I would like to rewrite those words to more accurately portray following Christ:
"And if the devil doesn't like it you'll be under attack! Ouch! Under Attack! Ouch!"
Let me recount the ways Satan has shown his disapproval of our following Christ in caring for these girls just in the past week:
- I have been really sick for 2 weeks and instead of getting better, I seem to be getting worse. This started the weekend we began making preparations for taking these girls in and it has not let up since getting them.
- On Sunday, Kate's fingers got slammed in the door and two of them are pretty smashed up.
- On Monday a car full of yahoo teenagers decided to teach their friend to drive. She drove up onto our sidewalk, took out Kate's tree and some of our plants and flagstone.
- Thursday I took Kate to the dr. to get her nail punctured to drain the blood and swelling of her little pulsating finger. ("Mommy, I can feel my heart beat in my finger"). Because with trying to manage 4 kids, I needed to add a doctor visit to my list.
Let me show you how God has reminded us that He is in control:
-The Monday before we got the girls I posted a list on Facebook of all the items we needed to gather by Thursday to have them live with us on Friday. By Wednesday every item on the list was accounted for. Beds, mattresses, carseats, booster seats, everything down to pool towels.
- We have had 3 dinners a week delivered to our doorstep since the girls arrived.
- On Monday, when the teens crashed into our front yard, they missed hitting and damaging our retaining wall, and although I had been outside on the very sidewalk they drove up on with 2 of the 4 kids just 20 minutes before, nobody was hurt.
- On Tuesday, minutes after I had my behind-bedroom-door-breakdown, a friend called to check on me. She gave me a listening ear, and ideas to persevere and a contact resource for some tangible foster parenting help.
- Kate's finger draining was painless and easy - not what we had expected going in. And her finger is doing SO MUCH better!
- I was torn about leaving the girls later this week for our family to go on our pre-planned trip for Kate's birthday. Guilt for leaving them with strangers when they are just getting used to us, and guilt for my own kids if we bring them along because then I won't get the chance to focus on and connect with them. But God graciously provided a wonderful lover of Jesus and woman with a heart for orphans to offer us resbite care. She is licensed with the foster care system to provide resbite for families just like ours. She offered words of comfort and encouragement for us to go as a family of 4 and she provided peace that the 2 newest members of our family are going to be in wonderful loving hands in her care. THAT was a huge gift from God. I am finally able to look forward to this trip with peace. Which I have not had about this trip since considering bringing these girls into our care.
- I have daily received emails from friends checking on me and asking how they can help.
- Friends have showed up a couple times and taken different variations of the kids to give them playdates and to give me a break.
- People must be praying for rest for me, as someone who really struggles with sleep, I have been wiped out and sleeping well. That is not "normal" for me.
- Kayle is in a foster-friendly preschool that offers her a scholarship keeping her in preschool Mondays and Fridays from 8am - 5pm for $100/month. GIFT FROM GOD!
I am grateful that I can trust in God to be watching out for us, even when Satan is trying to discourage us.
1 John 4:4 "because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."
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