We are just waiting.

Waiting, waiting, waiting.

It’s crazy how much waiting goes into the adoption process!

You wait to be approved to adopt.

You wait to hear that your profile will be shown to a birth mother.

You wait to hear that the birth mother has chosen you to be the parents of her baby.

You wait for the phone call that birth mother is in labor.

You wait to know baby has been born.

You wait for TPR to be signed.

As I look back on the journey God has taken me on over the past almost four years, I can clearly see the lessons God wanted to teach me through each and every phase of this journey.

Every step, every phase, has built my faith in Jesus Christ and rooted me to His Word and His promises as I have leaned on HIM to get though it all.

During all the infertility treatments, God taught me that He has a plan for my life. A plan that WILL prosper me and bring me hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). Even when things appeared to not be going my way (and things certainly did NOT go my way at all!), God showed me He had a plan that was even better than my plan(Ephesians 3:20).

I chose to cling to those promises. I did not know when it would happen, but I firmly believed something bigger and better than my wildest dreams was coming.

And it came alright in the form of an adoption that transpired over the span of just seven weeks. As in, we were doing an IVF cycle in March and by the end of May we were the parents to a beautiful, teeny tiny baby girl through the miracle of adoption!

(And I thought Little Bug’s adoption was fast?! I didn’t know fast until I met Rebecca who learned of her baby one day and then the next day he was officially her son! If you didn’t catch the story of Levi’s adoption, click here. My version is here.)

As I reflect on the events surrounding Sweet Pea’s upcoming adoption, I am overwhelmed at all God has taught me since March 8th.

And really, our journey to #2 began on December 13th when Emily called to tell me of Tracy’s pregnancy.

That all ended in January and then, I didn’t know it at the time, but I got my first “call” about Sweet Pea on March 8th.

During the six weeks we were thinking our 2nd child was coming from Tracy and then during the six weeks we waited to hear from Susan (the lawyer Melody was originally working with) and then when we were actually matched with Melody but through Emily (the lawyer that did Little Bug’s adoption), God taught me one profound truth about Himself.

Actually, He put me in my place and Him in His place.

He taught me that HE is in control, not me, and that once again, He was working out everything for my good and for His glory.

I finally realized that all the worry I have spent time on in the past is completely senseless and I realized that worry is a direct attack from Satan so that I will take my eyes OFF the Lord and attempt to take things into my own hands.

Really? I actually thought I could handle things better than the God who created and rules this Universe?

Yeah, I am not quite sure what I was thinking, either.

I blame it on being human.

AND on the devil.

Honestly, I NEVER really truly realized that worry is one of the BIGGEST tools Satan uses to destroy our FAITH in GOD.

Let me tell you something: I am NOT free of worry. Oh no, it is something I still battle with DAILY.

But, for the first time in my life, I actually have weapons to defend myself against Satan’s attacks when he tries to make me worry.

It all came together for me when I saw God perform the miracle that brought us to Melody through Emily, after both of us (Melody and us) had been working with Susan. (Confused? Click here and then here.)

There is NO way on earth I could have planned and carried that out.

It was totally GOD!

How am I certain of this?

Because God is in control of everything, whether we realize it or not.

Sure, in my human mind, I desperately want Sweet Pea to be born yesterday (shoot, I wanted her to be born right at 37 weeks! Full term? Well, then, let’s get this party started!!!).

But I must keep my eyes on the LORD because He has a perfect plan and even now, He is working that perfect plan out for my good and for His Glory.

He knows Sweet Pea’s Birth Day.

And I am honestly glad I don’t have to figure that one out, either.

- Elaine