Groaning

We asked you to specifically pray for us and our adoption last week.  And we’re so thankful for those of you who were able, and for those who are continuing to pray. 

This past week has been really, REALLY hard.  We’ve heard nothing from our adoption agency telling us that things are moving forward.  Our computer crashed, again.  Our landlord has threatened to end our lease two years early and charge us a huge fine because he thinks that we’re teaching English out of our home for profit.  (Obviously, we are not teaching English for profit!)  And our work here continues to feel like one big uphill battle.   

We never thought that a week of focused prayer for us would turn out like this.  We had high hopes and expectations that your prayers would move the hand of God this week.  We were hoping to report that our paperwork is now on its way to China and that we were matched with our first little girl…but that just hasn’t happened yet.  I wish I could tell you that your prayers brought a supernatural peace and joy to our hearts this week…but that’s just not true.  I wish I could tell you that we’re feeling less discouraged in this process…but I can’t.  The truth is that it’s been one. hard. week.

Still, we cling to a mustard seed of faith and hope that God is answering prayers, but in a very different way than we expected.  This week He’s chosen to work on our character to make us better parents.  How will we respond when life gets really hard?  By turning to chocolate and movies?  Quite honestly, yes.  But also but also by turning to friends who love us dearly and are in this with us.  And by turning to our faithful Father who loves us even more and carries us through the hardest times.  And by opening our Bibles and letting His eternal words mean more to us than they ever have before.

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.  For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God…And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”  (Romans 8: 18-19, 23)

Groan with us in hope.  God’s glory is a sure thing.