone
Back to the Start
When we began the journey to adopt E one of the catalysts was the testimony of a family who recently adopted. The M family had three biological children and had just adopted for a second time. They experienced some setbacks during their second adoption but at the end they were able to bring their daughter home. The M family has since adopted two more children!
Along the way we have witnessed our adoption community expand. We meet people out of the blue, and good friends of ours have also walked down the path of adoption for their own families. Some friends are in-country right now!
Part of our journey to adopt E includes the story of Ruth. Ruth had every reason to abandon her mother-in-law but chose the path of commitment and compassion. We also wanted to live lives that were not for ourselves.
And I don't have to wonder if you are good
I don't have to question your heart
Though I walk through the desert my cup overflows
You are always enough
God at Work
Toward the end of our adoption of E we learned that adoptions from Russia were suspended. Then they weren't. Adoptions are an up and down journey. And such is the case with our adoption of Etcetera. When our family and friends heard of the adoption ban in Russia we were swarmed with encouraging notes and calls. We never had a point of wondering where God was in all of this. He is here, in the middle of it all. We knew that God had a plan for us. We had to believe it. Getting from head to heart can be so hard. "I believe, help my unbelief!" (Mark 9.24)
The weekend after the Russian adoption law was signed our pastor preached a message, "How to Have Peace of Mind." What timing! It was a message we needed and knew we would hold on to for the upcoming weeks. And God provided as our pastor extended the series for an additional two weeks. This was the perfect nourishment for us.
I have joy, joy, unspeakable joy
I've found peace, peace, unthinkable peace
You're the hope that I cling to
And I choose to trust you
Unthinkable Peace
We knew God was moving us out of our comfort zone and into a conviction that cannot be seen. So we sat at the kitchen table one night and reviewed the checklist before us. In a cloud of clarity we moved forward on our road of commitment and compassion that included a boy who would otherwise be passed over because of his condition.
The leaders in our church recently wrote a song called Unspeakable Joy, parts of which have been sprinkled in this post. True joy and true peace can only come from God. In a time of prayer, as this song was sung over us, our conviction was confirmed and our hearts established in the way we should take. We're still ready to travel thousands of miles and cross oceans. It will be a different country, a different ocean, but the same story. We're adopting. A boy. Our son.
We're headed to China.
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Russian Adoption Ban
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I just got chills reading this..
ReplyDelete"...a boy who would otherwise be passed over because of his condition." It gives me joy to read these words from your post. Keep living in the conviction of the Lord!
ReplyDeleteJust reading this and cant help but recall the message we were given two weeks ago at an adoptive parents conferences. "If we think our adoption journey is just a out us seeking out to bring home and help the healing of our child's hearts we are missing an entire part. This journey is also about God seeking our hearts, about bringing our hearts closer to Him and to a new lwvel of healing. " God is so awesome that he would use adoption to help us to truly understand how deep and how wide His love is for us. Just like your love is for your son. Praying for you all !
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