Beauty Out of Ashes...



This past Sunday I had the opportunity to speak and sing at my Dad's church for their Service of Remembrance and Transition. It's a service that is geared toward people who have lost loved ones this past year or have dealt with big transitions in their life. It tends to be a crowd of people who are searching for healing and hope. I had the opportunity to speak at it last year, when we had just found out our last fertility treatment had failed. This year, I got to share a little bit about the healing that is taking place in my life and our journey toward adoption. My Dad started the service off by sharing a little bit of Steven Curtis Chapman's story. Most people know that Chapman lost one of his daughters, who happened to be adopted, due to a tragedy. He wrote this song that I want to share with you, called "Beauty Will Rise." I love the line in his song that says, "But buried beneath all our broken dreams, we have this hope...out of these ashes beauty will rise." There are so many times along this journey that I have found myself weeping in my own brokenness. Even though we are well on our way toward this adoption, there are still days where I feel broken...like dreams have been shattered. I am so thankful that God chooses to do something with our brokenness. Not only does he choose to do something, but that something is make something incredibly beautiful out of it. I have been reading my friend April's blog for awhile...she experienced a lot of the same things that I am in the middle of right now. In about a week and a half, she is going to get her children in Ethiopia. God has created something amazingly beautiful out of brokenness. While we are a far ways away from picking up our kids (we are still working on the Dossier!), I feel like this week I have been reminded that this brokenness won't be forever. God is making something beautiful..."out of these ashes, beauty will rise...for we know joy is coming!"

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