On the Upswing!
This has been a hard week in the part of my life that is not wrapped up in all things adoption - friends experiencing so much heartache, that all I can pray is "Oh Jesus!" And I know that he hears that prayer, and he knows that ache, and he will do what I cannot for those I love so much. Because he loves them infinitely more, and more perfectly than I ever could. And for that, I praise him!
But on the flip side, in my adoption world, this has been a great week! James's visa was issued on Monday, and while we have yet to receive our invitation to travel, tickets have been booked, seats picked, and today I bought the first of many items needed to entertain a 4 year old for 24 hours on a plane/in an airport. We also received word that James has seen our photo book now, knows who we are, and is very excited about his family, especially his siblings. This has really been a source of stress for me, and while I don't really know exactly how much he understands, I know that he has about a month to process it and ask questions as much as he is able. I pray every morning, as soon as I wake up, that the Lord will prepare his heart for us, and that his transition to us will be as minimally traumatic as possible. I feel very reassured that our Father is doing just that.
Aedan and Liana are getting more excited too, now that we have a definite timeline. They talk about James, what they will do with him when he gets here, and how they wish he was here now. It's so sweet. I've read them the emails we've gotten, telling how excited James was about their pictures in the book, how he imitated their silly faces, how he put his Pirates t-shirt on immediately. I think that's helped make it more real to them. We're hoping to be able to skype soon, if we are given permission, and if his foster mom can get to an internet cafe and get access to decent internet. That would just be icing on the cake at this point!
A few mornings ago (I forget which morning, because I was not diligent enough to get out of bed and get my journal!) I was reading an Advent devotional, which, of course, was about waiting. And I realized that waiting has been a part of God's plan for us from the beginning of time. Abraham and Sarah had to wait for Isaac. Joseph had to wait in prison. The Israelites waited in slavery. Then they waited in the desert (granted, that was their own fault, but still). The list goes on. And then God's people waited for hundreds of years for the Messiah. Generations passed, and God was silent. No prophets, no messages, nothing. And then it occurred to me that God waited too! He waited until just the right time to send his Son, his plan for the salvation of mankind. How difficult it must have been to watch generation after generation live and die under the law, knowing what was in store in the future. But, in his infinite wisdom that we can't even begin to comprehend, he waited. I don't know what that time was the right time, but God does. Maybe he'll explain it to us in heaven, but maybe he won't. And honestly, it probably won't even matter then. So to all of you who are waiting, whether for something adoption related, or for healing, for relationship restoration, for the return of the prodigal, for whatever... be encouraged today and know that you are in good company. Our Father knows what it is to wait, and he also has a just the right time for you. We might not understand what's taking so long, but we can take comfort in knowing that he knows all things, he sees the beginning and the end (we only see about three seconds worth!) and his plan and his timing are perfect.
But on the flip side, in my adoption world, this has been a great week! James's visa was issued on Monday, and while we have yet to receive our invitation to travel, tickets have been booked, seats picked, and today I bought the first of many items needed to entertain a 4 year old for 24 hours on a plane/in an airport. We also received word that James has seen our photo book now, knows who we are, and is very excited about his family, especially his siblings. This has really been a source of stress for me, and while I don't really know exactly how much he understands, I know that he has about a month to process it and ask questions as much as he is able. I pray every morning, as soon as I wake up, that the Lord will prepare his heart for us, and that his transition to us will be as minimally traumatic as possible. I feel very reassured that our Father is doing just that.
Aedan and Liana are getting more excited too, now that we have a definite timeline. They talk about James, what they will do with him when he gets here, and how they wish he was here now. It's so sweet. I've read them the emails we've gotten, telling how excited James was about their pictures in the book, how he imitated their silly faces, how he put his Pirates t-shirt on immediately. I think that's helped make it more real to them. We're hoping to be able to skype soon, if we are given permission, and if his foster mom can get to an internet cafe and get access to decent internet. That would just be icing on the cake at this point!
A few mornings ago (I forget which morning, because I was not diligent enough to get out of bed and get my journal!) I was reading an Advent devotional, which, of course, was about waiting. And I realized that waiting has been a part of God's plan for us from the beginning of time. Abraham and Sarah had to wait for Isaac. Joseph had to wait in prison. The Israelites waited in slavery. Then they waited in the desert (granted, that was their own fault, but still). The list goes on. And then God's people waited for hundreds of years for the Messiah. Generations passed, and God was silent. No prophets, no messages, nothing. And then it occurred to me that God waited too! He waited until just the right time to send his Son, his plan for the salvation of mankind. How difficult it must have been to watch generation after generation live and die under the law, knowing what was in store in the future. But, in his infinite wisdom that we can't even begin to comprehend, he waited. I don't know what that time was the right time, but God does. Maybe he'll explain it to us in heaven, but maybe he won't. And honestly, it probably won't even matter then. So to all of you who are waiting, whether for something adoption related, or for healing, for relationship restoration, for the return of the prodigal, for whatever... be encouraged today and know that you are in good company. Our Father knows what it is to wait, and he also has a just the right time for you. We might not understand what's taking so long, but we can take comfort in knowing that he knows all things, he sees the beginning and the end (we only see about three seconds worth!) and his plan and his timing are perfect.
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