Faith

Here are the kids "Showing Hope" at the Shaohannah's Hope

booth at a Steven Curtis Chapman concert last year.

I have to admit, my sassy rose colored glasses that I put on at the very beginning of this adoption process didn't make it past the first couple of months. We learned very quickly that this would be an exercise of faith for our whole family. I realize now that the first frantic months of constant paperwork, notaries, doctor's checkups, etc. were fulfilling because WE were doing something to make the process move forward. We could see momentum and it was great. Then came the waiting and the curve balls that were thrown our way over the next 2 1/2 years. This was touched on Sunday in church. We often hold out on crying out to God until we've exhausted all of our human resources & expect Him to put on His co-pilot hat to save the day. He was just as present with us during the times of our "doing" as He was during the times of silent waiting. Oh, and He was the One who enabled us to check off all our "to-do's" in the first place!

"Common sense is not faith and faith is not common
sense. Let me say I believe God will supply all my
need, and then let me run dry, with no outlook, and see
whether I will go through the trial of faith, or sink back
to something lower."
Oswald Chambers

Thank You God, for not allowing us to sink back to "something lower"...a place of wondering, "What if we had just believed and faithed this thing through?" We have scripture after scripture on faith and hope written in our adoption journal. There were days that just speaking those words aloud over our family and Gracie was an act of faith in itself. Adoption can be a very lonely process in a way. It is not a visible pregnancy. Life, of course, needed to go on, but our hearts have been thousands of miles away with a little girl, who up until last month, was not known to us. We can now see a face that we can't wait to kiss. She is a masterpiece created by her Heavenly Father Who has given her a hope and a future.

Rose colored glasses didn't look that great on me anyway. I'm thinkin' some Sally Jesse Raphael red glasses will be great for our trip to China.

"He Who promised
is Faithful."
Hebrews 10:23