Things Unseen

All around us God's miraculous plans are unfolding in things unseen. Our lives are orchestrated to a symphony that only The Great Conductor can measure in rhythms and chords. Our journeys intertwined among His thoughts and Higher reasons.  And all through out the daily melody of our life song, His divine sovereignty remains the ever constant cadence. The music of life is composed by the faith we have in things unseen - one note at a time.

What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. God gave his approval to people in days of old because of their faith. By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. ~ Hebrews 11:1-3 NLT

David and I both were surprised by God's call on our lives as He began opening up our hearts to the idea of adopting again. We had much to pray over as we pondered the weight of this new call. We have dedicated our lives to Christ, and our lives are His to use for His glory, but still, it was difficult to process the how? why? and when? part of the journey. Armed with faith and little else, we jumped in with both feet and full hearts to see what God's plans included.

And how miraculous our God is to supply all of our needs! He is faithful to fulfill His promises in His ways which are always higher than our own. This miracle of faith begins back in 2007 when we joined our adoption agency's yahoo group while waiting to adopt our daughter, Jessa. Little did we know the amazing friendships and encouragement we would receive from these wonderful Christian women! From the beginning, I quickly connected with a wonderful mom who was adopting a little boy. Her heart so tender for the plight of the orphan. She not only has been called to adopt, but is sacrificially advocating for those children who are waiting still to find their forever families.

As the years went by, we both ended up traveling to bring our children home from Chin@. Every now and then we would connect through emails, and then one day something very happy happened for her family. They brought home an adorable puppy. But not just any puppy, a King Charles Cavalier puppy! She had no idea that we had been researching  breeds of dogs for months and that David and I had agreed to purchase a Cavalier puppy as well. This would all be just a happy coincidence if it didn't lead to something more - some thing unseen!

Several more months went by and Sarah shared with me that they would be purchasing another Cavalier in the hopes of some day breeding the dogs to have their own litter of pups. The day came that she had prayed for - Kai Kai was expecting! We were thrilled to hear the good news as there is nothing cuter than Cavalier pups! The next couple of months would be hard for Sarah as she prayed over Kai Kai. Several times it seemed as though she might have miscarried, but each time Sarah prayed and Kai Kai recovered. It came time for her to deliver and she gave birth to three adorable puppies. And this is where God's life-song for both of our families began to play.

Sarah wrote me a beautiful email explaining that the reason she was so distraught over Kai Kai's puppies was that their family had decided long ago to give to the Lord a "first fruits" offering from the sale of the pups. They had planned from the beginning to purchase dogs to breed so that the sale of the puppies could provide financial assistance to an organization that advocated for orphans or a family that was currently believing God to bring home their child. She had prayed and God had answered. "God is laying your family on our hearts - this first fruit offering is to help Mason come home."

My heart leapt with JOY over the way God had woven our stories together. For it is then that I emailed my sweet friend back and shared that God had laid on our hearts to adopt a son with special needs, and that it was their faith to adopt their son with a limb difference that opened up my heart to the possibility to pursue Mason's adoption. Somehow seeing their son thrive in their amazing care softened my heart and took down barriers of fear that I had in adopting a child with special needs. I explained to her that when we stepped out in faith to trust God to provide for our financial needs to adopt Mason that we believed that God would lay our family on the hearts of those He had purposed before time began to intercede on our behalf. I explained that while they were contemplating which family to offer up their "first fruits" too that our family had been praying for God to provide the "first fruits" of our faith showing us that He would provide. We both wept at the others news! Only a God like ours can orchestrate a symphony of faith so beautiful!

Here is the story from her blog post in Sarah's own words:

I knew from the time we brought Kai Kai home that the first puppy of every litter sold was God's and not ours. It didn't matter if she had 1 puppy or 7 or how much the first puppy sold for. After we bred Kai Kai there were 2 times that I was sure she had lost her puppies. I cried out to God not because we were going to lose the money from the puppies but mostly because I knew there was a family that needed this puppy to help bring their child home. We honestly didn't even know until 3 weeks before she had them that she was pregnant.

Kai Kai has 3 beautiful, beautiful puppies and oh I will have a hard time letting them go to their new homes.

I prayed and prayed over which family would receive the money from this first puppy. I was kind of pushing a friend to start an adoption and get them to take it but I knew that wasn't right. I then prayed and prayed about giving it to some good friends of ours that are adopting but every time I tried to make plans for this puppy God kept putting another family on my mind. I can't even begin to tell you how many times God put this family in my head letting me know the puppy was to help bring their son home.

I wrote the mom one day and I told her that I couldn't believe I was telling her this because I wasn't going to say anything until we had the money to give them, but I felt God wanted me to tell her. The mom wrote me back an amazing letter that clearly showed why I was to tell her and that we had the right family.

I wasn't going to share the family on here but I want to because I would love for you to read their amazing story on their blog. This is a family that stepped out in COMPLETE faith, and God is moving mountain after mountain for them to get this beautiful little boy home who just happens to have a limb difference like Jaxson.

I wrote this because I want people to know that if God has given you a passion for something or a desire to adopt don't be afraid to ask God for creative ways to make things happen. Don't be afraid to ask God to multiply your money to do good things, your family or even your boundaries. Ask God to help you think out of the box and get creative.

So today, received in our mailbox was yet another amazing miracle - creative? yes! like only the Creator of the Universe can design! out of the box? for sure! The card reads so simply, yet with such profound purpose,

This is a gift from God, not from us.

Have a good day! :) 

And with trembling hands, understanding once again the full measure of God's amazingly beautiful love for me, for Mason, for the orphan, for the families desiring to follow His will and adopt a precious chosen child of His making, for each and everyone of us who believe Him in faith - I hold a monetary gift from the sale of their very first puppy! We have been praying for God to provide for the remaining cost of our home study update. Praise God He has given us the amount we needed! To Him be all the glory!

Some may be reading this and thinking to themselves, well yes, of course, God would do that for their family, but that's not how God operates in mine. I just want to encourage you, do not let go of your faith so easily. God is no respecter of persons. What He has done for us, He will do for your family as well! Step out in faith - trust Him to provide - seek Him first. So you might be wondering how? How do I believe like that? The Scriptures tell us that all we need to do is believe that Jesus died for our sins and allow Him to be your Savior, King of your heart, God of your life. Bow your head, fall on your knees, and humbly ask Him to come into your heart, be the one who guides your paths, that you long to follow Him all the remaining days of your life, ask the Holy Spirit to anoint your life with His power and strength, and then prepare to change your life allowing His Word - the Bible to transform you making you a new creation and to bless you with the faith to move mountains.

We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. (He is the author, originator and perfecter of our faith!) ~ Hebrews 12:2 NLT

David and I have faith so small that it literally is unseen! Often times are hearts fail us despite God's promises to provide. We hope and pray and wait. There are days we question whether we have embarked on the journey wisely knowing the cost both emotionally and financially. Those days are hard. And yet, God always finds a way of reminding us that this is not our plan - but His.

So take a new grip with your tired hands and stand firm on your shaky legs. Mark out a straight path for your feet. Then those who follow you, though they are weak and lame, will not stumble and fall but will become strong. ~ Hebrews 12:12-13 NLT

He will make a way. He will provide. He will direct the hearts of His people and guide their steps to bless those that are doing His Kingdom work. He is ABLE. Today has given us the first fruits of our faith for we hold in our hands "the evidence of things unseen!"