Declare it!!

Hey, I know it's been a while since I've written... and, quite frankly, I'm ashamed of the reasons. I am learning that I should share, even when I am struggling to find the positive. I should be sharing our story as we go, because we learn and grow through the tough times, not just when things are good. I am constantly having to regain perspective and remind myself that I am not in control... I am also having to remind myself to relinquish control because, even though it is just as hard every time, God's plans always work better!

My newest life nugget is about declaring God's plans and promises for our lives, instead of constantly asking Him to do things for us... My husband and I have been reading Relentless by John Bevere, a book about praying without ceasing, and having courage and being unstoppable. In this book, he discusses Ephesians 1:19-20, "I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms." This means that we have been given the same power through Christ, meaning it has already been given. This leads me to my story.

As you know, my husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for about a year and a half. About 6 months ago, we began this adventure of adoption, because we really felt God was leading us down this road for the current place we're in... We prayed and took classes and prepared for a little boy who is 6 years old, only to find out that he was going to live with family in another state. This led us to the realization that our hearts had been opened to a child we didn't birth, and had no idea who they would be... So we continued our adventure, not knowing where it would lead... We tried to submit our information for a 2 year old little boy, only to find out we had waited 1 day too late to decide to pursue other options. Then we had to opportunity to submit our paperwork for a sibling group with a 5 year old girl and 7 month old boy, or a 1 year old Asian girl who sounded amazing. We are not set up for more than one child in our current home, so the 2 were not an option. I wanted to say yes to the little girl, and in my haste was upset when my husband said no. He told me, he really felt like it was going to be a little boy. After being very upset with him for a couple days, I remembered all the times his discernment has won over my pride and lack of logic... 

The way it works is that if you submit your information to be considered for a child, you are not allowed to try for another until you have been officially denied. The process usually takes 2-3 weeks. So, about a week and a half after fighting with my husband because I desperately wanted to say yes to the 1 year old girl, we got a phone call from our worker at the adoption agency. She said she had a 7 month old little boy who was perfectly healthy and happy, with no ties to biological family. We submitted our information about an hour after she had received the email. We prayed and declared him as our son for 3 weeks, not wavering in our words, and not really saying, "please God give us this child." Just thanking him for our son and declaring 1 Samuel 1:27 over him: "I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request." 3 and a half weeks later, we got the phone call that this child is going to be ours!!!!!!!! He will be in our house by the beginning of February. We have yet to meet him, but we have perfect peace that this was God's plan all along! 

The moral of the story is that God has already granted us authority, and He has a divine plan for us, we just have to accept that we are His children. We have to claim what is already ours, and stop just timidly asking for things. :) 
Next week I will share about our son's name and the awesomeness that is God's love and redemption!

The Lord will go before you!

I love that I get to share things in this way! God has really blessed us, and I am very proud of how far we've come! Things are not always perfect, but we have learned that the best way to handle things is by letting God be in charge. To "be still and know that I am God" is the hardest, yet most rewarding aspect of life. We are waiting on so many things to happen right now and get so impatient some days, but we have learned through experience that His timing is best! God is constantly doing things that we cannot see, and just like children trust their parents to take care of them, we are trusting Him to work on our behalf.

I will close with a Bible verse that I feel describes what we are believing for right now, that God is going before us to fight for us! Deuteronomy 31:6 (NLT) says "So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you."

He wants to say YES!

Well, I am trying to get better about posting regularly and absolutely loving seeing all the views on my page! Thanks so much for reading! :)

So, it has been on my heart to just tell you, whoever you may be, that God loves you and sent His Son to die for you, 2,000 years ago! We are His children, and He loves us! It is so important to remember that, as His children we have favor. He wants to say YES to us! Psalms 84:11 in the New Living Translation says: "For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right." To me this says that He will never say no to us if we are doing the right thing. 
We have been going through the adoption process and every time I question if we are making the right choice, I ask God for something to hold onto, a confirmation. And every time, when I ask Him to hold me up and give me faith, He does something amazing! Sometimes it's small, but it is always exactly what I need to get me through the week... Just be aware that He loves us and His timing may be different than ours, but He has our future in mind. I know that my parents always had my best interest at heart when they made me wait for things, or took things away when I got in trouble... I did not realize it until I was about 24, but I see it now. They also made sure we were always taken care of, fed, clothed, and happy. Just as our human parents love us and want what is best for us, our Heavenly Father will not ever leave us wanting because He loves us so much that He sacrificed His Son for our eternal well-being! :)

New Journeys

So, many of you may have figured it out already, but we are going to have a child.... not by birth yet, but our first child will be adopted. We have been going through the process to adopt a child through the foster care system, taking classes, filling out paperwork, completing our homestudy, filling out more paperwork, and praying, praying, praying!We realized, yet again, that God has a huge plan that we have no idea how amazing it will be! After lots of prayer and discussion, God changing hearts, and praying some more, there is no doubt that this is where our life is supposed to go right now. We may have a child already chosen, we may not, just waiting on God for that right now...

It is so vital to listen to His voice, and so many times we try to tell Him what His plan for our life is. (He laughs...) Jeremiah 29:11-14 in the New Living Translation says, "For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.” " So many times we read the first verse of this passage and leave it at that, and because we have read it so many times, it becomes meaningless. But He wants us to seek Him wholeheartedly and to remember that He will do amazing things in our lives. Instead of telling Him what we think His plan should be, we must seek Him and let Him guide us to His so-much-better-than-our plan! So, here we are, relinquishing the rights to our own journey guide to the ultimate Guide and relishing every moment!!!

Delighting in the Lord!! :)

Well, we have some super exciting things going on in our life right now, and some that are not so exciting... but we are learning more about trusting God and letting His plan play out instead of trying to tell Him what that plan consists of... It is not time to share just what these things are yet, because we are waiting on His final word and wisdom, but I can tell you that you will be stoked when we tell you!! (We are not pregnant yet, and we are not moving yet, before anyone gets their hopes up, sorry)... I just wanted to share a quick note about how God works... I read in a book that God will use you when you are in motion, He can't do anything with a parked car. So, following your heart and the passions He has given you will ultimately put you on the path He has for you, where He can use you for all He created you for. With that being said, for months, we have been praying for certain things to happen, and just sitting around waiting... But we finally prayed about it in a way that led us to start acting on what He was saying, instead of just telling Him what we felt He was saying... And now, He is moving us towards some amazing things!

Psalm 37:4-5 in the New Living Translation says: "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you." Instead of asking for what you think you want, give it to God, because sometimes we misinterpret the desires He has placed in our hearts. Don't pass up the blessings that God has for you simply because you are set on something you THINK He wants for your life. My husband, for instance, is my opposite. I had been praying for years for someone who held all the qualities my husband does, but looking for someone just like me. Not the way that works, by the way.... So, when I finally told God I was ready for my husband, whoever He had for me, and started praying and looking for the same things, I found this man who was handsome, adoring, and Godly. So, your heart and your head need to be lined up with God's plan and will for your life... Sometimes, all it takes is a perspective adjustment. :)