One Step Closer

Saturday night, Tim and I had the privilege of attending a dinner hosted by our adoption agency to support the cause of orphans . It was a good time for us to be reaffirmed by God of what He's calling us to do. I go through times of feeling excited and times of feeling fearful. The past few weeks had been a fearful time for me. Every time one of my boys acted out or was especially clingy, a voice inside of me would whisper doubts into my soul. But God is faithful to remind me that He is the one in charge and He is leading us.

A good friend reminded me that often times in the Bible God answers a question that someone asks with a statement about Himself. Think of when Moses asked God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" God answered not with a comment about Moses' ability but with the statement about Himself, "I will be with you."

Another example is the story of the woman at the well. When the Samaritan woman asks Jesus how he could ask her for a drink, he responds by telling her about the gift of God in the living water.

I need to hear that it's not up to me.

The guest artist for Saturday's dinner was Britt Nicole. I loved the song she sang "Set the World on Fire." Thus, it is on my play list now. In it she says, "I am small but You are big enough. I am weak but You are strong enough to take my dreams and give them wings." She ended the evening sharing these verses from 1 Chronicles 28:20...

...Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you...

Throughout the evening on Saturday, the faces of sweet children that have been adopted would fill a screen that was set up close to our table. A few of the speakers were adoptive fathers that had traveled to orphanages in different countries and had been moved by the children living there. They spoke of the children's great longings to have a daddy and to be a part of a family. They would cry out to the men visiting the orphanage, "Papa," hoping one of them was there to take them home. As the evening went on, my heart longed for our daughter and for the children who so desperately want to have a home. The number of orphans in the world is astounding, but the statistics say if just 7% of those who call themselves Christians adopted one child each, there would be no more orphans in the world. Amazing! I'm not saying all Christians have an obligation to adopt just as not all Christians should be foreign missionaries. I do hope that those who feel God tugging their hearts toward adoption will listen.

Today was our last visit with our social worker for the home study. She hopes to have our home study complete by the end of this month. It's a good feeling to have this part of the journey almost complete. We are one step closer to seeing our little girl...

just a little closer to bringing her home. When she cries, "Papa", may she be embraced by her daddy in our home.