I am beyond excited to share that my family is now able to take the next step in our Haiti adoption process! We have been praying that it would be possible for us to complete our home study before Methus & I leave for college (otherwise we would have to find social workers in Georgia and Alabama to do separate home studies…not ideal!). So I am SUPER thankful that our prayers were answered and we will be able to keep moving forward!
Charis’s adoption was such a long process that I didn’t remember how difficult the whole process is (or maybe once she came home I forgot, because it was all so worth it). The sacrifices I made so that we could afford the adoption seem much smaller than they do now. But once I think about one (or two) kids in Haiti waiting to be in out family, I forget it all.
A couple of weeks ago I was having a really selfish moment. I was telling my mom about how I am tired of praying for God to provide for the adoption, for my school, for me to get a car, and the list really could go on and on. But basically I was tired of making sacrifices. I was tired of not getting the things that I wanted (I know, that sounds horrible, I can be really selfish). Growing up in the ministry, our family has never exactly had an excess of resources.
But in the midst of my selfishness and pride, I realized that God has always provided. I have never gone hungry, I have never lived on the streets, and they might have been hand-me-downs, but I have always been clothed.
In Matthew 6:26, Jesus says, “Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”
How foolish am I to complain about my “struggles” when God has blessed me so much. My heart aches to think that I was selfish enough to think and say those things. There’s a song that I really love (granted it is really cheesy) called “This is the stuff”. There is a line in that song that hits me every time I hear it: “in the middle of my little mess, I forget how big I’m blessed.” Every time I get caught up in my own selfishness and the messes I get myself into, I forget how much God has blessed me.
At the end of the day, I know that I am 100% committed to this adoption, whatever that means. Dave Ramsey once said that God wouldn’t call you to do something that you couldn’t pay for. God hasn’t called my family to live an extravagant life. He has called us to extend our family and to let another child (or two) come into our lives. I know that God is faithful to provide for every need along the way, and I am excited to be a part of that!
And of course you can also get a tank!
in You the orphan finds mercy 