Have you ever wondered how God could work all things together for good in your life? Maybe you’re in a situation that feels impossible, a marriage that is unraveling, a job environment that is unhealthy and all you can see is HARD.
In my Proverbs 31 Ministries devotion today, I share how I wrestled with this in the midst of very difficult circumstances during and after our daughter’s adoption, and the ways God showed me HOW He was working things for “good” in unexpected ways.
If you hopped over from my devotion, I’m so glad you stopped by! As promised, here are a few photos that tell part of the story of us bringing our beautiful girl home. {And there’s special giveaway at the end of this post.}
All I could see were the hard parts. Everything we would have to give up: sleep, money, comfort, familiarity, others’ approval. All the hard things we would have to navigate: huge expenses and significant changes.
What if our sons resented us for re-arranging their lives forever? What if our parents and extended family didn’t approve? What if we exhausted our time, emotions and money only to end up with broken hearts and an empty bank account? How could God work all that together for good?
I could not see how. I could only see “hard.” Yet we knew God was calling our family to adopt a severely malnourished baby girl from Ethiopia. And in October 2009 we brought Aster home.
Was it hard? Yes. Even more than I imagined.
But as I trace God’s hand over the past five years since we brought Aster home, I see Him working countless things {together} for good. Most of all, I see a handwritten love letter sent to our little girl from her Heavenly Father, written on every page of our adoption story.
I see God working the hard things together for good. Despite our inadequacy, sadness and fear of the unknown when Aster was diagnosed with a speech disorder, global developmental delays, low muscle tone and sensory processing disorder, I now see God working it all for good.
I see God working the overwhelming things together for good. A year of sleepless nights brought out servant-hearted compassion in our teenage sons when they saw their dad struggling with depression caused by sleep-deprivation. I’ll never forget the night they decided to take turns sleeping on a mattress in their sister’s room to relieve her anxiety and give us back our desperately needed sleep.
I see God working even the embarrassing things together for good. Like the day I had a meltdown in my car and a stranger tapped on my window to see if I was okay. And that same afternoon, I ran out of gas on my way to get my youngest son at basketball which mean my oldest son, who had a new cast on his broken foot, had to push our car off the road. I see awesome stories for them to tell their children about me one day.
When my reality doesn’t look or feel like “good” to me, I ask God to help me see how. How he is keeping his promise that “in all things [He] works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Roman 8:28).
What I’ve discovered is this: God is always working things together for good, but not just for our good. Sometimes we are part of His working things together for someone else’s good.
You see, I believe Jesus heard a mother in Africa praying for her baby. A mother who was living in the middle of “hard” like I’d never imagined. A mother who couldn’t see how she could give her little girl the nurture and nutrition she needed.
Hagere: Aster’s birth-mother feeding her during our visit.
And when God heard that mama’s prayers, He tapped on the heart of a family in North Carolina who loved Him and were called according to His purpose. I also believe God saw an orphanage in Ethiopia searching for a forever family to provide unconditional love and medical care for a 6-month old, 8 pound baby with pneumonia.
So Jesus went back to that family in North Carolina who had been asking God to reveal Himself to them and through them, knowing this little girl would be an answer to that prayer.
And that’s when God started working the hard, impossible, and overwhelming things {together} for good.
Is there a relationship or situation in your life where all you see is hard? Have you asked God how He can work some part of it together for good?
I don’t know about you, but some days I need a tangible reminder that He can. A visual that prompts me to pray and helps me remember how He does, like the beautiful bead necklace I’m wearing below made from repurposed bullets found in the rubble of Ethiopian soil.
Each time I look at it, I remember how God answered a desperate mother’s prayers for her baby and filled my family’s longing to experience more of Him. Only He could know how much we needed the gift of a little girl to light up our world, and to remind us that He indeed can work even the hardest things {together} for good.
ENTER TO WIN To celebrate how Jesus takes the hard and heart-breaking realities of life and works them together for good, Proverbs 31 Ministries is partnering with Fashion & Compassion to create a beautiful jewelry line from repurposed bullets found in the rubble of Ethiopian soil. “SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS” under this post and you’ll be entered to win.
The From Bullets to Blessings Collection is handcrafted from Ethiopian bullets, dug out of rubble, and assembled by vulnerable and rescued women throughout Mexico and Charlotte, NC. CLICK HERE to find out more about the collection and the women who create these pieces. It’s a beautiful picture of God working the hard things together for good in their lives through Fashion & Compassion.
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Thanks for sharing your story so intimately. We also felt called to adopt and had to move past many fears. Our family traveled to Korea for our son and discovered that besides a cleft lip and palate which we knew about, he also was delayed, had low muscle tone, sensory issues and quite a temper. It has definitely been a journey with multiple surgeries, therapies and a huge financial commitment, but God has met our needs and our little boy is doing very well. He still has behavioral issues, but it was so awesome to see him running up the field playing flag football a few weeks ago – my little boy who needed some much therapy and time to learn how to sit and crawl and take those first few steps – wow. Would life have been easier if we didn’t adopt? Maybe I would have a few more “things” in my house, but I wouldn’t have my youngest son and I can’t imagine our family without him. That sounds really noble, but there are still plenty of opportunities to develop my patience on a daily basis!
Renee, what a beautiful blessing your words are to those out here in cyberspace! The story of your family is inspiring, thank you for sharing.
Todays devotion was the encouragement I needed today! And isn’t that just like God, to give us what we need, when we need it? Thanks for correcting my path as I struggle with a difficult relationship caring for an aging in-law.
I can so resonate with your story, being an adoptive mom of 2 international children with 3 biological children as well. God birthed this journey in our hearts and we stepped out in faith in spite of our fears. We have seen God mold and shape each member of our family along this journey, especially during the challenging times. He has shown us what unconditional love REALLY means. And He does work everything out for our good – not necessarily how we want it. Since the adoptions we have also fostered around 22 children, another huge step of faith and relying completely on God with each child and situation that entered our family dynamic. Thank-you God for this journey, for the growth opportunities, for molding and shaping us to become more like you and for loving us through each of these children.
Thank you for allowing the Lord to work through you and your family. May He continue to bless you and yours.
WOW – what an amazing testamony!!! Talk about walking in the faith. She is such an adorable Little girl and both she and your family have been truly blessed by each other. God is so awesome and continues to work everyday in our lives. Praise the Lord.
What a beautiful story! Thank you for sharing!
I enjoy reading all the devotions on the Proverbs 31 ministries website, but this one in particular touched my heart in a special way. I often tend to “selectively” recall the verse where God will work everything out for MY good because I love Him. I have never approached that verse from the perspective of another who loves God as well, or considered the possibility that I may be the vehicle He uses to bless someone besides me! Thank you for the blessing you provided today, and keep up the amazing work!
It’s amazing how our Heavenly Father does it. I’m just without words when it comes to describing His answers to the “how”? of that verse. I still don’t know exactly how he did it when “fixing” the giant in my life (and honestly I know He’s still at work). Your story is inspiring and motivates me to want to give back in response to the outpouring of love God shares on a daily basis.
Thanks for sharing the hard parts of your adoption. As others have commented here, I too see the picture of the mama and her baby and can’t help but cry. It’s unimaginable to me, having to give up my child because I couldn’t provide for her. A mother’s love…
I am so inspired by your story and I can completely identify with the struggles. Although I did not adopt my oldest daughter, Katie, I did have her at 16 in the middle of my sophomore year of high school. At 1 month old Katie developed severe colic and every night from 12am-3:45 am she cried and squirmed in pain.
God knew the bond this would build between a 16 year old new mom and her little girl. There were no lines blurred. I was not her friend and we were not “growing up together”. I was her momma just like you are Asters.
As my husband and I now have four children (Katie 21, Brady 13, Kendal 9, Izzy 7) we are embarking on a season of missions both local and foreign. We pray constantly for God to reveal himself to us and guide our path.
Thank you for your transparency and the gift to show others that God is in the hard places too.
Thank you, Renee, for sharing your story and pictures of your lovely family. What a tangible reminder that even in the hard times, we have an amazing Father who is trustworthy and has a good plan for our lives.
Absolutely beautiful story. Thank you for sharing and giving me the reminder I so desperately needed today.
Renee, this is so timely! We only found out last night that our adoption agency is closing down the Ethiopia program (except for extreme special needs). My husband and I have been waiting for almost 2 years for a referral, and now our lives are turned upside down, and we have no idea what our next steps are! I know God is GOOD and has a plan, but I am wondering what that plan is. We need some very clear direction/guidance from HIM right now! Thanks for your ministry!
I am so moved by this devotion. For years my husband and I have wrestled with the thought of adopting and I too wondered how we would survive and make it and adopt too. I was diagnosed at 29 with endometriosis and I and my husband struggled for years to endure tests, surgeries and much much prayer for a biological child that was not meant to be. Reading this today has given me hope that God will create good out of desperate and disheartening times.We would like to adopt from Ethiopia if possible, but funds are extremely limited and we are African American. Thank you for inspiring me… I will talk and pray again with my husband on adopting.
Hard places, hard thoughts, hard hearts, hard…… God is working in all of these. I want Him to soften my hard edges to be a more loving person. He has already replaced my hard thinking with scripture and songs of praise. Only he could wake me with a song in my mind!
Thank you for sharing your incredible story of how God worked in your life.
What a precious family ~ Aster is such a sweet picture of redemption and joy through obedience. As I tell my adopted son, you were the missing piece of our puzzle. God knew we’d only be complete with you as a beloved part of our family!
Thank you for sharing this beautiful inspiring story!! Such a great reminder of God’s great love and power!! Praying for you and your family.
I am trying to hold back the tears as I read your journey, even though I am slightly familiar with it. Thank you for your honesty about the difficulties of adoption, but also your faithfulness to be obedient to God’s calling on your life. You are proof that obedience is not always easy!!!! I would love these earings as a reminder to not be afraid to do hard because if I do not persevere, I will for sure miss out on amazing blessings God has in store for me:) Thank you for sharing the pictures!!