This long wait that has 11 months so far, has given me a lot of time to reflect on myself, in I believe, preparation for what is to come with our son and our adoption process. I have been thinking a lot about the purpose of all of this. The journey that my family has taken, and all of the lessons we have learned along the way. And, I think that at the beginning, I didn't know the purpose of it. In fact, there were only two certainties that I knew at the beginning: one,I knew in my heart, without a doubt, that God was calling us to adopt, and two, that He was undefeatable.
I wonder a lot about WHY God placed me here, where I am right now. God intentionally placed you where you are right now, no matter where that place is. That thought completely blows my mind. Why did he choose to give me this life, when he could have just as easily given me a life across the world in famine, despair,and poverty? What part do I play in this lifetime and what part have I been playing all along? When I put everything into His perspective, I start seeing what he has taught me through my past, the things I have learned, all the things that He has given to me not earned by my own merit, all the places He has taken me to, and all the people that He made me cross paths with, have brought me to this place, right here, and made me the person that I am for such a time as this. I think one of the most beautiful things about the body of Christ is that we are all different. He has put us all in different places and perfectly knit each one of us in a completely unique way that is not like any other, and yet, we have all been called to the same purpose. Jesus says we are the salt of the earth. We are the light of the world, and a city on a hill cannot be hidden.
So, this is where I stand as of the beginning of 2012. I am currently reading the book "Kisses from Katie" and I think that Katie says it perfectly, "My candle is lit, I am on fire for God, for this place, for these people. My purpose here is to spread His light. One candle can light up my entire room. Jesus can light up this entire nation, and my flame can be a part of that. I am blown away that my God, who could do this all by himself, would choose to let me be a little part of it."
We are expecting any day now, a referral from our agency, and soon after that (usually a few weeks) we will finally fly to Ethiopia and meet, for the first time, our son. WE ARE VERY EXCITED and cannot wait.
For all my wonderful friends who have constantly been praying for us, please pray for God's love to just overflow and for us to constantly be reminded that He is sufficient.
