A verse for thought

One of the blogs I read had this verse on it today, and I thought it was quite interesting. What an interesting verse and a new perspective to think about.

 

Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time.

But no one seems to care or wonder why.

No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come.

~Isaiah 57:1~

 

Just a little something to think about.

How when our loved ones pass from this earth - If they are believers of our Holy and Awesome God, or too young to make that decision for themselves, they are welcomed into God's presence...indeed saving them (protecting them) from the all the evil this world holds.

Just something to think about.

"We Won't Be Shaken"

This song seems to sum up a lot of my feelings over the past little while...Standing still and not being shaken, even when it seems easier to just give in and crumble.  It's definitely a good one to have playing around and around in my head...especially as we face a multitude of unknowns...

This world has nothing for me
This life is not my own
I know You go before me and I am not alone
This mountain rises higher
The way seems so unclear
But I know that You go with me so I will never fear
I will trust in You

Whatever will come our way
Through fire or pouring rain
We won't be shaken
No we won't be shaken
Whatever tomorrow brings
Together we'll rise and sing
That we won't be shaken
No we won't be shaken

You know my every longing
You've heard my every prayer
You've held me in my weakness
Cause You are always there
So I'll stand in full surrender
It's Your way and not my own
My mind is set on nothing less
Than You and You alone
I will not be moved oh

Whatever will come our way
Through fire or pouring rain
We won't be shaken
No we won't be shaken
Whatever tomorrow brings
Together we'll rise and sing
That we won't be shaken
No we won't be shaken

We will trust in You
We will not be moved
We will trust in You
And we won't be shaken
~Lyrics from "We Won't Be Shaken" by Building 429~

A rough day

As Mother's Day came, I was reminded of the fact that at this point in my life I had been hoping to be raising two maybe three kids. Sadly, I'm currently raising only one (one really great little boy) but just one. It's at this point that I am reminded of what a huge failure I am as a Mother. What kind of mother loses two children before they are born? Somehow I should have been able to protect them - to keep them from harm. If not Jaimie than, than somehow I should have known that Kalyna was in trouble. It's one of those mom instincts to want to protect and keep our children safe. Unfortunately, mothers' can protect their children from some things, but not all things. Many things are way out of our control. It truly is God who holds our children in His hands. There are things we have to leave up to His loving hands and trust that He loves them more than we do. Here is how we know: (this has become one of my favourite passages in the Bible)

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.

You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!

Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you.

Psalm 139:1-18

 

This goes for us and our children.

Open

Open....

(having the interior immediately accessible, as a box with the lid raised or a drawer that is pulled out.)
-very symbolic of what your life is like once you open it up to a public foster/adoption agency.

This week our doors will open, our home will be open, our hearts will be open... open to take in little ones who need a home...whether temporary, long term or for a lifetime. Only time will tell that story.

Now we simply continue on, waiting to embrace the children that God will send our way.
I was having a hard time waiting in April for whatever was to come...now we have an adoption worker and a resource worker, so I am confident that if they come across a child in need, they'll consider us for a match. I don't wish for children to need to leave their families....so in a way it will be a good thing to wait for awhile, because hopefully that means kids are thriving in their own families...but if there are children who need a home, we are ready.

Thank you for your prayers....it feels wonderful to be finished with that long process. Not that I don't agree with the long process...it's good to make sure that you have committed people and safe people when it comes to the fostering and adopting of children.

Looking forward to seeing who our home becomes open to.

Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Hebrews 13:20-21

Thoughts

Just some verses regarding the thoughts/mind of God. Amazing how God's thoughts are so encompassing and yet He is faithful and continues to reveal His thoughts to His children. He gives us the Holy Spirit and the Bible to be able to know His thoughts. It is empowering when I think about all the tough decisions coming our way. I will be continually praying that I might have the mind of God in all my comings and goings. That I am always looking with the perspective of God. That people, children around me need Him...and that's really all it comes down to. That is our purpose in life. That is the will of God - to point others to the love that Jesus has for them. Something that should be on my mind in all my daily occurances...but to be honest, isn't always...definitely something to think about...especially in my daily struggles of what I want vs. what God wants...

He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn into darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth - the Lord God Almighty is his name.
~Amos 4:13~

Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
~Amos 3:7~

How great are you works, Lord, how profound your thoughts.
~Psalm 92:5~


We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”

the things God has prepared for those who love him—these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?”

But we have the mind of Christ.

~1 Corinthians 2:6-16~

Waiting

Waiting.
Definitely not my favourite word.

...it makes me afraid that if I wait too long, I will enjoy/like life too much as it is and will find it too difficult to re-adjust once a change has been made...it's been almost three years since I've had an infant in the house...
...it's difficult to wait for a change while trying to continue on as normal, and trying not to obsess over the change
...hard to wait for the unknown
...knowing when to wait and when to move (if we are able to) is also difficult
Waiting also comes with a million questions....and although questions are good...they are extremely overwhelming. My mind seems to be on overdrive sometimes, because I'm waiting and not doing...so I have way too much time to think sometimes...and it drives me up the wall. I have to be really in control of my thoughts, but there are times when they escape my careful hold on them. I just have to keep reigning them in until the unknown becomes known. And certainly that won't be until God's timing is right.

I must say, though, that this process is one that certainly seems unending. I wish that I could have had a list of all the meetings and steps that come before your home is considered "open".
Now we have a resource worker, but now she needs to come out to the house and do another safety inspection and update our profile. We completed both of these 3 weeks ago and now they have to do it again? Seems a little redundant to me. I would have liked to have known about this instead of thinking that we are "open" now. So confusing. But here we are. Now we wait till the beginning of May for another worker to come out and do the safety check again before we are open. So two more weeks of waiting coming our way.

And so we continue to wait and wait and wait it seems...although in the end, all the waiting will be worth it and we won't remember the waiting period. I know I am growing through the waiting period as well. Trying to focus on growing closer to God and learning and listening to what He wants from me. Trying to be ready for whatever may come our way. Making sure that I am ready to put the child's needs in front of my own needs, to do whatever is best for the child. Being open to things I may not be totally comfortable with, but if they are in the best interest of the child, than being open to working through it (for example, openess in an adoption).

In the meantime life goes on. I'm thankful for my Albert and my Micah to care for and my job at the church and any other volunteering and visiting that I do. I guess we'll wait and see what May brings.

I'll leave you with this passage from Isaiah.

But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth— everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

~Isaiah 43:1-7~

Joy

So it's been a rough go lately, but I think I'm finally on the upswing again now.
I've decided that I need to concentrate on reading verses on Joy right now. I need to make sure that I have joy from Jesus and not let circumstances and my life dictate that. (It's also one of the words Micah has learned to spell...very random...came from a song...but joy is his favourite word to spell right now!)

We have currently come as far as we can with our adopt/foster to adopt process. Our 18 page home study has been submitted, and now we just wait. Wait to hear from the adoption worker/resource worker that we are assigned to, and then more waiting. Waiting is hard. It's been almost 9 months since our precious girl passed away, and 21 months since our Jaimie passed away. We've been anticipating/waiting for a child to raise since then. That is a long time to wait for someone when you have this burning desire deep within for another child. (although I do realize that some people are never able to have a child, and I know we are blessed with Micah to raise). I sometimes wonder why this desire is there. Why can't I simply be content with one child to raise especially with all the other things that I do. But no matter how many times I try to tell myself that, this desire I've had from childhood bubbles up threatening to overwhelm me. But I trust in God's timing, He has carried us through the last two years, and He will carry us through the next 20 + years with or without another child. I trust in Him, I love Him and I know He has a will and a purpose in all of this. So I will strive to be joyful. Joyful in all I do....although I may not always come across that way, I tend to be serious most of the time....playfulness and silliness have never been my strong suit, but I will be joyful.

Here are a few joyful verses that I've found...and as I read over the next few days, I'll be adding to this list.
No matter what our life's circumstances, if we know Jesus, we can have His joy.

Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.
~Psalm 126:5-6~

When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, Lord God Almighty.
~Jeremiah 15:16~

"However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
~Luke 10:20~

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
~John 10:10~ 

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
~Philippians 4:4~

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18~

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
~James 1:2-5~

It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
~3 John 1:3-4~

Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end.
~Psalm 119:111-112~

For I have given rest to the weary and joy to the sorrowing.
~Jeremiah 31:25 NLT~

Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts.
~Psalm 119:2 NLT~

How joyful are those who fear the Lord - all who follow his ways!
~Psalm 128:1 NLT~

You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy.
~Psalm 30:11 NLT~

Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you.
~Psalm 86:4~

When I said, "my foot is slipping," your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.
~Psalm 94:18-19~

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.
~Job 8:21~

This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
~Nehemiah 8:10~

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
~John 15:9-12~