For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. and he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God. Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. -Isaiah 9:6
Be blessed as you celebrate this Christmas. This baby. This King. This God who put on flesh to rescue His beloved creation. Emmanuel.
I’m taking a break next week to enjoy the holidays. See you in 2012!
Let’s Talk: How do you celebrate Christmas? Tell me about your traditions!
God sets the lonely in families. This is what Psalms 68:6 tells us. And this is the promise Ryan and I are clinging to as we step into the unsettled, slightly unknown waters of adoption.
If you were to ask us six months ago if we’d ever adopt, we’d probably respond with something like, “We love the idea, but it’s not for us.” It felt like too much work. Too much money. Too much time. Too much risk. Too much unknown.
It’s amazing what God can do with two hearts in the course of six months.
Because here we are. Adopting. Our hearts united. Filled with excitement and anticipation to meet our newest son or daughter.
The orphan crisis is a global one. It’s not a problem unique to America, or Ethiopia, or China, or any other country. But everywhere in the world, there are children without parents. We strongly believe we should go where we’re called. And after much prayer and research, we feel called to the Congo. It’s a country ravaged by war, poverty, and AIDS. It’s a country with a great need. A country with many orphans.
Sadly, adoption is expensive.
There is a plethora of legal, travel, and medical fees involved. When all is said and done, our adoption will cost somewhere around $25,000. We know that sounds crazy. But we also know God has a special heart for the orphan and He calls us to take care of them in their distress. We are choosing to trust that where He leads, He will also provide.
Only how can He provide if we don’t extend an invitation for people to come alongside us on this journey?
So here it is. Our invitation.
If you’re feeling led, there are several ways you can help us bring one of these little ones into our family:
This is a crazy journey. One we’d love for you to be a part of. One I’ll be blogging about right here. In fact, I’ve already started. You can follow our adoption journey by clicking on the link.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and hear our hearts. Thank you so much for your love and support. It means the world to us.
Be blessed this Christmas season. We’re hoping that around this time next year, we’ll be preparing to welcome a new member into our family! We can’t wait to share that moment with all of you!
If you’re a writer, then you’re going to face it. At some point, or more like at multiple points, you will battle doubt.
It comes at typical times.
Like when an agent rejects your work. Or your book doesn’t make it past pub board. Or you don’t final in a contest. Or you get a tough critique or a long revision letter. Or a bad review.
It also comes at not so typical times.
Like four and a half months from the release of your debut novel. And people are starting to say, “I can’t wait to read your book!”
You smile, of course. But inside, your stomach ties into knots.
Because what if they don’t like it?
I’m discovering that no matter where we are on this writing journey, we’re never safe from doubt.
So what can we do when it comes? How can we fight it?
Know when to turn off your inner critic.
When we’re exposed to something over and over again, we become desensitized toward it. I’ve read Wildflowers from Winter so many times now, I’m convinced the story is completely devoid of emotion. My eyes are not fresh. I can’t see the story clearly. So the best thing I can do as I go through galleys is turn off my inner critic and search for typos.
Revisit the good stuff.
Whenever my grandma reads my latest book, she writes me the most encouraging, heartfelt letters. I’ve kept every one. And when I’m having a particularly doubt-filled day, I get them out and read. Sure, she’s my grandma. She sees my work through love-tainted eyes. But so what? When we’re facing doubt, disregard bias.
Check for growth.
When I start to think my debut is a pitiful excuse for a book, I open up my first novel. Works every time. Maybe Wildflowers from Winter isn’t as brilliant or life-changing as I want it to be, but it’s a heck of a lot better than my earlier attempts.
This writing journey is called a journey for a reason.
As long as we’re growing, we should punch doubt in the nose and tell it to take a hike.
Do what you can and let the rest go.
Worrying about things that are outside of our control – like how readers will respond or how reviewers will review – is an exercise in futility. All we can do is write the best story we can write and leave the rest up to God. I have roughly four months to practice. I’m hoping to see some marked improvement.
Let’s Talk: What do you do when doubt comes knocking?