Hmmmmm....

Last night, David and I were reading Galatians, and I was particularly struck by several verses.


Ch1
²³They were only hearing it said, He who used to persecute us is now proclaiming the very faith he once reviled and which he set out to ruin and tried with all his might to destroy.
    ²⁴And they glorified God [as the Author and Source of what had taken place] in me.

I thought it was interesting that Paul thought it important to point out his glee that onlookers were giving God the full credit for what had taken place in his life on Earth, and his point of final destination.

CH. 2
 ⁶Moreover, [no new requirements were made] by those who were reputed to be something--though what was their individual position and whether they really were of importance or not makes no difference to me; God is not impressed with the positions that men hold and He is not partial and recognizes no external distinctions--those [I say] who were of repute imposed no new requirements upon me [had nothing to add to my Gospel, and from them I received no new suggestions].

Paul is referring to the controversy over whether Christians ought to submit to the laws of strict Judaism, and specifically whether they ought to be circumcised. His point is that God is not impressed by all the bells and whistles that people try to add to their Christian walk, seeking brownie points and superiority; the only one doing any work or action that amounts to anything is God Himself. Even our best effort and good deed is as dung compared to the awesome, perfect, purity of God.

¹⁶Yet we know that a man is justified or reckoned righteous and in right standing with God not by works of the Law, but [only] through faith and [absolute] reliance on and adherence to and trust in Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). [Therefore] even we [ourselves] have believed on Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law [for we cannot be justified by any observance of the ritual of the Law given by Moses], because by keeping legal rituals and by works no human being can ever be justified (declared righteous and put in right standing with God).

 To me, the fact that God's love for me and my place in heaven is unconnected to my attempts and failures here on Earth gives such a sense of freedom.  Since coming to this knowledge, the yoke has been much easier and the burden much lighter. My relationship with Christ has now become based on an overwhelming sense of gratitude- that He can be what I cannot, and that He has given me the perfect record, the only way I can stand before and in the holiness of God and not be consumed by fire and regret. Praise Jesus!

Another Step

Last Friday we went and got fingerprinted. This whole process seems to get a little longer and more complicated every time I talk to our caseworker, but at least it shouldn't be too much longer now. They said that it usually takes about a week for the background check to come back, so hopefully next Friday we will finally be able to make the appointment for the homestudy.

Honoring the Honorable

Sometimes I need to take a break from complaining and dry humor, and just put some good vibes out there. Last night, we were getting ready our house ready for the fire inspection this morning, and doing a bare-minimums sweep on safety projects. We had most everything done, and were wandering around putting errant cleaners, chemicals, matches, fire-starters, etc. away. After a little while, I was in the kitchen, and David came in and said, "I fixed the laundry hamper.  You should see it." And then walked out with no further ceremony. My curiosity was piqued, so I went to go and look at what he was talking about. Things having to do with laundry hampers were not on any list that I was aware of.

I got back into our bathroom, and was surprised and delighted to see that my wonderful hubs had put a magnetic latch on the inside of the cabinet door to the laundry hamper! Before, whenever it started to get full, the door would have to be wedged shut with another cabinet door to keep it from spilling open. I didn't even know he had the supplies to fix something like that! He is so wonderful to me, and I pray that God will never let me become numb to or take for granted his caring, considerate spirit.

Also, in other news, the fire inspection went wonderfully this morning! God blessed us with a very quick, easy, laid-back inspection first thing this morning.  The fire marshall said after he was almost done that it wasn't surprising that David is an engineer, because our house was perfect (and usually homes with an engineer living in them are like that.... lol.... love my engineer! :) )  All we have left standing between us and our baby is the homestudy, and however long it takes to locate our child. Hooray! :)

Things to Say When Your Friend Says They are Adopting:

1) Congratulations!
2) Oh WOW! How exciting!
3) You'll be wonderful parents- what a lucky child!
4) Tell me more about it!
5) That's great- I can't wait to meet them!

Things NOT to say to your friend when they say they are adopting (not that you aren't well-meaning...):
1) I'll still be praying for you to have your own.
2) Maybe this will take the pressure off and then you can finally get pregnant!
3) WHY?!?
4) Oh, well... at least you can still have a family this way...
5) Have you talked to _(insert name of family with horrific adoption experience here)_ ? You might want to before you make up your mind.

Wisdom Nugget- Forgiveness

This is a pretty good one from a couple days ago:

Psalm 30:8  Remove from me falsehood and lies; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me.

When we forgive, we acknowledge the truth of the offense, then choose to wipe the slate clean and move on.  We seek neither poverty nor riches in the continuing relationship-- we don't look for the person to victimize us again, or expect them to be a perfect friend from then on.  As God gives to us each day the things that are needful and most appropriate for us, the goal in our friendships is to be what is needful for the other person in kindness and love, maintaining a selfless bond.

Adoption Update

I finally got a date set for the fire inspection. Let the celebration commence! Just hold the fireworks...lol.

And, today is pay-day. Now we can afford to buy/replace the rest of what is needed to pass the inspection, and tie up all the loose ends before inspection day. Inspection day is Nov. 8th.

Wisdom Nugget - Determination

From 9/19/11:

Proverbs 19:21  "Many plans are in a man's mind, but it is the Lord's purpose for him that will stand."

Being determined to do and be anything other than what God wants is futile, and will only bring about anger and frustration.

New Update on Adoption

We turned in our paperwork last Thursday.  In a way, I am excited. I'm also back into the waiting mode which tends to foster anxiety and impatience and peevishness in my heart. I so just want this to all be over already so I can bring home a child of my own.  All we have left to do is get our house inspected by the fire department, and then get the homestudy done.

After a brief hiatus..

I'm back to the journey of losing weight.  I made a pledge with my mentor Bernie yesterday to lose 25 pounds. She is going to help me keep track, and she has been teaching me how to cook simple things that don't need a recipe.  Like, chicken. And vegetables. And none of it with pre-packaged sauce or a creamy soupy surrounding. I am loving it. And I actually finally fit in smaller jeans today.

Happenings

Last night David and I went to BuyBuy Baby and looked at their gigantic warehouse of stuff.  Thankfully the have not followed the trend of excluding all things Duck from their selections.  I found a crib that I really like there- it has a changing table built into it, and eventually can convert into a toddler bed and then a double bed.  And I got to squeal over lots of stuff! :)  David is so good to me.

Today, the bookshelf that I ordered for the nursery came in.  I haven't opened the box yet.  I'm waiting for David to get home so he can help open it, and share the joy.