I have been struggling with fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the future. Fear of finances. Lots of stuff. I know it’s not of God to fear things, but I am human and I do fear sometimes. I have two cyber friends who are currently in their child’s country picking up their new children that they have recently adopted. One’s experience has been pretty good so far and she and her daughter have bonded well, although they are in country for another 6 weeks for court process. Crazy! I know! The other friend has already come home with her daughter and realized while they were travelling on the long plane ride home that her daughter was getting sicker by the minute. She is currently with her daughter in a US hospital, which they went to as soon as they landed. Scary! Please pray for this little girl and her mom. I have to be honest and say that scares me. I know this little girl has a more serious health condition than our girl, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that any child, upon such a life changing experience as adoption, could get serious ill. I worry that it will happen to us. I also worry that we won’t have as great of a bonding experience as my other friend. Children who are being introduced to their new parents for the first time have very different reactions. Some take to the parents immediately, while some do not. I can understand why they might react either way. I do know our girl is usually shy of strangers, which overall, is a good thing, but might make bonding challenging.

We know all these things and yet we move forward because we know this is what God has called us to. Over the past year, we have moved forward in this process, but as I now see our friends bringing their children home it hits me that sometime soon we will do the same! That is both exciting and scary. We still have so much to do. Her room isn’t totally ready yet,  we don’t have any clothes or shoes at all, and we still have a lot of money to raise to get there. I have been reading and praying these last few mornings asking God to calm my fears and keep me focused. I would be lying of I said that we aren’t nervous, this is life changing. Our family will be forever different, but we know from experience it’s all worth it. This is the verse that God gave me this morning about it.

“Don’t fool yourself into thinking you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and then two minutes later have no idea who they are, and what they look like.

But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God-the free life!-even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain, but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action.

Anyone who sees himself as “religious” by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.” James 1:22-27 (the message)

We are reaching out to the “homeless and loveless” and I pray we will find “delight and affirmation in that action”.  Are you fearful? If you are doing what God has called you to do, know that He is with you and there is nothing to fear.