God's Trade. Memorial Box Monday

On the list of things to pray about, it was at the bottom.  I am not sure there was any wisdom in this, it just fell to the "automatic" side of my brain.

We bought the house, it needed fixed, it was part of the job.  It is a job, just like the jobs of many other people in the country.  The only difference is that I don't have anyone standing over me with a work order or a time sheet.  It is up to me to get it done and up to me to decide when to do it.  The problem is that the longer it takes to get done, the more money I lose.

BEFORE

The top of my prayer list:
  Foster daughter (soon to be adopted daughter) with behavior problems, anxiety, school issues.
  Foster baby's family getting ready for their baby's return (the joy and pain involved with that)
  Preparation for our newest (adult) child to move into our home
  the constant stream of social workers and counselors and therapists through my often messy home
  Preparation for Homeschooling 3 this year

I know that there are people who wake up every day and put every thought, need, and circumstance before the Lord. I wish I could say I was one of those people.  I do pray - like crazy.  But, mostly, I pray for the most pressing things and forget to ask for help with the little things.  I know I talked to God about this particular job, but I hadn't specifically asked for help or even given the job much thought other than, "I can't see any possible way to do this."  (Which would make you think it was pressing, but the other things in life were so much bigger, this was barely a twinkle on the radar screen.)  I said to Kev, "There is absolutely nothing in my life right now that I can handle without prayer.  Nothing that I can do on my own."

Now, if you will be very patient, this story is best told unabridged.  Every part necessary.

First:  Man calls:  Will we please sell him the house for a 20K return.  We say no because it is in a good location, we like the house and think it will be a good investment.  The 20K would be nice, but also necessary to get into another similiar house and then we would have to go through the trouble of finding another and we would lose the time we had now for "fixing" the new house putting us that much more "out" for our date of completion.  (We have a very low price point.)\

Next:  Man asks again.  Again, we say no.



Then:  Man stops at house while work is going on to suggest a trade.  He has sentimental attachment to the house.  He is buying a house around the corner that is in much much much better shape and would like to trade the two houses "as-is."  We are certain there is a catch.  This is a much better deal for us than for him and we tell him that.  We tell him about all the things that need to be fixed, we tell him about what we have done, but what needs to be completed.  He still wants to trade.

AFTER (The trade)

So:  After we see that everything checks out, we agree.  We sign papers in the morning agreeing to the trade.  We continue to try to do the jobs God puts in front of us.  This wasn't a "church" job, this wasn't a ministry.  This isn't going to be used as a retreat of a place for conferences.  This is just our work. Our every-day job. There is absolutely no logical reason this person should trade homes with us.  They are literally identical in every way, except one needs thousands of dollars and hundreds of man hours worth of work and the other needs almost nothing.  It is incredible to think God would get involved.  That He would provide in an area that was just our "every day" living.  Even when I wasn't faithful in seeking Him to solve the problem of time, He saw the problem and solved it in a very real way.  My parents are flabbergasted.  They continued to work on the house even though we knew that God had done this.  They said they would "believe it when they saw it."  They haven't ever noticed God work in this way before.  I kept telling them that they were wasting their time.  I kept telling them that this is what God has shown us over and over.  Tomorrow.  It will be done tomorrow and maybe then they will see what the Lord can do!

The Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes  Psalm 118:23

He Gives Me a Peek So That I Will Know

It has happened before.  Just a glimpse, not a prediction, a premonition, or a Deja Vu.  Some tiny bit of information that the Lord will place in my mind for use at a later date to confirm His will.

It happened again.  I am just so dissapointed that I didn't write it down.  As it has been before, it started with a dream.The dream happened in the fall the year we moved into this house.  (2 years ago.)    It disturbed (not in a bad way) me and then stuck with me.  Those are both typical ways the Lord shows me that it was from Him.  Sometimes a dream is just a dream, but for me, the Lord uses dreams to speak to me.  It is awesome!  Why He would lower Himself to make sure I understand something is so far beyond what I can comprehend.  He shows me once more that He will guide me if I will follow.

I dreamed that we had moved into our current house with the intention of adopting a bunch of kids.  (So far that was accurate.)  During the dream, we came across a homeless family and had them move in.  They had been living under a road at the rail road tracks near our house.  They had a home to go to, but they chose not to for some reason that I never knew.  That was about it.  There were a few things that disturbed me.  1.  I knew that if we moved into this house and took in a homeless family, we would not be able to pursue adoption.  2.  The road they had been sleeping under didn't have an "under,"  it was just a road in real life.  My dream made it look like they were under the road, but I had to rationalize that I must have thought they were in a deep ditch or in a culvert.

When the dream stuck around my head for a while, I prayed.  Asking God if he wanted me to change my plans for adoption.  I told Him, "Lord, this is Your house.  All I have is Yours, so if you want me to do something different, I will be happy to serve!"  And, I meant it!  I realized for the first time, that adoption might have been my plan and not His!  So.  I fasted and prayed and prayed some more.  Finally , we were all settled into the house and I had to recognize that we were all still feeling a tug at our hearts for adoption.  God had not taken that burden from us.  Of course, I came to the natural conclusion that the dream must have just been a dream.  Nothing special.  It still bugged me and during every step of the adoption process, I asked God repeatedly if we are on the right path and felt like we were.

Two years go by.  The dream was long forgotten.  Construction grants are given and road work on every passable road near my home begins.  The exciting part is that a very busy road near my home is getting an underpass right at a Rail Road crossing.  Just.  Exactly.  Where.  The.  Dream.  Showed.   The dream was remembered with fondness, but nothing more since I have had prayers answered specifically over and over again about adoption and foster care.  But, I couldn't help seeing that the road work is occurring 

In walks our precious princess.  She came to help me, but she needed us more.  She needed a home.   She has a home to go to.  A great home with great people, but she needed us.  She needs so much healing to happen in her life and God has sent her to us to be part of it.  She comes in and we say "Stay."  She stays and we say, "be a daughter."  She will be moving in...right about the time when that underpass is completed.

Did the dream "predict the future?"  NO.  WAY!  It was just a tool God used to show me that there would be a time when he would want our family and our home for something other than a traditional adoption.  Something that would still serve Him...even though she had another place to go.  I strongly believe that the image of the underpass was simply to show me that it was His Time.  His Perfect Will and I get to be a part of it.  He showed me so that I wouldn't miss it because He knew.  He KNEW!  I would miss it, I would doubt, I would second guess, I would question.  HE KNEW because He MADE me.  Why?  Why would he treat me with kindness when I am so full of doubt and skepticism.  Why?  Because He already knew and He already forgave it.


For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.  In love, He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will - to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves.  Ephesians 1:4-6

Care for the Fatherless

In need, but capable.  Lonely, but enveloped. Lost, but searching.  Her needs are deep.  She is able.  Or so I thought.

The assumption was that a person at her age shouldn't need anymore help, shouldn't need parenting, shouldn't need the comfort of a close-knit family.  But she does.  She should be self-reliant, but does that mean she shouldn't be carried?

At what age is a family no longer needed?  We decided that we would say Yes to God.  Whatever He decided we could do to participate in His amazing plan, we would do.  We knew our thoughts, we knew our plans, and then she came over and never left.  As usual, God had something else.  We promised that we would say yes to whatever child God brought to us.  It took some reminding that this was actually a child, a child of HIM.

Our sweet young adult "daughter" has joined our family.  I was so confused as I felt God placing her in our lives.  How would this effect the dynamics of the house, we are already adjusting to a special needs daughter and an infant.  How will we possibly give to one more person.  God says, from what He has given, we can give.  Only through Him will anything happen.  My next argument was that we thought we were supposed to care for the orphans and God reminded me to care for the fatherless.  I thought we were supposed to reach the un-reached and God reminded me to care for His people too. So, we knew, she would become our daughter in the most completely unconventional way.

As is His way with me, He spoke first through His word, (Basically, all of 1 Peter) and then through a friend. When I began doubting again, I was reassured through another friend who talked to my hubby and had no way to know of my concerns.  I am so thankful for his continued presence in my life, His continued provision of wisdom.  I know this won't be an easy road, but it is His road and I am truly excited to be on it.

1 Peter 4:8 - 9  Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.  Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.