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To show God’s glory
I recently heard a woman question whether something she did wrong was the cause for her baby’s birth defect. I’ve heard many things said about people being disciplined by God. I’ve heard others talk about why God would be punishing someone as if they could somehow figure out God’s reasoning. The funny thing is there are many reasons things happen. It’s not that I don’t believe that God disciplines people – He is referred to as the Father and parents do discipline out of love. However, it just doesn’t make sense to me for Codey to be punished for something that I’ve done and what could Codey, himself, possibly have done to deserve the pain he has had in his life? That boy has been through more than anyone should ever have to go through. I believe things happen to turn you to God, sometimes to discipline, to help you grow spiritually, and all the time to show God’s glory.
John 9: 1-3 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.
You can be bitter, negative, angry, judgmental, and hate your life OR you can choose to let it help you grow spiritually and wake up each day praising the day that the Lord has made. You can choose to see the beauty on the path you are now on. You can choose to appreciate every step that is made. In life every day is a choice. One of my favorite sayings is Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. I have learned to always trust God and His plan.
Which leads me to my next little tidbit. Dan and I are trying to adopt again. We found a little girl through another agency. She has the same birth defect as Maisey. This is a rare birth defect and to find another little Chinese girl with the same defect is crazy. The way I came across her picture is just so random too. I saw her sweet face and I just knew.
We asked the other agency if we could stay with our agency. The other agency was angry that we wouldn’t switch agencies. It drives me crazy that this becomes a “money” issue when it should be a “we found a family who wants this child” issue. We love the agency we went through, CCAI. They are the number one Chinese adoption agency and they know exactly what to do and they get you exactly where you need to be while in China. We don’t want to switch agencies. Believe me we have heard horror stories of other people and their agencies. I don’t want to be alone in a foreign country trying to figure out what to do.
We called our agency and they told us that they release papers to other agencies so go ahead and ask nicely and see what the other agency would do. So we called and nicely asked them to release her paperwork to our agency. Their response? That they would do everything in their power to advocate to get her a family in the 90 days they have her papers and if she didn’t have a family then they would release the papers to us. Really? She has sat in the system forever and a family wants her and they are going to make them wait 90 days. So I wait. I pray and I wait some more.
In the meantime Dan has come up with her name and her nickname would be Ali-cat. He nicknames all our babies. He wants to name her Aliyah. I’ve had only recently heard the name and I hadn’t told it to him. Where he got it I don’t know. It means “ascend to the promised land”. Another God keeps his promises name. 🙂 So here are my Godcidences the very next day.
1.) Dan runs into a little girl with that name.
2.) Her Chinese last name is AI. I walk out of my room and The Electric Company has a big, bold AI on the screen because it’s the sound of the day.
3.) I want to write to another couple that we met in China about all of this, but I barely talked to them there. I read their blog and I feel like I know them, but I feel funny e-mailing them. What happens? She responds that very same day to my last blog. Considering no one can figure out how to leave a response on my blog I consider that a small miracle. 🙂
4.) Her placement letter was signed the day we got the kids this year.
5.) Her birthday is the same as Dan’s aunt that just passed away last fall and whom all my children miss tremendously.
6.) And some of my devotions that I get by e-mail talked directly to my heart.
A.) Exodus 16:4: …..In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions'” (NIV).
B.) “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9″
C.) What are the things in your life that are mere impossibilities? What are the mountains in your life? Are these there in order to build your faith in the one who can enable you to ascend the peak? Once you know that it is His will for you to pursue, do it with faith. Faith requires action when we know it is He who is leading.
D.) Exodus 14:13-14: “Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still'” (NIV).
E.) When we are broken, we see the frailty of human strength and come to grips with the reality that we can do nothing in our own strength.
God is good. God is in control. His plan is perfect. He works all things together for good. If another family is found, I will believe that they were a better family for her. But if after 90 days our agency gets her I will be there ready with all my ducks in a row to get my Letter of Intent sent. I know God is in control and if this works out as I hope it does….I will have another amazing God is so very good story to tell. If she finds another family it will still be a wonderful story, but I want to be her mommy so I haven’t given up hope yet.
God’s glory is all around us if we only open our eyes to what He is showing us. May His glory become ever clearer for you in your walk with Him. Be open to the Godcidences in your every day life. I’m constantly amazed by the ones I see in mine.
