“But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand forces him. So, I will raise my hand and strike the Egyptians, performing all kinds of miracles among them. Then, at last, he will let you go. And I will cause the Egyptians to look favorably on you. They will give you gifts when you go so you will not leave empty-handed. Every Israelite woman will ask for articles of silver and gold and fine clothing from her Egyptian neighbors and from the foreign women in their houses. You will dress your sons and daughters in these, stripping the Egyptians of their wealth.”
Exodus 3:19-22 (NLT)
A Hopeful Drive
I will never forget the summer of 2006 when my husband and I took a two-hour drive to meet our soon-to-be new daughter for the first time. On the road between our house and the group home where she lived, we imagined the future and how our family would change through our adoption journey. My husband and I were nervous, excited, and already in love with this sweet 12-year-old girl who would one day soon call us Dad and Mom. We knew that God was with us and giving us peace and purpose in our call to adopt out of foster care. We had no idea the ways we would have to learn how to stand firm in our faith during our foster journey.
Nearly two decades after that hopeful drive, I wonder what that version of me would say if I could travel back in time and warn her that this was the beginning of a journey involving not just one daughter being added to our family but seven. And the beginning of nearly two decades of wonderful family growth and terrible family brokenness. We would learn to experience joy and peace through tears of grief and hurt. We would learn that God’s promises are true but that obedience to His call would require every ounce of strength and faith we possessed, time and time again.
Standing Firm On A Hard Journey
Over the course of ten years, our family grew from one 11-year-old biological daughter to eight teenage and young adult daughters. It is an understatement to say it was a lot—it was the crucible. Hormones aside, we dealt with almost every “fear” that those two hopeful parents tried to ignore on that two-hour drive in 2006: running away, sexual acting out, sexual identity, lying, stealing, arrests, teenage pregnancy, physical altercations, rejecting God, addiction, social media and internet dangers, bad grades, job instability, car accidents, suicidality, manipulation, no contact, biological family drama, and more.
If you don’t think we plead with God often, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING? AND WHY?!” You’d be mistaken. Over and over, I cried out to Him for reason, rescue, and redemption. God was probably thinking, “If you ask me that one more time, young lady….” Not really, but I would have been.
Those hopeful versions of my husband and I were experiencing something that men and women of God have experienced from the beginning—a hopeful promise of God followed by the crucible of obedience. I see it in the people of Israel as Moses and Aaron arrive from the wilderness to tell them stories of a burning bush and God’s promise to free them from enslavement in Egypt and deliver them to their promised land.
An Incredible Promise
Read today’s scripture again. It’s an incredible promise from the Lord to the Hebrew people. What they don’t know as they’re hearing it is that the manifestation of that promise would be many back-breaking, crushing, and confusing months from happening. It would then be followed by 40 years in the wilderness before crossing into their promised land. It sounds a lot like what was going through our hearts and minds on that two-hour drive, “God is leading us to grow our family by adopting from foster care, and because of His leading and faithfulness, we will adopt this beautiful child, and He will bless our family with wonderful memories, a legacy of faith, and a deep love that will last a lifetime.”
Like the Hebrew people, we would soon learn that although God’s promise is true and we will one day have all of those things in our family, the road of obedience and faith along the way will require much more of us than we could ever imagine. It’s beautiful when God gives us a promise and calls us into a mission and purpose for Him. There’s so much hope as we step out in faith. Our job is to not lose that hope and trust in the promises that He has given us when the task becomes hard, hurtful, and hopeless. As we walk through the next ten days together, I pray that you learn to stand firm on the promises God has given you for your family, especially in the midst of the battle.
A Short Prayer To Help You Stand Firm
Heavenly Father, we come to You with heavy hearts and weary spirits. Our journey as foster and adoptive parents has been filled with unexpected challenges and pain. Yet, we trust in Your unfailing love and wisdom. Strengthen our faith, Lord. Help us to see Your hand at work in our families, even in the midst of turmoil. Remind us of Your promises, and give us the courage to stand firm. May our homes be filled with Your peace, and may our children experience Your healing touch. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
