Sit Back & Rest

The picture of my life right now is anything but restful. We are just like many families where our summer seems busier than our school year. We have had family trips, extra house guest, everyday swim practices, softball games, and the very early morning swim meets. It is hard for any mom to get rest among all of the summer events.

There is one area of my life where I feel at rest. Our family is in the middle of an international adoption from Ethiopia. We have spent the past few months filling out forms and piles of paperwork. Doing and redoing things such as doctors forms, fingerprints, background checks, reference letters….the list goes on and on. Things are notarized, authenticated, and then authenticated again. All of that paperwork was mailed to our agency’s home office and was finally sent off to Ethiopia on June 24. I could finally say that everything we could do, besides praying, had been done. It is now in God’s hands.

We have the blessing of having friends that are a few steps ahead of us in the process. It has been great for me to see the mom of that family in different parts of the journey. She is always full of wisdom and insight. The biggest thing I have taken from her so far is that the true emotional strain comes after you see the sweet face or faces of those that have been handpicked for you. That is when aggravation over paperwork turns to desperation to be united with your children.

So for now, I feel God saying, “Sit back & rest, I got this!” Do you remember how you felt as a child sitting on the lap of your father with his arms wrapped around you? That was the safest place in the world for me. There was so much strength & protection in those arms. Having become a believer, I have found that same feeling in the arms of our heavenly father. They give me peace and rest. Yes, sometimes I get a little antsy and start squirming. It will not be the first time or the last time I have acted like a child in my adult years. My heart screaming, “When God? Who do you have for us God?” My heart starts to stir, but I feel God calm me like a father would. Amongst all the hustle and bustle of life, I will sit back and rest in the arms of the one who has declared that He has plans for me and for all my children.

Jennifer Blaschke

Jeremiah 29:11