I'll Hold Your Hand, Be Your Biggest Fan; I'll Love You All of the Time

So, just to give you a run down of the past few weeks:
-My mom flew up to NC, I had two going away parties, a commissioning, MANY (too many :/ ) "good-byes", and JAM-PACKED my car before leaving for 'home'....
-We drove 5 hours, stopped and stayed in Charlotte, drove 5 more hours, hung out with Amber, Dust, and the girls, went and talked to Amber's pastor about Bosnia, took Cars-a-roo to see a movie (a tradition we've had since she was 2), said "good-bye", dragged Motty away as Sara Kate screamed for her as we were leaving..... SSHHOOO (bear with me)
-Drove another 4 hours to Mississippi, finished letters to be sent out, went to a graduation party, got my windshield replaced, started on VBS festivities, AND today helped mom pick out a washer and dryer (FINALLY!)
I know it may not seem like a ton, but I stopped today and went, "Hold up, I've only been gone a WEEK! What?!" It seems like I've done SO much. And in all honesty I've covered a TON of ground in a week (NC to MS). It's been good, but it's been a whirlwind. Saying "byes", traveling, and adjusting/settling in to being in Vancleave has been a bit overwhelming, but it's also been very good.
In this week that has flown by there have been a lot of things to happen. There has been one thing in particular that has been going on (that I have yet to share with y'all).

If you have talked to me in the past few months you know that my sister and brother-in-law are adopting from Europe. I can't even BEGIN to tell you the whole story! or even just the MANY things God is doing in this just in this past week (so if you want to read about it visit their blog: polk-a-tots.blogspot.com: you WILL NOT regret it and will be SO blessed!)
I have always been "for" adoption. In fact if the Lord ever gives me the opportunity I would love to adopt one day myself, but that's not the point of all of this. As Amber and Dust have gone through this process I have seen such growth in faith and knowledge of Christ in them and through them. I have seen the way the Lord has worked in TREMENDOUS ways through this process, not just in their lives, but in others. He has used this adoption to teach, challenge, and encourage SO many lives, especially mine!
From the get go I was hesitant (not because I was against this), but because I didn't want to get attached to two boys I didn't even know, and then be "let down" if they didn't get them. So like many of us, I put up my walls. I listened to what Amber had to say, I would offer encouragement where I could, but the reality was I wasn't "in it". It took some breaking of my own heart to realize that the reality is these boys are theirs, they are my nephews, they are my family. We are just waiting to get them home.
The Lord has grown me so much to simply trust His promise in where He is leading me and where He is leading Amber's family. Through all of this I have been challenged to open up my heart (even if it does get "let down") and love two 'littles' that aren't with our family yet. I've grown in trusting that God knows how, when, where, and what He desires to take place, and also the Lord has allowed me to take a closer look at what it means that we are adopted into His family. And all of this has come through MY SISTER'S journey! But I think that's what it means when scripture says to walk with one another, to "do life" together. Amber's not just my sister because people say we have the same eyes, we sound very similar, or we share the same parents. We have a bond much deeper, stronger, and inseparable than blood can ever be. We are united by the Spirit, and so sharing, hearing, laughing, crying, seeing God show off, and walking with her through this has been a blessing I'm praising the Lord for daily!

As a result of this process I've been reading a book, "Adopted for Life" by Russell Moore. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who is adopting, knows someone who's adopting, OR if you DON'T know someone who's adopting :) This book has been an amazing challenge to my heart and what the scriptures say about adoption both spiritually and physically. So far, this part has been the most impressionable to me. Let me share it: Moore writes about when his wife was wanting to adopt, but he was hesitant, "I told my wife, 'I don't mind adopting a few years down the road, but I want my first child to be mine.' I can still hear my voice saying those words-and it sounds so small and pitiable and hellish now."
I'm not sure why but when I read this, the thought occurred to me, "What if God had said that?" What if God would have looked at me and said, "you know, maybe later, but she's not REALLY Mine, so I'll wait on that one." Could you imagine!?! Scripture says that we are bought with a price (the MOST precious price), and we are adopted into His family and He declares us sons and daughters, and we can cry out to Him "Abba, Father!" He is my Father, MY FATHER! I am declared as HIS! Not, "maybe later, she's not really Mine", but I AM HIS CHILD! No if's, and's, or but's about it. That's reality! I don't deserve to be His child, I didn't do anything to earn it, and if anything I'm not a very "good" child. But He still declares Himself my Father! He won't leave, won't abandon, won't curse, won't let me continue in rebellion, won't let me do whatever I want. He cares too much! He loves me MORE than I can ever know. He loves me enough to die on my behalf! This isn't a "man" centered gospel but rather THE GOSPEL: declaring that God is Love! and He has come to save and gather His children because He loves them! What an amazing, beautiful story of adoption. It is the story EVERY believer shares. And I've come to realize as I think about these two boys that I can NOT look at their adoption without thinking of my own. And ALL it causes me to do is rejoice in who God is, what He's done, and what He's yet to do!

So stay tuned!

Because trust me, as this process of adoption excites my heart towards the Lord more and more, I will be boasting in HIS goodness in bringing these boys home, declared as "POLK'S"! and entering into a family that LOVES their Father VERY MUCH!