Rejoice With Those Who Rejoice

More than 12 years ago, Derek and I made a church visit to a house in Franklin. Little did we know when we knocked on the door that night, that this family would become lifelong friends. God is so good in that He gives us what we don't even know we need.

And then about 7 years ago, another friend showed up to help us unpack our boxes and boxes of things. She specifically organized my kitchen. We were more acquaintances then and now we are so much more. I love that God sends us friends that we don't even know we need. But He knows what's coming in our lives and He knows exactly which friendships need to be formed. And He ordains our steps so that our paths will cross and our hearts will be knit together.

And so, I rejoice tonight with tears in my eyes all that this picture represents. It represents two very dear friends that I do not deserve. It represents a country that I love very dearly and two precious boys from there. And it represents that God is faithful and that even when we can't see it, He is working and He is good. And now two boys are in their forever home because of one family's incredible faith and tenacity and because God always keeps His Word. He puts the lonely in families and He sends us family and friends that we don't even know we need.

Hupomeno

This post has been rolling around in my head for weeks, but I just never took the time to write it because well...I've been wrestling with God for a few weeks. And God just kept saying "hupomeno" to me over and over.

Our adoption has taken several series of setbacks and just when I think things can't get more complicated, they do. The details are much too complicated to even try to explain on this blog, but we're just in a season of uncertainty. And uncertainty just isn't my thing. If I knew how this was all going to turn out, then I could handle it better (or so I think). But it's not really faith if you know exactly how things are going to turn out.

I heard a sermon about trials and life being hard awhile back. Derek and I had gone to Chattanooga to hear James MacDonald...one of my all time favorite preachers. Funny thing was at the time, life was good and I didn't feel like I was in the middle of a trial. You've heard it before...you've either just come out of a trial, you're in one right now or you're about to be in one. And so, the Lord let my ears hear the message because He knew I would need it for a later date.

You may be familiar with the passage in James 1, consider it all joy when you encounter various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance (patience, steadfastness). The Greek word for endurance or patience or steadfastness...yes, you guessed it, it's hupomeno.
hupo means "under", meno means "remain"

So God sends us trials and testing and we need to "remain under" them. That's not what I want to do. I want to run. Get the pressure off of me. It doesn't feel good. I want to quit. This feels uncomfortable and I don't like it. I want to just fuss that this isn't fair or that He's asking too much of me. I want to give up and quit. But God....He wants me to "remain under" because when it's all said and done, He tells us that we will come forth as gold. We will be refined. And so, it's only by us "staying under" the trial until God removes it that we become more like Christ.

And so, I press on and I keep believing God for the impossible. I keep begging for the mountains to be removed. But most of all, I just "remain under" and I trust God.

Why? Because the nail that doesn't remain under the hammer will never reach the goal; because the rough diamond that doesn't remain under the chisel will never become a precious jewel; because the gold that doesn't remain under the fire will never be a thing of beauty; because the Christian who doesn't remain under the hand of God will never see His purpose for the trial accomplished and will never experience the blessing on the other side. From When Life is Hard by James MacDonald

Trials are "various". They come in different forms and sizes. Yours isn't mine and mine isn't yours, but this I can tell you, God doesn't want you to run. He doesn't want you to quit. He doesn't want you to give up. He wants you to "hupomeno" or remain under. He has good things planned for you on the other side!