joy?

Adoption is a lot of work.  And the hard part hasn’t even started yet.  The hardest parts are numerous and yet to come.  The trekking back and forth between our country and hers which is far and foreign, the furthest you could be, enduring a two hour court process, dossiers, etc.

I think that the thought of so much work could turn people away, not wanting to start and boy, do I hear you!  But I just wanted to share something that has been in our hearts, a strange truth that we have discovered along the way.

 Recently, I was talking to my friend about Jesus, or more she was talking to me, and I was loving it.  She too works with youth and was asking them what the two greatest commandments are.  Many didn’t know.  They didn’t know the two greatest commandments.

The two greatest commandments:

To love God with everything is the first.

To love people more than anything is the second.

I love talking about our adoption with others.  Love it.  I know most people are only just curios, but I can’t help but think that maybe someone out there, maybe will want to adopt.  And a little girl or boy begging each day for a mama and dada of their own will get a family after hearing about Maya–I can dream.  But sometimes people ask me, “Have you even met her yet.”  This is a little embarrassing, but sometimes this question makes me feel defensive, even though I know it’s silly.  No, we have never met her.  No we have never met this little girl we are welcoming in to our family, who will share our roof, our food, our holidays, our name, our joys and trials.  Our vacations trips and friends.  Our family, our time our home.  We have never met this little girl who we spend all our money and time on.

When people ask if we’ve met her, I want to explain to people all that God has done to show us our path, but I don’t.  “No, we haven’t met her,” I settle on that.

Most people have been graciously, and wonderfully supportive, and the ones that aren’t I actually don’t mind, because I get it.  When they respond with a, “Wooowww,” trying to show me how crazy it is in one word, truthfully I agree.  It is a little crazy.  We have never met her.  Why take on the extra burden, the cost, the travel, the strain when we really have a whole lot of things going on.  Why would God ask us to do this.

The times in my life that I experience the most true and pure joy in my life is when I am serving other people, which is only done because we love God.  We never did it before we loved him.

The first two commandments. 

And in this season, this season of all our efforts and money and time, some of the absolute most precious things to this world are wrapped up so much in adoption, we are experiencing true JOY!  When Andrew and I are focusing on other people and loving other people, (not just the people we love and love us back), I can’t focus on myself.  I can’t focus on the things that I don’t like, the things that aren’t working for me, the things that I don’t have.

 I can’t muster up on my own and feel the same kind of joy.  I can try to force myself to count my blessings, to make a list of the things, and stare blatantly at what I am thankful for, but the same joy is not there.  I think it’s the kind of joy people pay big bucks for, but still don’t find…

 Why doesn’t God spell out the joy that we find when we pursue the two greatest commandments?  Is it to show us that trusting Him is good, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?  To teach us something profound in something so simple through experiencing the joy only after obedience?  I don’t know, ask Him yourself!

We love Maya, and we are sacrificing a whole lot for her.  And in return, joy.  Peace.

Thank you God.
You always know what’s best, and I guess it’s safe to say you really know a whole lot on the secrets of life.  Keep teaching us, we want to know, cause it’s good.