humbled

  

This just in...

In just six weeks, our first fundraising goal has been met!

And I have been humbled.

It has been one of those days.  Today, I've wondered if God will ever provide full time work for Andy again.  I've wondered if we will always have to count pennies to make ends meet.  And, even if only for a few hours, I lost sight of my commitment to trust Him even when life doesn't make sense. 

It was with tears in my eyes that I read two emails tonight.  One from a friend who is so excited about our whipped body butter that she immediately bought $100 worth and said that she WILL be restocking regularly.  Another email came from someone we have never met.  He ran across our blog, read our story, and felt led to donate $200 toward our adoption fund.  We were speechless. 

We serve a God who loves us when we are overflowing with trust and gratefulness, and when we are weak, and our circumstances cause us to lose sight of His continued provision and faithfulness. 

As I consider all of this, I am reminded yet again that this journey is not about us. 

It is not about whether or not we have it all together and can seamlessly add another little one to our family.  (Not likely!)  Oh, we may be excited, but we are not naive.  We know there will be challenges.  We know there will be days when we feel weak, and need some encouragement that we are on the right track.  But that is okay.  We decided long ago that our lives were not meant to be comfortable, smooth, and easy.  Honestly, if that is how things feel, we wonder if we are really serving God at all, or just cruising along because we can! 

This journey IS about another little one who God will graft into our family tree.  A child who will soon become such a part of us that we will forget what life was like before s/he arrived!  And, ultimately, it is about bringing glory to God -- our Savior, our Father, the reason our family exists in the first place. 

I have confessed my lack of faith.  I am back in the game.  And I am thankful for God's gentle reminders when I get off track and lose sight of the fact that I don't know where He's taking us, but He does.   And that is what is important. 

Update:  Not 24 hours after writing this, almost $300 more has arrived in the mail.  That means they were sent even before the donations from last night!  Even after taking out $4 - $6 per tub for ingredients and shipping, that is a hefty addition to our fund! :)