There’s this line in my newly released novella, An October Bride, where Emma Tate and her father are having a fire-side chat about the concept of trust…
***
This is another thing cancer has done. It’s taught my father the art of living in each moment. He doesn’t look ahead. He doesn’t let himself spiral into a storm of what-ifs. He relies on God’s strength for today and trusts him with tomorrow. For me, it’s a constant struggle. I let out a puff of breath. “You make it sound so simple.”
“Trust is simple.” He holds up his pointer finger. “Not easy, but simple.”
***
There is nothing complicated about putting your trust in someone.
It’s like that trust exercise, when a person stands behind you, and without looking back, you fall. You trust that the person will catch you.
Falling is simple.
It doesn’t take a lot of thought. It doesn’t take a lot of planning or figuring or solving. It’s just something you choose.
That’s trust. It’s not complicated.
But like Emma’s father says, it’s not easy, either.
I don’t know about you, but this is a lesson God has been teaching me these past twelve months.
Again and again and again, He’s asking me to trust Him. Even when it’s difficult. Even when I’m scared. Even when I don’t feel His presence behind me.
As you read these words, I’m probably high up in the air, somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. Or maybe I’m headed from Brussels, closer to the equator by now.
Why am I high up in the air above the Atlantic or the equator, you ask?
Because I’m on my way to visit my daughter, who doesn’t live at home with Ryan and Brogan and me, but lives instead in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
She became a Ganshert on July 17, 2013. But because of reasons too convoluted to go into here on this blog, she remains in the DRC. We pray every day that God would allow her to join our family.
And every day that she remains there and we remain here is another day God asks me to trust Him.
Some days are easier than others.
We started this adoption process three years ago. Nothing about it has been easy. And yet, if there is one thing that God has shown Ryan and I as we walk this journey, it is His goodness.
Which might sound funny to outsiders looking in.
I mean, our little girl is 6000 miles away in a country where 1 in 5 children do not make it to their fifth birthday.
But there it is.
The mercy and grace He has extended to us, and our daughter too, has been undeniable.
So on the days when trust feels like a particular shade of impossible, I hold tight to that goodness. I hold tight to that mercy and that grace. And I remember that thus far, God has never dropped me.
In the words of that very very VERY popular song by Hillsong…
“You’ve never failed, and you won’t stop now.”
What is God asking you to trust Him with today?
You can purchase An October Bride (an 88 page novella) on e-book or audio wherever e-books and audio-books are sold. Please check out the An October Bride book page for more information and buy links.
This is such a powerful song. Praying for you, Katie, and for your precious family.
You are so blessed to have been chosen to adopt this little girl, and she is so blessed that her parents are willing to trust in the Lord, willing to travel so far to see her, and willing to wait as long as it takes until she is finally in her rightful place: your home and your arms.
Trusting God more is something I’ve been meditating on for the last week. I think when the Lord calls a person to write, He’s also calling them to learn patience and contentment.
Praying your daughter gets to come home doon!
*soon
Heartfelt prayers for you and your family Katie. May you have a safe journey. Special prayers for your daughter, that you will be able to bring her home very soon.
Thank you Diane!
“And every day she [they] remain there & we remain here is another day God asks me to trust Him.”
Yep. The only differences are these: 2 older girls. Ghana. May 16, 2013.
The rest is the same, down to my solace in the song Oceans.
It is well with my soul, but that’s a hard, yet simple daily choice.
Godspeed on your visit, Dear Katie.
Thanks, friend!
Your faith in the midst of your heartache is incredibly inspiring, Katie. Thank you for sharing your personal journey. Praying for your safety as you travel and that you will soon be together as a family.
Thanks for the prayers, Julie!
My prayers are with you and your daughter.
I can’t imagine how hard this must be for you.
Thank you!!