We are in the process of adopting or fostering, or perhaps both! We are stepping out of the boat and yes, so far it has felt like walking on water.
But the disciples, who were now in the middle of the lake, ran into trouble, for their boat was tossed about by the high winds and heavy seas. at about four o'clock in the morning, Jesus came to them, walking on the waves! When his disciples saw him walking on top of the water, they were terrified and screamed, "A ghost!" Then Jesus said, "Be brave and don't be afraid. I AM HERE!" Peter shouted out, "lord, if it's really you, then have me join you on the water!" "Come and join me," Jesus replied. So Peter stepped out onto the water and began to walk toward Jesus.
Matthew 14:24-29
This passage of scripture touched my heart about a year ago. Right after we had made the decision to start the adoption process up again. It was a terrifying decision because we had experienced tremendous heartbreak on this journey before. So it truly felt, for Michael and I, like stepping out of a boat in the midst of a storm, hoping we didn't sink, and walking toward Jesus. Instead of focusing on Peter's failure later on in the story, God allowed us to see Peter's faith. Peter asked Jesus to walk on water! He wanted so desperately to go to Jesus, that with tremendous faith, he set his foot down on waves fully expecting to walk to his Lord. And guess what? Jesus said, "Come on, man, walk to me." Did he say it with a smile perhaps? Did he laugh in delight and cheer him on inwardly? I like to think so. Jesus knew the storm was raging, he knew the danger, but he quickly said "come".
Faith is fine to talk about it, but in the midst of stepping out, it gets real. The waves start to loom, thunder cracks, and lightning flashes across the sky. The storms of life can threaten to drown you. The key to walking on water in the midst of a storm? The key to faith? Never, for one instance, taking your eyes off Jesus! We have already had storms and crashing waves, and yes, like Peter, we've looked around at our circumstances and thought "Dang, we are crazy, this isn't possible".
Satan has tried to distract us and take our eyes off of Jesus from the start, but thankfully we serve an awesome Jesus who just leans down and offers His hand. Again, and again, and again.
So friends, we ask for your prayers. Pray specifically that we keep our eyes set on Jesus Christ. Pray for our hearts. Pray for our biological children as they welcome new siblings. Pray for our children to come (whether for a short time, or a long time) for their safety, their emotions, and their hearts.
Questions we anticipate you having.😁
Q. Do we already have a child in mind, or placed?
A. Possibly, hopefully we will know soon
Q. When did we start the process?
A. We initiated the process about 1 year ago. Then classes, training, home study, paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. Have I said, paperwork.
Q. Who are we adopting through?
A. We are adopting through APAC (a division of DHR in Alabama that works specifically with adoptions) We are also considering doing foster care.
Q. Boy or girl?
A. Whomever God wants to place with us
Q. How old?
A. Trying to keep under our youngest's age. So under the age of 6 ish
Q. Why are we doing this?
A. We have felt for a long time God's call to adopt. It tells us in the Bible to take care of the widows and the fatherless. True spirituality that is pure in the eyes of our Father God is to make a difference in the lives of the orphans, and widows in their troubles, and to refuse to be corrupted by the world's values. James 1:27 We feel this is the way God wants OUR family to carry this out. During this process, God has given us such a heart for these kids, no matter if they would be ours legally through adoption, or if we can only parent them for a short time. I will write another blog telling our journey up to this point.
Please feel free to message me or Michael if you have any other questions, if you are interested in starting this process yourselves, or if you just want to let us know you are praying for us.
