My baby was 8 months old before I held him in my arms for the first time!
I had known of his existence long before I'd met him- even before he was born
I'd spent many nights praying for his safety and well being, without knowing - he was mine.
There wasn't time to prepare.
We weren't planning on adopting.
We had two boys already.
But God had another plan, and this baby needed a home:
and. . . . then there were three boys! All under the age of 5
The brothers began to bond and grow in love.
They got into trouble :
It's amazing what can happen while a mommy brushes her teeth!
(you should have seen the day they got hold of the peanut butter)
We worked quickly to make connections, to form bonds, make memories.
to cover the hurt with love.
Preparation taking place- after the fact.
Psalm 34: 18
"The Lord is near to the broken hearted, and saves the crushed in spirit"
You may notice that there was a lot of food involved.
It was one of the only ways to keep him happy.
He had seen neglect and known hunger.
For food
For Love. . . .
For his forever family.
Zephaniah 3:17
"The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you with His love;
He will exult over you with loud singing."
Day after day and night after night we prayed over him and tried
to quiet him with love and exult him with singing.
It was not easy. I'm not going to pretend that it was.
Sometimes, it still isn't.
We were not prepared.
But, we press on in our adventure.
Parenting is tough.
Parenting special needs, be they physical, mental, or emotional
is even tougher!
The only way to truly prepare yourself for the challenges which lie ahead
is to hand it all over to The One who has prepared the way.
There have been challenges I would never have thought of.
Yet, by God's grace we're still standing
Jeremiah 29: 11
"For I know the plans I have for you,declares the Lord,
plans to prosper you, and not for evil,
to give you a future and hope"
I speak of the difficulties, not to scare you away from adoption, but to
share with honesty and to be a testimony for truth.
No one has promised us an easy life - raising children under any circumstances
brings it's challenges and every parent can tell you that there are days
when you will doubt your own abilities.
I speak these truths about difficulty because I can tell you with absolute certainty,
You Don't have to rely on Your Own Abilities!
Deuteronomy 7:9
"Know therefore that the Lord your God is God,
the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love
Him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations"
If you are considering adoption, or if you are a family who is struggling
please know that there is hope.
On your darkest days, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
God has a plan to prosper you!
These are precious pictures to me. I think they are beautiful.
~My family that God put together in the way that only He can.~
We have known hardship, and pain.
You won't see those pictures.
We have had dark days when we couldn't see the answers-
couldn't see the beauty of His plan.
And it is
Only By the Grace of God and Through His Love
that
We know true Joy and have the Peace that passes all understanding!
Just look at what God can do if you trust Him!
I am so grateful that I can lay it all at His feet - all my failures - the pain.
When I don't know what to do
He is God and He loves us!
He know
JUST what to do, what is
needed.
He has shown us that what we needed most is to be
Teaching our family about the love of Christ.
Stopping in our tracks and letting them see as
we bend in
obedience to Him
let them witness how the power of
prayer can transform the situation
can transform a person at any given moment.
Even the
dark ones.
It is amazing what happens when instead of allowing a situation to
escalate - I
stop and pray out loud with my children.
It's amazing how
quoting scripture out loud
can
calm my children and bring my heart around to where it needs to be.
Especially during the
toughest times.
If you are hurting today, if you need direction, support, prayer -
If you have adopted and are having difficulty or are just struggling as a parent
Please don't hesitate to contact me
I will come up along side you in prayer and support.
We can claim the power of God's Word over your life -
and He can make you and your family whole!
He is a God of Healing and Love
Proverbs 8:17
"I love those who love me and those who seek me diligently find me"
He has prepared the way for you!
*if you need prayer and support or encouragement
just leave me a comment with your email address or
contact me privately through mine: kellidparker@yahoo.com
You'll find no judgement here - only God's love, as I am
here today only by His Grace!
* I recommend you read- "How to Have a Heart for Your Kids"
I'll be linking with
Amanda Pelser for the book discussion in January!
You don't want to miss it! There are some wonderful, honest moms who will be chiming in on
the topic - I can't wait to hear what they have to say and am honored to be adding to the
discussion about "letting go of your children and trusting God with them"! I hope you'll join us.
You can read our other adoption posts
here
Time is moving far too quickly these days! My boys are growing so fast (as you can see from
the article) This month I really want to
slow to an "intentional" speed - I've been working on
doing this for awhile- but it's time to set it as an official goal. It includes taking time each day to
be in the Word and sharing it with my children. That is how I plan to "set the tone" for our day
each day & to be intentional with each other and Christ as we move into the Christmas season.
In the spirit of being more intentional - I want to
encourage and lift up my husband. I'll be
reading and praying the scriptures from the awesome
"Build a Better Spouse" ebook -
(see my side bar for more info or to purchase your own copy) I've already read through it and
it's just a wonderful way to build up your marriage whether you are struggling or just need to be
more intentional - slow down and take the time to focus on your relationship with the one God
has given you. I have a sweet husband, who deserves for me to slow down and appreciate him!
There have been times in our almost 12 years of marriage that I was aggravated with him, angry
and not letting it go. Stopping to be grateful for his positive qualities- changed my heart and set
it straight! It made a difference in our home. I highly recommend Ashley's ebook- it will help
you do the same!
My health is still on the list! Drinking more water, exercising several times each week - I need
to start a stretching program daily. Yes, daily. And I will drink 3-4 big glasses of water each day
(they are more than 8 oz- these cups I carry around- usually filled with Coke Zero) Even through
the holidays I will eat less sugar & less wheat products - smaller portions.
If you need to set goals or have a few you'd like encouragement with- check out the community
of women at the
"3 in 30" blog! They're awesome!
Linking with-
