Blessings Through The Back Door

When I posted last things were looking pretty discouraging. Our home study had been delayed through the holidays and with the new year came the possibility of having to redo some of our paperwork. The problem with redoing some of the paperwork was that some of the particulars might take a few more months to complete.

After receiving some mixed communication from our family coordinator originally indicating Dustin and I could be at risk of losing A* (because of his having to wait so long.) Dustin and I were extremely concerned for the stability of this adoption. Thankfully we spoke with the director of programs at corporate who assured us nothing was at risk related to A*.

Long story short, it seems the very stressful 24 hours we experienced Wednesday- Thursday was actually God's provision sneaking in under the guise of trouble. I had been talking on the phone with my sweet sister when she made a comment which was straight from God's own mouth to my ears, for when she uttered the words everything within me stood at attention. She expressed the idea that it was possible that all these irritating events were intended by God to be blessings, and that now we were in the forefront of every one's mind at AWAA while they were all simultaneously working to get things moved forward.

I felt that what my sister had said was the truth. And, after being blessed by the prayers of our friends in the AWAA YG (yahoo group) I had a new perspective.

Through the events of this week I was able to practice how to remain calm and still in those moments of trouble and dig down deeper with the Lord to see what He's really up to. I realized it's not just about God working things out and removing obstacles so that our paths will be smooth and straight. It's about getting to know Him in the process and enjoying His presence and goodness in the meanwhile. It's about the peace that is able to hang right alongside deep emotions of grief. It's about being human and truly not knowing what methods God will use to manage the circumstances of life, nor what twists and turns it may take, but trusting by faith in the Source of every good and perfect gift.

I feel I gained a little better understanding of that this week.

Needless to say, by Friday almost every snag that had cropped up against us was resolved. It was if entire icebergs had been melted before our very eyes. God's blessings were coming in through the back door. If I hadn't remained watchful I think I would have missed that understanding. I wouldn't have been able to sit with the Lord while He worked things out. I would have allowed the peace that was available to me to pass right by.

As of Friday our current status is that our home study (HS) has been submitted to the AZ court along with a letter requesting the commissioner expedite our case in light of the fact that A* is waiting (I hope, too, that they informed him of A*'s special medical concerns as well). If the commissioner is feeling generous he may expedite our case. I have to say that I sense that the Lord will cause him to be amiable toward the idea and that our paperwork will return to us quickly. If our paperwork is returned quickly every indication is that we will not have to redo the paperwork which would be time consuming and cause delays. This means that our dossier could be in Ethiopia very soon.