Space for Grace
Well, it has been a disappointing week, to say the least. First, after I've been telling everyone for the last few monthsthat we should have James home by the end of this year, this week I found out that was very unlikely to happen. You see, once we get our referral (match) it's basically a three month wait to get his visa until we can travel to get him. Here we are heading into September, which puts us in December for travel. Only one problem: Christmas. Government shuts down for Christmas; officials take most of the month off and you can't get your visa when no one is working in the embassy. Plus, ticket prices go up because of the holiday. So I was told that we would most likely have to wait until January. But, I was holding out a little bit of hope that if we could get matched this week, maybe, just maybe, we could squeak in at the very beginning of December. That hope was smashed this morning when I got an email from our CW, saying that the ICAB has some crazy policy, that if there are five Fridays in a month, they don't do any matchings that Friday. Seriously??!!! First of all, that's just dumb. And second of all, they are "backed up" as it is, because of the flooding earlier this month. So really, I don't think this week should have counted as a fifth Friday. But that's just me. So, as you can imagine, I am very unhappy right now. Not only will we not have our baby home for Christmas, but we will miss his birthday as well.
Now, you're probably wondering about the title. This morning, before I read the dream-crushing email, I went to Bible study at church. We're doing Beth Moore's study on James. I love Beth Moore, by the way. I've missed the first two weeks of the study, so I didn't see the video sessions. But most of the regular ladies weren't there today, so we decided to watch session one, since two of the three of us hadn't seen it yet. At the end she was talking about how James didn't get a free pass or special treatment because he was Jesus's brother, but he needed grace just like the rest of us. And she went on to say how our sins and problems and life circumstances create space for God's grace in our lives. I was thinking of a few things in my life that need grace, and this situation was at the top of the list. I need grace for myself, for being frustrated and angry with a system that makes everything so difficult and drawn out. And I need grace to give to said system and the people who run it. And I need grace to trust in God's perfect timing, especially when it does not line up with my own plans. So today, I have a big space. Lord, please fill it with your grace.
Now, you're probably wondering about the title. This morning, before I read the dream-crushing email, I went to Bible study at church. We're doing Beth Moore's study on James. I love Beth Moore, by the way. I've missed the first two weeks of the study, so I didn't see the video sessions. But most of the regular ladies weren't there today, so we decided to watch session one, since two of the three of us hadn't seen it yet. At the end she was talking about how James didn't get a free pass or special treatment because he was Jesus's brother, but he needed grace just like the rest of us. And she went on to say how our sins and problems and life circumstances create space for God's grace in our lives. I was thinking of a few things in my life that need grace, and this situation was at the top of the list. I need grace for myself, for being frustrated and angry with a system that makes everything so difficult and drawn out. And I need grace to give to said system and the people who run it. And I need grace to trust in God's perfect timing, especially when it does not line up with my own plans. So today, I have a big space. Lord, please fill it with your grace.
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