New Post on the Adoption Blog TOO :)

We still update our adoption blog occasionally with adoption stuff & there's a new post there too! Lots of time on the couch, I'm telling ya!

Still Waiting

I've been meaning to post an update, but life with four kiddos is just plain busy & doesn't allow much time for blogging. You know the "dream job"...it ended up not being the next step for us. It was hard during the month or so that we were in a "holding pattern" with it, but early on I had a feeling it was too easy of an answer. Not that it would not have been a great challenge & ministry to be a part of, but just that this season of change was going to push us a little farther out of our comfort zone. During that same time, there was an opportunity to stay with Depot in a different capacity, and we struggled with going that route for the security of a job in this economy even though it's not where we felt God was leading us in the long run. We wanted to be wise & take care of our family, but we wanted to be willing to step out in faith if that is the direction we felt God was leading us. It was a difficult season to be in, but God was so good to make the circumstances such that we knew He was calling Nate Dogg to walk away & wait for God's plan for our family. So, that's what we did. He told Depot our decision and they thought we crazy. Maybe we are..., but we are crazy in love with a God who has much bigger plans than we do. They asked him four times to change his mind and couldn't believe that he didn't have another job lined up. They told him he could change his mind anytime...a week later, a month later, or even after his severance ends. I'm sure knowing that does provide my heart of sense of security, but I truly believe that my peace is coming from the Prince of Peace. I believe that the stirring we both began feeling last fall (& really years ago before the hustle & bustle of kids & responsibilities) is from God. I sense Him saying, "I gave you this dream, watch me unfold it." So, here we are. Waiting. Watching. Not only is Nate Dogg is the job market & hoping to find a calling not just another J. O. B., but I'm hoping for a call any day now that will lead me back to school counseling. With my babies all in school & my license freshly renewed after the class I took last fall, I'm ready to go. I'm ready to spread my wings and take my little light for Jesus to a new school (besides my kids' school). Who knows what the next few months hold for this hurricane....only God & I'm ready to see the view from the other side of this, but soaking up the grace & new mercies I'm finding daily in the meantime.

His Guiding Hand

Wow! Where to start?! Months ago...when we started feeling God moving us. We didn't know what or how, but we felt that change was on the horizon. Promotion within Home Depot, maybe...moving our family to a new city? We didn't know, but we were trusting that God knew what was best for us. Then, 2 weeks ago, Nate Dogg had a last minute work meeting scheduled & things didn't look good. Although we had been hoping for an open door for promotion, all of the sudden, we realized God may be closing the door at Home Depot for us. Moments before Nate Dogg's meeting, I sat down to check our home email only to find his first request for an interview after having his resume out since last fall. Okay, Lord, thanks for the reassurance, but I know this is you saying He's about to lose his job & it's going to be part of your plan for us. I got a sick feeling in my stomach & started feeling shaky. I texted Nate Dogg with the interview news & waited for his text to tell me that his job had been eliminated...that text came 15 minutes later. The rest of that day & the following day are a blur. I cried until my eyes couldn't cry anymore, but even as I cried I felt His peace that passes all understanding. That's the only way to describe it when you have 4 children & live on one income & you get news that the income will soon be no more, but you know God's in control & you aren't fearing. In the days following, as fear would creep in, I claimed God's peace & promise that He held the future & had a plan for our family. I said no to fear or worry & yes to resting in Him. Of course, Nate Dogg began exploring his options & being proactive in finding plan B, but he did so with a good attitude. He said that his attitude was all he had & he was not going to let this "bump" in the road get him down. We laughed & keeping smiling & waiting for God's hand to appear. Thankfully, we didn't have to wait long. Remember, He showed His hand through that email we received right before Nate Dogg's meeting. Then, He showed His hand again when Nate Dogg had a meeting with a recruiter scheduled within the week following the bad news with Depot. He has now met with the recruiter again & has a meeting scheduled tomorrow with a potential "dream job" for him. It gives us both goose bumps just thinking about the opportunity & you can't wipe the smile of Nate Dogg's face. As he jokingly put it yesterday, "Either this is God's plan for us or someone is playing a nasty trick on me by dangling this in front of my eyes". We are choosing to believe the first. We are hopeful that this is where God is moving us. But we know that even if this job isn't where He is moving us, He is using this as a stepping stone to getting us where He wants us to be. He knows where His hand is guiding us & we are resting in this knowing that it is not us but Him working in us & moving us to exactly where He wants us to be! What a journey! God is so good...even when the news that you dread hearing comes!

"As for God, His way is perfect, the Word of the Lord is proved,

He is a shield to all who trust Him."

Psalm 18:30