Greetings!,
Ever noticed how things don't always go as planned? We create a scenario in our minds that we believe to be the best option and, when things do not follow our plan, we assume that something has gone awry and now things are off course. Does any of this sound familiar to you? Maybe it's just me. Usually, at this point, frustration and any other multitude of negative emotions begin to fill our hearts as the "if only" game starts..."If only they would have cooperated!" or "If only God would have answered my prayer!". The "if only's" are quite prolific and never fail to do their job, which is, to cause us to doubt God's complete control over every single circumstance that we ever face, also known as His sovereignty.
Well, things have not gone as planed here. Alexandra, the precious 14 month old firecracker that God has given us responsibility for, is still with us. Her potential family has come and gone, their visit creating more questions that anything else. As the lawyer put it, this is a very complicated situation. The family has returned home to pursue some answers.
This situation definitely complicates things. There is the upstart of this new women's residential facility with Mimi, and a planned trip to South Asia in the fall. Then there is the issue with Alexandra's mom being mentally incapable of making responsible decisions and constantly wavering in her choice to allow her baby to be adopted at all. It seems like God would have brought an answer by now! Can't He see that this was not what we had planned??? Doesn't He know that this is taking longer than expected and Alexandra needs a permanent family now, not to mention that the longer she stays the harder it is for us when she is gone? The list could continue on.
But rather than lamenting the problems, we turn to the Answer. Loosely quoting Amy Carmichael, "When we pray, we must remember that 'no' is also an answer". God always answers prayer, just not always how we want. St. Augustine said, "If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself". God's Word is clear that He has a plan and, in His time, He will bring to pass what He wants. It is also clear that there is no mention of "me" in that thought. And that is the way it should be!
Please continue to pray with us for GOD'S perfect will to be done in the life of this baby, in the beginning of this facility for women, and in our individual lives. There is a lot going on right now, and we are depending on His grace to smooth out the rough spots and help us to bring glory to the One that deserves it! We know God is faithful to complete what He starts. We look forward to sharing stories of His provision and miraculous intervention soon!
Blessings to you all,
Leslie and Stephanie
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