This adoption has got me thinking about my life and where God has led me these last 5 or so years: I've gone from a kid who did not take school seriously enough (and almost lost my chance to finish college because of it) , to a married man with a son and another child on the way, living and serving in a Church in South Korea.
Constantly since my Junior Year of college, God has been placing me in situations that have told me "grow up now; you can't afford to fail". I don't know how else to see it. God has been calling me to step up and become a man and stop treating life as a game.
First it was the wake-up call that I wasn't quite doing well enough in college to graduate. That certainly woke me up.
Next came my marriage to Sarah. God called me to step up and lead the woman of my dreams down the path of faith and life.
Then 1 1/2 years later he called me to lead a Son down the path of Manhood, prompting me to quickly begin figuring out what it takes to be a man myself (A search that continues as I seek to follow harder after Christ).
Nine months later God call me to leave everything behind, pack my family and move us to South Korea to minister to Youth in Songtan, South Korea. This was the first time I had ever flown overseas (I didn't even have a passport yet) and the first time that I had ever worked for a church.
And now God is calling us to do the tedious work of gathering official documentation and compiling a folder of every single detail of who we are, so that we can be approved for adoption. And after said folder is complete, God will call us to a certain child, in a certain country that we will travel to a foreign land to receive into our family.
Time and again, God has been calling me to wake up. The man that I am today is a man who has been built up and propped up only by the grace of God, through many experiences that woke me up out of my adolescent/lazy world.
With God's help I pulled my grades up and graduated college and have continued my education by enrolling in Reformed Theological Seminary. I am currently working on my M.Div.
Trusting God, I married Sarah and we have challenged each other, loved each other through some hard things and have pursued God together for almost 4 years. She is one of the greatest blessing that God has ever bestowed on me, and I am a better man because of it.
Thanks to God I am working on stepping up to be the father and example that my son Caleb needs. I am not perfect, and neither is Caleb, but he knows that I love him and that I am helping him learn to be a Godly man.
We put all of our hope in God when we moved to South Korea. We trusted that God would help us get to South Korea and flourish here. God has been more than faithful and helped me to lead my family through the hard transition. We still face challenges and hard days but the Lord has been faithful to provide people in our Church who love and care for us as well as family and friends back home who work hard to keep in touch.
Now facing international Adoption, with a pile of papers surrounding me and a wife who is beginning to notice how overwhelming this process is going to be; I am hearing the call again, "grow up now; you can't afford to fail".
Life is certainly not a game and my family clearly needs me now!
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Lord bless these steps as I try to step up again to the task You have laid at hand and give me strength to lead my family down the path we believe you have chosen for us
Steve, Sarah,
ReplyDeleteAs I read this post, God spoke and said the documentation and paperwork are "the making of your child." As God knits together a child in the womb, so you are knitting together your child to be adopted. Red tape is definitely a hassle but you can and will do it one document at a time.
Blessings to your family,
Janet
What a blessing your family is to me. Steve, this post brought tears to my eyes this morning as I hear the love you have for the Father and can see it poured out on your family and those around you. God has lead you through some major events in the last few years, and it is an honor to see how you and Sarah have only pressed deeper into God. We are praying for you often dear friends! I like what Janet said above, that this process is like labor. Reminds me of a song, you should look it up, by Andrew Petersen, Labor of Love.
ReplyDeleteSteve, I was talking with a good friend of many long years together recently and her second daughter is getting married. I asked, "do you like him?" She answered with a laugh: "when you have daughters, is anyone good enough really?" I did not hesitate in my reply! We thank God daily for preparing you as a husband to Hawa and father to Caleb and the next in line! This blog explains why! Thank you for taking the time to write and share it. I, too, had a song come instantly to mind. I hope you don't mind the length of adding the words:
ReplyDeleteChildren of the heav’nly Father
Safely in His bosom gather;
Nestling bird nor star in Heaven
Such a refuge e’er was given.
God His own doth tend and nourish;
In His holy courts they flourish;
From all evil things He spares them;
In His mighty arms He bears them.
Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord His children sever;
Unto them His grace He showeth,
And their sorrows all He knoweth.
Though He giveth or He taketh,
God His children ne’er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy.
Praise the Lord in joyful numbers:
Your Protector never slumbers.
At the will of your Defender
Ev’ry foeman must surrender.
Know that we are praying for you, for Hawa, for Caleb, for baby, for paperwork expedited and approved and for funds needed. Love you guys!!!