That first picture

Receiving a referral is wonderful.  I liken getting our referral to the times I saw our children for the first time on the ultrasound screen.

Prior to that 18 week ultrasound, I knew I was pregnant, I could even feel the baby move around. But when they put the wand on my tummy and showed me my baby, it was a whole new level.  There before me was feet, hands, a head and a body.  A real live baby.

That is how I felt when I saw a picture of our daughter for the first time 10 days ago.  She really is alive and real.  And now she is waiting for us.  Well, she doesn’t know she’s waiting, she’s only 2 months old, but I know I’m waiting!

Since our dossier has been in Ethiopia, I have felt drawn to Isaiah.  In fact, we have a paraphrase portion of Isaiah 43 on our daughter’s wall.

This morning I was up early again.  Darn elusive sleep!

I read Isaiah 45 and was immediately struck with an image of the court proceedings for our daughter’s case. We don’t have a court date yet but we will go to court at some point.

Isaiah 45: 20, 21.

“Gather together and come; assemble, you fugitives from the nations.  Declare what is to be, present it– let them take counsel together.  Who foretold this long ago, who declared it from the distant past?  Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me!”

As I read that passage, I was struck with how much I’ve long to be in control of this entire process.  I have longed to have a timeline, a definite plan and idea as to when we will bring our daughter home.   How very proud of me!

Seriously, I think that I know best when it is GOD who made the universe, GOD who stretched his own hands out to the heavens and marshaled their starry hosts (Is. 45:12). I need to TRUST and REST in the fact that the counsel will come together, that GOD will be present and HE will decided the best time to bring our daughter home.