Good Morning Gorgeous,
It’s a brand new day. A fresh start. A new day to rise and seek the Lord before anything else. A new day to draw near to Him. A new day to allow Him to refill your empty tank. A new day to plug into the Power Source, to be renewed, refilled, resurrected in Christ. He is in the process of making all things new, including us. As we walk with Him, talk with Him, lean on Him. We begin to allow His influence to change us, soften us, mold us, and shape us to reflect His image more and more.

If there is something you’ve been praying for, waiting for, struggling with, keep battling. Keep going. Keep listening and keep taking the very next step of faith..I heard a radio preacher this weekend and he said, “Faith allows us to inhabit the promised land.” We go in by faith, by trust, by moving our feet in obedience even though there are giants all up in our face.

Faith is how we keep moving and taking the next scary step when all we really want to do is run for cover and hide. Faith is how we take ahold of what God has already prepared for us. We take possession of what is ALREADY ours by obediently moving forward and taking steps of faith that don’t always make sense to the people around us who can only see the giants.

Faith gives us Heavenly vision and helps us to see glimpses of what God desires and then strengthens us to go after it. Faith is the conscious moving ahead despite the giants. Its choosing to minimize our focus on the giants and maximize our focus on God’s promises.

Here is the conclusion of my, “but and suddenly”.

We took photos on the beach, and declared that we would see God’s goodness. He would move mountains and a miracle was coming. I had been praying and telling God that I trusted Him through the whole ordeal. I would pray, and I would give God the worry, anguish, heartache, and heart wrenching pain. He would fill me with a sense of peace that could only come from Him. Then, just a little while later, I would find myself taking it all back from God. I would take back the worry and the pain.. yet, He faithfully accepted it back time and time again as I returned to Him in prayer. Its the sweetest exchange to give Him our worries and grief and receive His divine peace.

The drive home from the beach was quiet. The kids were settling down from the excitement and Chuck and I felt the heaviness sneak back up on us. What was going to happen? How could this possibly work out? Tomorrow was the first visit.

The next day I woke up and immediately dread crawled on top of me. I was having trouble bringing in full breaths. I prayed haaaard. I was in constant prayer. That beautiful peace returned, and I dressed Nia for her big visit. And off we went.

It was a short distance to get there, but even so I prayed the whole time. I pulled in the driveway unsure of what to expect. As I walked up to the door with Nia in her carrier, the kiddos there opened the door. We were greeted by four kids and their mommy. She invited us in and we sat on the couch. All of the kids lined up for their turn to meet Nia. I unbuckled her and handed her to her biological brother first and then she was passed down the line of sweet kiddos..she went from one lap to the next until she reached the end..Then I picked her up and handed her over to their mommy. She sent them all out back to play, and we had a chance to talk. She was holding Nia and she began to cry. I started to cry, and we sat there in her living room with Nia with tears streaming down our cheeks.

She breathed deep, and began to tell me a story about how she received Nia’s brother from the hospital and what that was like. She told me the stories of how her other children came to her, and how they had bonded. She was crying and shared that she knew the bond she had with each of her babies. She knew the pain of almost losing them. She looked at me through tears and said that she had decided to stop the transition. She talked with her husband the night before, and they decided to not move Nia from our home. Instead we could continue visits and get to know eachother. They were in the process of adopting their two girls, and I was in the process of adopting Nia. They strongly felt that Nia was where she belonged. And just like that my miracle came! The previous day at a very difficult meeting, I thought I had lost her and today I learned that she would get to stay! The adoption could continue. What a miracle working, mountain moving God we serve.

A few more miracles in our story… our adoption dates were set the same day! The other mommy adopted her girls on the same day that I adopted Nia, and it was in the same courtroom with the same judge!

And to this day, we still have playdates with the other family. Too long passes in between visits because life happens, but when we get together, it is so special. Two families will be bonded together for life through the beauty of adoption.

If you are still waiting on a “but and suddenly” its coming! Keep praying, and listen for God’s voice. Be obedient to His directions. He may lead you right into Your Promise, and even if there are giants already living there, just keep stepping ahead in faith. Faith unlocks promise.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for your goodness! Please administer peace to worried hearts. Calm fears. Drive away racing thoughts that keep us focused on worst case scenarios. Instead, help us to maximize You Lord and Your promises over us. Help us to recieve Holy rest as we battle for miracles. In Jesus’s name, Amen.