2012 - The Year to Throw & Go!

Well, a new year has begun.  The last week of the year has always been so intriguing to me.  I love looking at news articles or watching shows or countdowns of the best and worst of the year.  It is a look back over triumphs and fails.  I think it is because I like looking in the rearview mirror.  I camp out in the past and find some twisted comfort going over and over it.  I considered having the subject of this blog be a farewell to the past year.  I thought for a moment of the many things that happened to me and my family over the last year, and while some things I would like to forget, many amazing things happened too.  However, my mind continued to drift excitedly to the horizon.  To the future. To look forward. 

Then, yesterday at church our Youth Minister delivered a most challenging sermon about getting off of the sidelines of life and living intentionally with God's purpose and pace in mind.  Through Hebrews 12:1, he dared us to "throw and go."  He called us to stop worrying about our past and "get in our lane." The one God wants us to be in!  It is in this spirit, that we seek to offer our lives as living sacrifices to Jesus and love others.  Interestingly enough, I was reminded of the scriptural basis for this line of thinking from another blogger's point of view based on Philippians 3:12-14: ¹² I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. ¹³ No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,^[d] but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. 

Thus, we look ahead.  As we do, we are filled with hope and joy of what our future might be.  We press on to grow in our love of Christ and His existence in our lives.  We press on to help others know His relevance in their lives, too.  We press on to change the face of our family forever.  FOREVER.  With this in mind, we are currently filling out an application to adopt.  There are many reasons you may be wondering, why?  Well, for one thing, biological children are not an option anymore and we really desire more(with 3 already, sometimes we wonder why too!).  Most importantly, we believe it is God's charge to us to care for orphans, We firmly believe Jesus is speaking of this in the Gospel of Matthew. chapter 25, verses 34-40:  
 ³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. ³⁶ I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
 ³⁷ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? ³⁹ When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
 ⁴⁰ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,^[f] you were doing it to me!’

Sure, this can be done in many ways, through prayer, financial offerings and short term visits or events, but anyone who really knows Mr. & Mrs. Harley Jeanise knows we are an "all-in" kind of people! (Remember, we dated a solid three months before marriage.)  We are confident we can offer no better "care of orphans" than to become parents of them.  Likewise, there are 147 million orphans globally and we believe those aging out of systems become many of the victims of human sex trade, drugs/alcohol, suicide, or prison. Also,  the thought of adoption was a vision we both could always see, and the "one day" idea became the 'why not now' one.  

For sure, it is a lengthy process and a bit scary one, too.  The idea and process has taught me so much about myself, my husband, and my faith in God.  It is like the game where you are blind-folded and your Partner is calling out directions to you and you have to listen and follow exactly what is being said so you know where to go.  Questions I ask myself daily, sometimes hourly, Do I trust God?  No, do I REALLY trust God, really?  Do I believe His heart for orphans is meant for someone like me? And truthfully, why would God pick someone like me, so imperfect and unequipped, to do such holy work?  Do I really believe He opens and closes doors meant for us to walk through or do I just give that lip service because it makes me sound faithful?  Does my husband really want this too or is he just being supportive?  Will people think I am/We are crazy?  What if the child/ren hate us or what if WE have a hard time adjusting?  Just being honest here, people.  As we decided to step into the world of orphans, some definite things we knew right away: we have a heart for domestic adoption and we feel drawn those in foster care.  Since educating ourselves through conferences, books, and friends who had gone through the process, we are heartbroken to think a child at the tender age of 5 is considered "hard to place" because of their age.  I am horrified at the thought of a child aging out of the foster care system and never having anyone step up and say, 'You are loved and you belong here.' 

So, in closing, we ask that you pray for us in this journey.  We, also, ask that you pray for our child/ren that we don't know yet.  Also, if you are very observant you've noticed I say child/ren in stead of child and that is because we have inquired about a sibling group, two sisters, who are ages 10 and 6.  Would you also pray for them?  We don't know if the state will think we are the right match for them, but even if they don't become our daughters I know God had and has a purpose for them.  They are the reason we are at this next step,which is actually Step 1.  On Thursday, January 5th, we will attend orientation and then we can turn in our application and so on and so forth.  We are excited and expectant of what God will do!  We are grateful for what He has already done!