CHRISTIAN ADOPTION: Amazing

AMAZING GRACE

Tabitha's story is an encouragement for all of us.

We are again reminded to OBEY God's Word and not our opponent's lies.

Names have been changed to protect privacy.

(Another successful adoption associated with Christian Adoption.)

Oh Satan - you've been quietly working on me for weeks now and I have to hand it to you, you're the best. The best when it comes to discouraging me, angering me, lying to me, and stealing my peace. Of course, I evidently left the door unlocked - and I can even remember when I did it. You slipped in a few weeks ago when I started getting edgy about visiting my father. Yes, I distinctly remember you showing up then because weird things started happening. The problem is that you can make the weird seem ordinary, and while you turned my attention towards those unimportant things, you started to move in - first just a chair, and then a coffee table, but before I knew it your stuff was all over my house. And although I questioned why it was there, I didn't really do much of anything to get rid of it. In fact, wasn't I the one helping you with the china cabinet?

So you took my fear about being with my father, and while I was distracted, pulled up to my house/my heart with a huge moving van. While I was busy wondering how the first piece of furniture had gotten there, you moved in another - trouble at church. And so while I was wrapped up in the controversy over the changes implemented by our new Pastor (which are bringing people to our church in droves), you moved in more stuff. This time a new person in our department at work who is making trouble, causing dissension between people who were almost always able to work together in the past. And so I focused on that. And next you moved in a bit more trouble in the church, this time from about four elders who felt our Praise team is too Pentecostal (I mean - for goodness sake, we actually have been seen raising our arms while we sing!). You moved a few new pregnancies into my sphere, knowing that that always gets me a bit off kilter, and then sent my father in for some severe criticism while my husband is off hunting for ten days. And so last night I went to sleep with a house so crowded with your "stuff" that I could hardly breathe, much less live.

But you see, I opened the door back up, and this morning you're on notice. I see Yahweh Van Lines coming up the street now. I want the keys to my house back, and you'll notice Jesus standing beside me to make sure that you don't try to fool me. I may be stupidly blind at times, but you'll find His vision unfailing.

You see, I'm praying about my father, and I know that I can't change him. I gave him a Bible for his birthday and I realize now you were testing me this weekend. You wanted me to scream and yell like I used to when he would criticize me. But you know what? I was calm and collected - I even showed vulnerability when we talked - and I just got off the phone with my mother. My father noticed the change, and I talked about God and Jesus to him while he was here. He knows why I'm different now. You lost that battle but we won it.

The church will survive these changes, although you clouded my judgement for awhile. You know what? I'm going to write my Pastor and his wife letters of support today and give them some tips for handling the folks in our town. The people in this church - we all love each other and I will not let you change that. We're going to continue being Pentecostal - we'll be banging on the tambourines and drums soon and we're not going to let anyone keep Jesus at arms length. Guess what? Your attempt at discouragement has fired me up. God lives in my church, and we won't let you win this battle without a fight.

And as for my pregnant friends? Well, they are both infertiles and I know in my heart that Teresa will give birth to a son to replace Isaiah, who you took from them so cruelly. You told her it was a sin to go to the Dr. - and I know now why you did that. One month of treatment and she is pregnant. God's Word won out over your lies. I exalt the Lord that they are pregnant and rejoice with them. Shame on you for trying to remove me from their joy.

As for my father's criticism? It's just made me want to work harder at being the wife that God would have me be. Bad news for your plans, I'll be reading Creative Counterpart again. You might have thought that you were working through my father, but my Abba turns your every move to His own glory.

And as for the adoption wait? I haven't even been online for the duration of a normal pregnancy - that bill of goods you've been pandering is more than facetious, it's ridiculous. You can't fool me into reaching for a child that isn't mine. God has a child for me - and he or she probably isn't even born yet and may not even be conceived yet. You just want me to be anxious so that I will go with the wrong child. No way, I'm consulting God on this one. I'll wait on His timing, thank you very much.

Here I've been wondering what God has been doing with me lately. I knew that there was a lesson being formulated, and all this time He was teaching me about you. You see, sometimes I forget how beautiful you are. And the deeper I sank, the more I was looking at you. Oh, being angry is so tempting - it burns inside and seems to fuel itself. Anger is thought of as the only perpetual motion machine. It feeds itself, spinning on and on, faster and faster - but it doesn't really supply it's own energy. It feeds itself alright, but on me, robbing me of every bit of energy I have, until it has all the power and all I have is my still small voice crying out to God.

Well, I called on Him this morning, claiming His promises. He never said it would be easy, He just said that He would be there. I guess that's good enough for me - certainly more than I deserve. So we're moving you out, Satan. I know you'll be back, but every time I see your true face it will get harder for you to sneak by unnoticed.

And by the way, I gave Jesus that extra key you had hidden away. You have others, but I'm going to find them.

I will continue to stand for the one true God, and claim His Word and enjoy victory in this lifetime and for all eternity.

I belong to Him,

Tabitha

Tabitha and her husband successfully adopted twins a few months later.

For more information please read Violin and Mission. We encourage you to prayerfully consider registering with our service, and/or writing to us.

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