God's WILL done God's WAY will never lack God's SUPPLY

This is going to be a rough (prob a few or many gram errors) but I am writing this on a whim and quickly with babies in tow! I was making eggs for the kids this morning and thinking about ANOTHER miracle we received yesterday. I couldn't help but want to share with everyone:  the Adoption Strong website with the many parents who might be facing special {medical} needs. Then I thought of the many people who may be facing financial stresses because life consist of them! Financials in the past was usually a place of surrender that God brought us too when He wanted to draw Ryan and I in closely! We have walked this path many times over the last couple years that I can honestly say, we haven't even worried about these medical bills we just KNEW some way or another Jesus was going to use this in building our story and our faith! SURRENDER=INCREASED FAITH! When I believe He is good, when I believe He can, when I exercise that belief with trusting Him, and when I follow through by obeying what He is telling me to do...oh my gosh I can't even begin to tell you how many amazing miracles Ryan and I have experienced through it! I want to scream each one from the mountain top! I love sharing Isaiah's many miracles because it is a testimony of how when God calls us to something it is in HIS HANDS. I always hope it encourages someone in a hard place relying on a miracle!!! 

STORY: So we went to the hospital in Columbus January for a variety of testing and things we needed to check on Isaiah for after returning from China. It was three days of testings and all sorts. The medical bills piled up. We have to go back again in August too so there will be even more expenses then. With our finances being tighter than normal due to many factors from starting a business, to having 3 children, to have home needs, you know...the list goes on! It can always be something. However, the great thing is, it's been used as a process of building complete trust for Ryan and I in our faith. Those stepping stones that seemed worrisome at the moment each has proven to be a beautiful gift that has helped us grow. 

So back to the story, the medical bills piled up and the hospital is a great one, they have an amazing program that works with your insurance company to help get the most coverage as possible and then they even offer some assistance and generous leverage in areas for the bills. I can't say enough about this hospital and the people. We qualified for a few things and have been waiting for a response over the last 8 months. Ryan and I have faithfully prayed over it and have felt an extreme peace that God is our provider, it is all His anyway right? So in the mail yesterday it came...the letter. I opened it knowing no matter what the numbers reflect, He will provide. He chose precious Isaiah for our family and He loves Isaiah and has already shown us He is taking care of every detail for him as long as we walk faithfully (2 Cor 5:7 We walk by faith not by sight).

And there it was - NO WAY!!!! NO WAY REALLY??? Is this happening? Oh my gosh it is! It just did! How did that happen? It happened! THANK YOU JESUS! THANK YOU! I'm humbled at how you go above our prayers every time because you're so loving! AND AMAZING! THANK YOU! Yep that's what I was saying over and over!

I encourage you today to BELIEVE He can. If you need prayers I am happy to pray with or for you! Ryan and I are no different than any other husband and wife who may be walking through a trial! I believe wholeheartedly that financials are the easiest and quickest way to being humbled and trusting God 110%. It is there we seek harder than ever to hear Him (Proverbs 3:5-6 says He will instruct us in which path to take). And as we trust, He guides, as He guides, we experience peace, when we have peace we reflect Him in our lives/hearts...as the light for the world to see God and how amazing He is!!!

 

GREAT STORY ON BELIEF/TRUST

An Acrobat, A Wheelbarrow, and a Challenge of Faith

Can you imagine a tightrope stretched over a quarter of a mile and spanning the breadth of Niagara Falls?  The thundering sound of the pounding water drowning out all other sounds as you watch a man step onto the rope and walk across!

This stunning feat made Charles Blondin famous in the summer of 1859.  He walked 160 feet above the falls several times back and forth between Canada and the United States as huge crowds on both sides looked on with shock and awe.  Once he crossed in a sack, once on stilts, another time on a bicycle,  and once he even carried a stove and cooked an omelet!

On July 15, Blondin walked backward across the tightrope to Canada and returned pushing a wheelbarrow.

The Blondin story is told that it was after pushing a wheelbarrow across while blindfolded that Blondin asked for some audience participation.  The crowds had watched and "Ooooohed" and "Aaaaahed!"  He had proven that he could do it; of that, there was no doubt.  But now he was asking for a volunteer to get into the wheelbarrow and take a ride across the Falls with him!

It is said that he asked his audience, "Do you believe I can carry a person across in this wheelbarrow?"  Of course the crowd shouted that yes, they believed!

It was then that Blondin posed the question - “Who will get in the wheelbarrow?'

Of course…none did.

[from Kenneth Baa’s book] Tens of thousands believed but no one trusted. Belief and trust are two different things. It occurred to me, though, that t here’s something wrong with this illustration. Why would anyone get in the wheelbarrow? Why would anyone do such dopey thing? There would have to be a compelling reason. So try this: imagine there was a thick forest behind the spectators and that suddenly the forest caught fire. There was no way of escape. Now things are about to get interesting., and suddenly all the rules change. Now there are only four options for the crowd:

Option #1: “I’m not here, and it’s not hot” . Deny your situation until you’re burned to a crisp.

Option #2: take your chances by plunging into the raging water below.

Option #3: try to go across the tightrope yourself.

Option #4: Get in the wheelbarrow!

Suddenly the offer to get in Blondin’s wheelbarrow looks very attractive. Furthermore it’s not the leap in the dark, it’s a step into the light and perhaps you’re only real hope. He’s already demonstrated that he could go to the other side and and come back. And so has Jesus. His crucifixion and resurrection was his going to the other side and back, his demonstrable evidence that He is who He claims to be. Entrusting my life to Him, sitting in that wheelbarrow (so to speak) is not a bad choice, as would be ignoring or rejecting Jesus. With Jesus there are really only two options because ignoring him is just covert rejection. At the end of the day, you either trust Him or you don’t.

Matthew 17:20 (NLT) “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.

Isaiah's many miracles...

I am so humbled. After calling Ryan and sharing this story with him this morning he encouraged I share on the blog! I love his heart…excited to share God’s goodness with hope it encourages someone else.

The moments I experience true miracles I get so overtaken with the emotions and reminded, God is faithful and Isaiah was chosen by Him for Him and we are just blessed to be his family…forever family. Despite how Isaiah’s circumstances started off in the beginning years, God’s sovereign and loving and saw this precious boy in China in an orphanage and placed His hand of favor over him thousands of miles away and slowly placed him on our hearts and home. The divine connection in that two-year process, lives forever changed and daily we are impacted in this journey that is hard, fun, adventurous, emotional and rewarding. But it has been the continuous provision and favor along the way has left Ryan and I speechless many times and has increased our faith ten times over. I know without a doubt that God has large plans for Isaiah; I can only wait to see.

So here is how it goes today….

Isaiah has extreme anxiety with doctors’ offices or hospitals. Any of them will make him nervous from the minute he steps into them.  He slowly gets quiet, gets nervous, and begins to cling to me. Even candy won’t help. He becomes withdrawn. The walls go up. Then comes the nurse or the doctor walking in, the tears  begin to flow. The fear is overwhelming to him and the lack of trust over takes him every time. I ona normal day can handle these type of things and started off pretty strong, but after so many visits, I began to realize the anxiety was taking its toll on me. My heart aches and has extreme compassion now for parents who go through anything that requires on going hospital stays and visits. From what I have experienced in a short time I have become fearful of having to take him to the doctor for anything. I dread it.

Although Isaiah’s blood test were done in China and all okay, our pediatrician called for another test to confirm them. We attempted to do this at the lab at the pediatrician’s office one day but after him hyperventilating and throwing up because of being so upset it wasn’t accomplished and a redo was underway. To be honest, I had put it off for fear of upsetting him again. Then my doctor finally said we had to schedule it. We decided to go to Woman’s hospital lab so he wouldn’t associate the pediatrician’s office with the emotional trauma/fear he has since the last attempt was so rough for him. I know one might ask, how much does a child really know at 2 years old or even as a baby, but trust me, a child who has endured what he has by hospital visits, not having a family to go through it with or the security, can establish a wound. He has learned to become resilient and at the same time skeptical of hospital people. His sensual memories remind him of fear and pain in those places. I have seen it enough times to know sometimes we just cannot comprehend it, because we have never walked in those shoes.

So I started off this morning by labeling today’s experience as it would be how it has always been for Isaiah, emotional. Ryan and I woke up for routine morning coffee before the kids and we prayed Deuteronomy 31:8, one of my favorite verses when anticipation is underway. Praying the promise that God would go before us and prepare the way with favor and remove the fear. I prayed it but did I believe it? If I am honest, my heart really didn’t. It would have to take a miracle right? 20 times of crying why would 21 be different? Unfortunately, my expectations were low.

Now this time I invited Caden to come along. He said he wanted to be a helper. He packed a bag of Isaiah’s favorite things to bring with us…marshmallows, Ipad movie, cookies, suckers, and applesauce. Sweetest. I loved the opportunity to teach him to be compassionate in caring for Isaiah. Knowing that him being there would ease his fears some too! So I showed Caden a video of a little boy bravely getting blood drawn so he would know what to expect and explained to him that Isaiah gets really upset and cries. L And off we went. Prayers went up! Please Lord, protect his little heart and make our experience easier this because He is only 2, I prayed. We pulled in to the parking lot. I was ready for the nervousness to begin…we hopped out. Caden wheeled his Superman suitcase full of toys, Isaiah marched like we were going to a toy store, and we walked in. There we were in a hospital. Isaiah got quiet. So my heart started to sink a little. We checked in  and thankfully Caden was laughing and playing so that eased everything a bit, anddistracted Isaiah. Then came the wristband part, this is always a sure sign to get him angry, normally he will slap it away…but instead out came his wrist willingly! Eager to put it on! He told the lady “thank you!” Wow. I was surprised at this point. Ok ok you have my attention! But the true test lie ahead. Next we walked to the waiting room and then Isaiah's name was called. We all walked into the patient room. Normally the combo of the nurses outfits and the room will result in the beginning of the tears…but there weren’t any tears. None.…I wasn’t sure what was going on…but trucking ahead caden and I pulled out the iPad, got a cartoon on, and I explained to the nurses despite the food and drink rule we have a suitcase full of snacks because Isaiah’s situation is a little different than most. They were kind and understanding and let us carry on. Caden put on Diego  and began feeding Isaiah marshmallows and cookies. Isaiah sat on my lap. They began to hold his arm down; placing the band on it to find the vein and I felt he was about to breakdown I was waiting for it…but no not a single tear. Then the needle came out and the process of filling  5 valves of blood…..prick….minutes….still no tears. He smiled at them and was proud to show them his sucker Caden gave him, then continued to watched cartoons. One, two, three, four….almost done – felt like forever. Once they were done and pulled the needle out and Isaiah smiled again and said ‘ALL DONE’! Not ONE single tear. Seriously, it was a true miracle. Not one ounce of fear expressed in the entire process. I was trying to keep it together. My eyes were tearing up. I was humbled. I was ashamed I doubted. I was grateful that God is so loving He uses examples like this to prepare us for the larger things ahead.

It was a miracle not only that there wasn’t a tear, but that he did that with a smile and ZERO FEAR. I doubted God was able; I labeled my situation before it even happened….and then I realized after today…GOD IS ABLE. I will no longer let the experiences of the past determine the ones of the future. I will begin to speak life and positivity. Knowing that life is full of tests and trials, everything may not be perfect but everything will be OKAY BECAUSE HE CAN, HE WILL, AND EVERY DAY HE BLESSES US MIRACLES! I will believe. Little Isaiah has great and mighty plans upon his life. I document this story as one more to add to the LIST of them that I have, to reassure Him that our heavenly Father loves him, adores him, has favor over him, and has great plans for him. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

I encourage anyone who may be feeling hopeless or doubtful based on how it looks and feels….to believe GOD CAN AND HE IS ABLE TO DO ALL THINGS….

Deuteronomy 31:8 – Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.

And the icing on the cake, I could not find my wallet today when I was at the hospital. I was starting to panic bc of all that is in it…prayed hard because I knew the anxiety it could impose with the cards and fraud issues…so at lunch today went back to my last stop WALMART…ehhh…walked to customer service and asked by chance if a wallet got turned in…and sure enough she came out with it!!! SO THANKFUL for the favor of the honest person who came across it in the parking lot and turned it in!