The Sparrow and the Moon

Hello! As you know by now, I’m not a frequent blogger! Shocked, right? I have all these great thoughts and I think “I really must blog about that.” And then I get busy, and I don’t get it done. Ah well.

We get asked from time to time “How are things going with your adoption?” So we thought a little update would be in order. We are still waiting. Yes, you read that right. The average wait time is 18-24 months, and we are in that window. Is the waiting easy? Nope. Not on most days. To be honest though, there are some days when we are so busy that we hardly think about it. Waiting has become a way of life. At the same time, God has been talking to me about living in the moment. I can’t live in the past, and I can’t live in the future. I only have today, right now. Therefore, I must live life to it’s fullest today, not just spend my time wishing for tomorrow. This waiting is teaching me to be patient (something I’ve never been good at) and to appreciate the small gifts that each day brings. Just because I don’t currently have everything that I want from life doesn’t mean that I’m not blessed. I am! Richly blessed! I have a wonderful Savior who cares about me personally. I have a wonderful husband who loves me unconditionally, faults and all. I have an awesome family, both on my side and Russell’s side. I have a job that I enjoy most of the time, and some great co-workers also. I have a great church family. I have good health. I have a comfortable place to live, good food to eat, adequate clothing, etc. Oh, and I have a really sweet cat! Life is good, even today. Are there longings in my heart that haven’t yet been met? You bet. But even after our adoption takes place, there will still be longings of some sort I am sure. For it seems that in the longings of this life are the reminders that this is not my final home, nor my ultimate goal. Reaching Heaven and taking others with me is the final goal and destination of my life. If I have everything that I could ever want right now, would I be so comfortable here on earth that I don’t care as much about Heaven? I think so. So I’m okay with the longings for it makes Heaven seem so much sweeter.

Some of you like to know if we have heard anything at all about our adoption. The answer isyes and no. There have been a couple of situations that we have known about that ended up going another direction. We are okay with that, for you see, we want the baby that God wants us to have. We have had some uncertainty for several weeks that has kept us on our knees. That’s okay too, because that’s a great place to be. There will be more uncertainty ahead, but God is faithful and He is holding us steady, reminding us daily that He is in control. A couple of weeks ago, I was having some trouble sleeping. I do that sometimes when I get too much on my mind and feel overwhelmed. I woke from my sleep at around 4am, and got up. The moonwas full and bright, and caught my attention through the bedroom blinds. The thought came to me immediately “It’s okay. I’m God, and I’ve got this. You can go back to sleep.” Such peace rushed over me, I climbed back into bed and went to sleep. And it’s true. I don’t need to lose sleep or worry about something that I can’t control. And why would I want to control it if the God of the universe has it? I just need to be reminded of that occasionally! A couple of days later was Easter Sunday. I went to church and enjoyed the service. But the part that spoke to me most was not the singing, not the sermon. You see, we had a little visitor, a bird that was sitting in the large window at the front of the church. The bird was there formost of the service, and even came back that night. Again I heard God whisper to my heart “If I care about this little bird in the window, how much more do I care about you? You are important to me, you are valuable, and you are loved.” That little bird was important to no one, and yet he was cared for by God Almighty! The song came to my mind “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.” Let the words below encourage you today, whatever you are facing.

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heavn and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
Refrain:
I sing because Im happy, I sing because Im free,
For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Let not your heart be troubled, His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Now, aren’t you thankful? I am! He is with us in this waiting, and He is with you too.