Chosen to choose

Nuts and Bolts...

Our home study on Monday, July 16th, went amazing!  I'll admit, I was at peace and not frazzled at all.......until the DAY OF! That morning I woke up to a list of things that I thought we needed to get done by 2:00 p.m. to present a great home study; so we worked hard!  At 1:00, Eric knowing how stressed I was, was so precious and told me to go on a date by myself and be back by 1:45 to pray as a family.  I came back settled and eased remembering that the Lord is in control of IT ALL and nothing will pass His hand without Him already knowing about it and permitting it. When we are busy being Martha and all about "doing" we easily forget foundational truths that we wouldn't forget as much if we were busy being Mary.  Two hours at the table and then one quick tour of our house concluded the meeting.  When I say "quick tour of our house", I mean we could've left the toilets uncleaned and the hole on Elijah's bedroom wall un-patched and not done ANYTHING with the basement!  After our caseworker friend left, Eric closed the door and looked at me with this, "Are you kidding me, you did not just make me do all of that work" look on his face.  Hey, they got done regardless, right?!?

That following Friday, the 20th, was our appointment for all of our physical exams and we are all healthy. HOLLA! Our doctor, who is a Christian was very encouraging to us! Thank You Lord!

We are now at a standstill in the process of adoption.  The next step is to send in our contract with our agency in Florida along with $6,500.00!!!  

This ginormous cost includes:

• $2,500.00 (Agency fee)- Costs related to our agency's (ASC) ongoing services in helping us in this process on the US side of it.

• $2,500.00 (Agency fee)- Costs related to our agency's ongoing services in helping us in this process on the Colombia side of it.

• $1,500.00 (Dossier Processing fee)- As I mentioned before, a Dossier is the french word for bundle of papers.  This cost will provide assistance for us, through ASC, in compiling dossier documents according to Colombian guidelines.

This is the next step and BIG HURL of money and we cannot start it until $6,500.00 travels with it! So, please be in prayer over that.  We're praying that this will come before or by October 1st at the latest!  

NITTY GRITTY...

I was sitting down with my children the other day; Eden 8 and Elijah 7.  We were going through our devotional for that morning and reading how God had chosen Jacob to be the leader.  Even though Esau was born first and had inherited a birthright, God chose Jacob to inherit it after all and not by anything that Jacob had done.  Jacob was not born first so the birthright obviously wasn't his according to birth order and Jacob was not the manly one.  Esau was the hunter and worked outside, his father's favorite.  Jacob cooked with his mom and had her favor.  Pause... I'm not saying only manly men hunt and do not cook! 

After we read the story, I asked my kids, "How does it make you feel to know that God chose you? You did not choose God before He chose you. In fact, the only reason we choose God is because He chose us and gave us the gift of faith to choose Him back!"  

I could see that my daughter may have had a harder time grasping this concept than my son.  She looked bothered and spoke up, "Mom, but I chose Jesus and then He gave me a new heart."  I responded with, "You're right babe, you did choose Jesus. But you chose Him because He was already drawing you and had chosen you before the foundations of the earth were even laid." I remember first hearing this truth that I didn't choose Jesus on my own and being utterly offended for a while.  I felt robbed. Worthless. Helpless. I believed for so long that there was something good enough in me to want God on my own without His help.  NOPE... not the case at all. (Ephesians 2 is my favorite chapter of the bible now!) 

My son, smiling from ear to ear, shouted, "I feel free!"

I thought about that statement for a little while and realized the truth behind God choosing us to choose Him and then feeling free.  How would you feel free knowing that God chose you to be able to choose Him?  Think about it.  Resting on the fact that God chose us, adopted us into his family because of His love and goodness brings freedom, security and peace to my soul. The certainty of salvation in Jesus alone increases as we rest on that truth.  

It's such a mystery, a great tension, that we probably won't 100% completely comprehend until we see Him face to face; God's choosing and us responding. But I am thankful I can rest on the fact that He has chosen me thus equipping me to respond to His amazing grace!

Heart Trouble

So, after one and a half hours of trying to figure out how to change the font of my blog post, here I am!  Great reminder that I am not a natural blogger, HA!  


Since it has been a month of no update, I figured it is time to inform you all as much as I can.  


Our home study visit (scheduled for the 9th of July) was rescheduled for the 16th of July at 2 p.m. due to a schedule conflict of our social worker.  We are excited for him to come into our personal lives this next Monday and see what we are about in the Wood household.  One can hear pieces of your heart and try to make sense of it, but I feel like once they come into your home, is when those pieces start to come together and the game of "RAW" is on! 


After that visit, our social worker friend will take 30-60 days to write a home study review for our agency in Ft. Lauderdale; so they can know us and tell Colombia about us.  Please pray for this visit and for a nice report to Colombia!  Next Friday, the 20th, is when we all get our physical exams confirming we are healthy enough to adopt.  Again, please pray for that to go well.  Those are the next two steps of the process within the next couple of weeks.


So far, $525.00 has come in for our adoption.  This money will go towards part of the home study and our physical exams.  It's been such a blessing to see people come around us and partake in this calling of loving the orphans!  Thank You Lord.


Now, onto the nitty gritty of my heart.  The Lord has graciously been showing me how easily wrapped up and consumed I can become by the process of adoption.  "Wait," you might say, "Adoption is a good thing and one of the ways the Lord wants us to care for orphans." I couldn't agree with you more.  However, when we become consumed with doing something for the Lord more than the Lord Himself, that's a flat-out idol problem. Listen up, I'll tell you what I'm saying. 


Last night, sitting in Redimed with my son who had a fever of 104.4 I was hit with this truth once again, for the 2nd or 3rd time. I was letting my heart be troubled by life's situations and the fact that enlarging our family only means enlarging those types of situations which brought my countenance low.  After about a half hour of sulking in this pouting mood, this thought (from the Lord I believe) came over me.  I, Mandy Wood, am a daughter of the Most High.  I was created to worship Him and bring Him glory.  That is my highest calling in life.  Bringing Him glory comes in different vehicles throughout life.  Sometimes those vehicles take detours, go down bumpy roads, leaving us with bruises.  But, none the less, He will get glory.  It is NOT my job to fret or fear on how the vehicle takes us to our final destination... That is the Lord's job.  This adoption is simply a vehicle to bring Him more glory and He will drive this vehicle how He chooses.  He will provide it with fuel, and even maintain the vehicle after He's done driving it.  I am ONLY the passenger riding with Him, trusting He is going to parade this vehicle around, again for His glory.  AND, if He even chooses to park this vehicle in the middle of the road for a season for whatever reason, I am to trust that.   


Why do I get so caught up in the logistics?  Why do I let my heart be troubled? Because I am human.  Is that an excuse to be carried away by my emotions?  No. It is simply the reason I still fall into that ugly sin of worry.  Throughout scripture we find a constant reminder to not worry or fret.  To trust in God and His goodness and sovereignty.  Also, in Luke 10 we have a great example of a lady busy about getting things done; good things.  She was serving, plugging away at what she knew needed done. We see the Lord graciously rebuke her because she was missing out on the main thing in life, Jesus Himself!  She was missing being fed and nourished by the Great Shepherd Himself.  She was distracted by work, fretting at what was not getting done instead of trusting in Him.  


Lord, help me to remember my role in all of this; to bring You glory in every circumstance, whatever that may be.  Help me trust in You alone and Your navigating throughout my life. 


Oh, and one last thing, we have a "Donate" button now for those of you who have asked how you can financially give.  Thanks so much!