Okay, so today I started my Good Morning Girls devotional, and I am VERY excited! I am in a group with women from the UK (and I'm not sure where else), and I have already read 3 of their emails about our reading from James 1 today. So excited to be a part of a Bible study again, where we exchange our thoughts about what we're reading in the Bible, and learn new things from familiar passages! And while today didn't start terrifically--I got up early, fed the dogs (3 big guys), cleaned my kitchen, made the lunches and threw in a load of laundry... and then realized the kids had no school today and I could have stayed in my pajamas, in my nice warm bed, a little longer--things have gotten progressively better.
So, seeing as I have them all tucked away watching TV in the attic, a whole empty floor between them and me, I figured I would take a minute to tell you all the neat 'God things' about how we came to be a family. Lots of things that other people might call 'lucky' or coincidence, but we know better.
As I said before, we were married in 1998, and while we weren't actively trying to have kids, we weren't trying not to, either. Unfortunately, it just didn't look like it was meant to be. We went to a doctor who had apparently had a good deal of success dealing with infertility, and I was told I had endometriosis, bad enough that everything had shifted to one side. So, in November 2000, I had laproscopic surgery to remove the scar tissue, and we were told to go home and get pregnant. Didn't happen.
Now, this is where, if I could draw a chart for you, it would have two columns: the one on the left would be called 'our reality', and the one on the right would be called 'what God was doing'. I'll try not to be too confusing.
In May of 2000, my sister had her youngest (Mother's Day, to be exact, our reality); 9 days later, my oldest was born (what God was doing).
May 31, 2001, I found out I was pregnant; June 30, 2001, I had a miscarriage (OR); 6 days later, my Noah was born (WGWD).
In the Fall of 2002, a friend convinced us to consider foster parenting; by December, we were signed up for the winter classes, which started on January 15. On January 8, one week earlier, my daughter was born.
We received our license to foster/adopt in March 2003, and on July 18, Nathanial and Noah were placed in foster care; 3 weeks later, they placed Faith in the same home.
By December, my husband and I were losing hope that we would even get foster kids, and were considering closing our home; by February 12, we had a 2-wk old newborn (who stayed with us for a year), and less than 3 weeks later, God brought our 3 kids to us. OUR kids; they were always meant to be so.
And Sammy, our little 'bonus', seems to be the glue, sometimes, that keeps us all together. He is the ringleader, the comedian, the lovey one who calls out to my daughter each day as she gets out of the van at school, "Goodbye Faith, my ol' sweetie pie."
Today might not have started real well, but I was reminded again of God's purpose for me in this life, as me and 4 little toads picked up Tim Horton's for ourselves and dropped some off to their dad at work. I was reminded that all I have belongs to Him, EVERYTHING, and for that I am grateful. I was reminded that I was made to live for Him, His glory, and that I should, everyday, give everything as an offering to Him, live my life as a sacrifice for Him. Psalm 17:8 is my heart today, that I would be the apple of His eye, hidden in the shadow of His wings. I feel like I have been posting that everywhere, but it really struck me, moved me, today.
I am blessed. May I not forget that God is always in the details, and has a greater plan for me than I could ever imagine.
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