My Red Sea and Me

                            My Red Sea and Me

A portion of our first adoption story, and the goodness of God.

                     So, I've been thinking about the Red Sea. I think about him a lot. I look into his eyes daily, and I am so thankful for the good choices and the pliable heart I see in him as he is growing. His smile and laughter are contagious, and none of us know what we would do without him.

                        In our first adoption journey, we felt God saying "Go Forward" to our hearts. But surely adoption was impossible for us. God knew our limitations. God knew our ages and our inexperience. God knew our salary. We talked to a couple who had adopted twice. They told us the cost, in dollars and cents. Surely not. That would be impossible. So, we called the agency. They quoted even more. Surely not. Surely God wouldn't ask us to give practically a years' wages. That would be impossible! Still, we heard God's "Go forward."

                       

                      We went ahead and completed our homestudy open-ended, so we could have international and domestic options. And we waited and prayed. And we committed, waited and prayed. This was going to be huge for us. Could we swing it? Were we ready for whatever child God brought to us? During this time we kept a journal of the scriptures, songs, encouragement, etc. that God sent us, right when we needed it. After about 6 months, things began to change. our journal says: 

                                                                                                                   November 16   

                 "The LORD has laid on our hearts a new urgency for our adopted child. Brandon   mentioned that maybe we should fast and pray on Saturday, Nov. 19th for direction from God. We feel that our baby has already been chosen for us by God, and we want to be ready and waiting to go, to wait, to do whatever His will is. Right after deciding to fast, we knelt and asked God to please show us his way. He gave me these verses.  

Isaiah 30:21 "And thine ears shall hear a voice behind thee, saying this is the way, walk ye in it."

Isaiah 30:29-30 "Ye shall have a song as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, and the Lord shall cause His glorious voice to be heard."  "

                       By the end of this prayer-filled weekend, we were both confident in our hearts that we knew where we were supposed to go. God had given us the next step. Our hearts were filled with gladness, knowing that God's plan for us was good. We heard him still say, "Go forward."

                       About two months later, it was time for us to "be matched" with a child. We covered this time with prayer, and physically trembled when we got the paperwork. Our new baby boy's birthdate was November 18th. On our baby's first day on earth, we were countries away, fasting and praying for him. We were seeking God's perfect will, and committing to doing WHATEVER He might ask of us. "Go forward," he quietly whispered to our hearts. 

                        It was another 7 months before we flew out of country and got to bring our baby home. Every day was not easy, but God was so faithful to give us what we needed, the strength to take that next step. He made a path for us, gave us so many reasons to trust Him. The rich uncle idea was never found, nor an oil well in the backyard, but God supplied our needs. Every. Single. One. 

     On August 18th, our journal reads:

                        "I feel like I am experiencing the verse in II Corinthians 6 :10 that says "Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing." I am full of sorrow about the time, every day of your little life that I am missing. I'm sorry that I haven't been your only 'primary care giver' I am sorry that you will have to learn to trust me and your surroundings (when you come home) BUT: I am rejoicing. Even when I feel discouraged, even when my heart aches for you, my son. I am so glad, yes, happy, even, that God has a perfect plan, that God hears my every prayer, that no matter when you finally arrive, God is giving us You. I am so eager to share my heart and my home, and my love, and my life with you. Praise God for what He is doing for you, and for me, because of you!!! How can I stop rejoicing?!?! God is sooo good. "

                       In the Bible, the Red Sea was a place of impossibility. There was no way out. The Red Sea was a .... sea. No wonder the Israelites were "sore afraid ...and cried out to the Lord." (Ex.14:10) So, the sea was still there, and God said: "Go Forward." (Ex. 14:15) And then He made a way.

And they should've never doubted Him again.

And neither should I. 

                     I can choose to remember my Red Sea. I can meditate on the goodness of God, on the lessons I've learned, on the blessings He's given. Goodness, I can even hold my little Red Sea in my arms, and kiss him goodnight. :)  But I pray that I 'call to remembrance my songs in the night', that I "teach diligently to my children the good plans of God, that I talk of them when I am sitting in my house, when I walk in the way, when I lie down, and rise up." (Duet. 6:7) 

                    And you know what? God is able. You can trust Him. 

                                                                           ...  He knows all about your Red Sea.

                     

Perspective

           PERSPECTIVE

 

What does the word perspective mean? What is affected by our perspective? What kind of perspective will help us on our journey to Heaven?

 

We began by talking about the word perspective and what it means. Then we took a sheet of paper, and the children took turns drawing as I prompted. "We are looking at the tallest building in the world. We are as high as a jet can fly, and we are trying to spot it out our window. Oh, wait, I think I see it!...." The  drawing should look like a small dot or square. Then the next child took the pencil and paper, and drew as I verbally prompted. "Again, we are looking at the tallest building in the world. But this time, we are rats, pilfering in trash cans, and skittering away from daylight... "  The drawing should look huge, and maybe too big for the page. We talked about the perspective. The building did not change, only the view point of the onlookers. 



Naturally, we are probably more like the rats. We see the here and now, and can not imagine the bigger picture. But having the right perspective makes life so much happier and easier. Our attitudes are affected by the way we look at hings. For example, it is really hard to be grouchy and whiny when you are counting your blessings and giving thanks. I beleive God is pleased when we take the time to step back, look at the bigger picture, and ask Him to change our perspective, to give us the mind of Christ. Then, miraculously, we can find the good in the rain, the opportunity in the difficulty, and the growth in the process. 



Read Numbers chapters 13-14

       This is the story of the twelve spies who went to view the land of Canaan. There are two different perspectives in the report they give Moses and the Isrealites. God was pleased with the report from Joshua and Caleb, but was angered by the perspective from the other ten spies. But remember, all twelve spies saw the SAME land.

CHALLENGE: "Lord Jesus, We need YOU. We need you to be our vision. Let our perspective be full of faith and hope, and love. Please give us the mind of Christ."