God works in unique, strange ways.  

Sometimes when you set expectations for your life, God will step in and shut it down.  

When writing this, I’ve been thinking about the passing of Rachel Held Evans and some of her  incredible bits of wisdom, and I had to share this with you.

“God’s ways are higher than our ways not because God is less compassionate than we are but because God is more compassionate than we can ever imagine.”  

It’s important for us to understand that God operates on a totally different plane than we do.

He is working like crazy in our life.

Mary Beth and I feel like God has put adoption and fostering older children on our hearts.  Around three years ago, I was sitting at my desk at my office, and I had an overwhelming peace come over me.  It was the kind of peace that doesn’t make logical sense. I felt that God was calling MB and I to adopt and foster older kids, and I had this real episode of clarity that it would be okay if we didn’t have children biologically.

It felt weird.  

There was a sense of peace that brought a warmth that I cannot explain.

So, I am SUPER excited to get home and tell Mary Beth what God had revealed to me, but I was also nervous because, it’s children we’re talking about.  

I walk in the door, and I tell Mary Beth that there was something that I needed to tell her.

She stops me and says the same thing.  I’m a good southern gentleman, so I let her go first.

Mary Beth said, “I felt this overwhelming peace about adopting older kids this afternoon, and I feel like it is 100% okay if we do not have kids biologically.”  

I stopped in my tracks.

“That’s exactly what I was going to say..God is moving here.”

Whoa.

It was something supernatural, and I have never been more sure about anything.  

We started praying and preparing ourselves to be parents.  We attended trainings, seminars, classes, and met many different other couples that had been on the journey before us.

We’ve been praying for our kids almost every night over the last three years.  We hope and pray that they understand that no matter where they are, they are precious and deserving of love.  Not just from us, but from our Heavenly Father.

Roadblock after roadblock has been put in our way.  We’ve had challenges with various agencies, living situations, and our careers.  We’ve experienced heartbreak and defeat, but we know that God has huge plans for us with our children.

This whole journey has been extremely uncomfortable for us.  We have been tested spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. Spiritual warfare has been real for us.  

I’d be lying if I said that trusting God and being on the walk with Him has been easy.  It’s been uphill, but we are really starting to see that it is worth it.

God does not operate on our timeline.

As Patsy Clairmont says, “God’s timing is perfect, and He’s never been late.”  

Matthew 7 says “Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.”

God’s way is not easy.  It’s not meant to be easy, but it is perfect and full of Him.

God does not always give us what we want…but he always provides us what we need.