This weekend I had the privilege of being a Matron of Honor for a very good friend of mine. I am a sucker for a good wedding, and this was, by no means, an exception. We spent three days having parties, celebrating, drinking champagne, swapping stories and awaiting that one beautiful, magical moment, where two people make a commitment before God to love one another. Till death do us part.
I cried (duh), I laughed and I celebrated. It was a beautiful day.
It was the birth of a new life, the life of two becoming one, and a great day of hope, eagerness, joy and love.
Man, I just love weddings. Everything about them is so magical. It is the day every girl dreams of, and we go all out to show that.
We put on fancy clothes (please excuse the crummy camera pics)
We eat good food, drink good drinks, and lavish ourselves with flowers pretty make up and perfume. We make sure people are there to capture the moment with cameras and videos, and we do everything humanly possible to make it an evening not to forget.
As I was writing my speech I thought a lot about the design and purpose of marriage.
The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” –Genesis 2:18
God created us, from the beginning, very intentionally-to be together. To love one another, serve one another, and HELP one another make it through this world that is more often than not, ugly.
We go all out on weddings because we are celebrating the fact that we’ve found that person; that person who, despite the world, promises not to leave you or forsake you.
It really is nothing short of a miracle.
But (like everything else in this world) marriage has been touched by sin. It’s been tainted by our transgressions and our flesh.
The original and beautiful plan for marriage now requires a lot, let me say it again, a LOT of work. It requires patience, forgiveness, respect, commitment, and to make the choice daily to love.
Sometimes marriage is really hard. Sometimes you feel so helpless, you feel like giving up. There are fights, there are tears, and there is heartache-all because of sin.
We have weddings, in some ways, as a send off to the road that lies ahead. It can be bumpy, it can be smooth, but it’s ever changing and growing. We have weddings to celebrate the good parts of marriage, knowing there will be seasons of fruit, and seasons of trial. There will be times of joy, and times of sorrow. You have to work for it, you have to fight for it, and you have to treasure it.
It is really not unlike our relationship with God.
"The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less." –John 3: 29-30
In our relationships with Christ, we will face trials because we are sinners. We will have seasons of fruit, and seasons of trail. There will be times of joy, and times of sorrow. You have to work for it, you have to fight for it, you have to treasure it.
This adoption process so far has been both a trial and an immense blessing to us in our relationships with Christ. It’s been a lot of work, and a lot of blood sweat and tears.
Last week, during my mental breakdown, I read this verse to myself and tried to let it sink in:
"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. "–James 1:2-4
I read it a few times and I just couldn’t get it. I prayed and thought to myself How is this really possible? How do people ACTUALLY consider it joy when they face trials. It just doesn’t seem feasible! It’s absurd!
The funny thing about God, is that He has His own way of doing things. Despite what I seem to believe, He actually doesn’t need me to tell Him how to run the show.
When I start to get out of control and heartbroken that we might have to wait awhile for our referral, I go back to the wedding. To the day I made the commitment to God, to love Him, serve Him, trust Him, follow Him, obey Him and seek Him in all things. To the day He took me, forever and washed me white as snow.
It is so beautiful. When I go back to that time, I feel refreshed. I feel a bit more patient, I trust God again and I loosen my grip on the reigns to let Him drive.
He is, after all, the perfecter and finisher of our faith.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus,the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." -Hebrews 12:1-3
It's not always easy to find joy and trust in times of trial, but if we can, if we go back to the wedding and remember that this is ultimately God's story-it's a bit more manageable.
FINANCES AND PROGRESS
As I mentioned last time, we have changed our requested age from 0-3 to 0-4 which means, most likely, that we will be matched with a 4 year old. The idea of having a 4 year old scares me and excites me all at the same time, I wonder if God is using these unexpected delays to strengthen me!
We are doing well financially, no, more than well! I mean, look at that thermometer! Wowza! In only 4 short months we have raised (including our own funds) $13,500! Seriously? If that isn’t evidence that God is working and moving in this thing, I just don’t know what is. I figured that if we sell the boat (we are taking it for a test run to a potential buyer tomorrow!) that we are only $4,000 away! WHAT?! I am pretty pumped about that if you can’t tell.
Other than that, the same old same. Still looking forward to the day where we can put a face to this baby we both love, and still learning to trust God and lean on Him for strength.
Until next time, MUCH LOVE!
-TeJay, Ashleigh, Eva and Baby H.
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