MERRY CHRISTMAS!

And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Luke 2:10

Merry Christmas - Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

Joy! This year the Lord has brought such joy to our lives in the adoption of our two precious Ethiopian daughters, Rebecca Bethlehem and her sister, Kathryn Jerusalem.

We started the adoption process last December and began our home study in January. A smooth start became rocky when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in February. For a few months, we had to follow Jesus into the hard places. What we found were that the hard places increased our sense of urgency in our call to adopt and more aligned our will and desires with His.

It was during this time of operations (I had five this year!) and rest that I felt closest to God and gained greater wisdom in my walk with Him. I discovered joy founded in Jesus can not be taken despite the hardships I faced. My illness was a time of darkness, confusion and searching but God was faithful to answer my prayers and lead me out of the darkness into light. On the other side of sorrow is great joy. We have found such joy that only comes from standing in the center of His will and watching Him orchestrate everything perfectly. He provided for my healing and has provided for our adoption in amazing and indescribable ways. 

King David recorded in Psalm 28: “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him.” and in Psalm 63: “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.” During the hard times, we held on to the hope that is in Jesus. This Christmas, we are singing joy to the world because joy that is rooted in the eternal can not be taken away no matter what our circumstances. For our family, we see Christmas as a time of joy, light and hope in a fallen world. Jesus came into this world, overcame death and offers great joy to those that follow Him.

Our daughters' Ethiopian names further attest to His wonders. Their birth father's last name means “my hope.” Jesus gave me hope in my time of darkness. Bethlehem's name is from the city where our Savior was born and means “house of bread.” John records in his gospel that Jesus is the bread of life. It is through Him I have found my sustenance and purpose in life. Jerusalem is the city where our savior died and means “rain of peace.” It is because of His sorrow on the cross, that we can find true peace and unending joy.

This Christmas season: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Sprit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:13)

Christmas Blessings