Being prepared for adoption - marathon style

Hebrews 12:1b-3

Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so you will not grow weary and lose heart.

When you decide to run a marathon, you don't just go out and run it. You choose a training plan and start off with very short runs that are fairly easy for you. To reach the goal of running 26.2 miles, you have to begin to increase your mileage. You start out by pushing your body just a little bit more than you you have been used to previously - about 1 mile longer. On that slightly longer run, you feel good until you hit the point where you are running farther than you have ever run before, then you begin to hurt a little. Your knees ache (at least mine do) and your muscles begin to get tired, but amazingly, after doing the same distance a couple of times, it doesn't hurt anymore and even starts to seem easy. At that point, you up the mileage again until you can run 20+ miles without too much pain and injury.

Last night, God brought this comparison to my mind and reminded me that even though I want Him to bring me my next child(ren) right now, he knows I am not ready yet. Lately, life (kids, schedules, relationships, business, house, etc.) has been pushing me to the point that I often feel overwhelmed. At these moments, I don't think I can handle even one more thing - much less another child! It is very tempting to see this as a "sign" that I should just stick with the status quo and not pursue adoption again. And believe me, this thought has crossed my mind many times. But that is not the case, God is preparing me for the time when he will bring another child into our family. Just like the training runs, I need to be pushed a little further beyond what is comfortable and what I think I can handle. Is it painful? Absolutely! But when I fix my eyes on the goal(marathon/adopting again), it is not only worth it, it is necessary.

Could we bring home another child tomorrow? Yes, and we would survive. Could I get up in the morning and run a marathon tomorrow? Yes, but I would be setting myself up for serious injury and pain that would last for quite a while. Why? Because I am not ready.

So now I am asking God to overwhelm me (A very dangerous prayer - I know). I want to grow. I want to be able to handle more chaos in my house and still hold it together with Christ's help. The funny thing is that now that I am asking to be "prepared" in this way, I am not surprised when I start to feel overwhelmed.

When God has decided that we are prepared adequately and decides to reveal who our next child will be, that is when the actual marathon will begin. Even when well trained, a marathon is not easy. It is harder and longer than any of the training runs. But through the training, we will have learned that we are strong enough (with Christ) to endure even when our body feels like it is going to fail us. Adopting will push you to your limits (and beyond) in so many ways. It is hard and painful, but in the end (when we meet Jesus face to face), obeying God's call on our lives will be so worth every bit of it!

So if you feel pushed beyond what you think you can handle, be encouraged! God is just taking you on a training run for something big he is wanting to do in your life.