This Simple Truth

Wow! That was a whirlwind trip.

It has taken us several days to process our thoughts, and even at that, I don't think we have had a chance to take it all in. Since arriving in Boise late Monday night, we have each had appointments with our doctors, we have been re-fingerprinted for our I-600A clearance, and in a separate appointment, we have been fingerprinted for our local state police clearances as well. Thrown into the mix of all that craziness is our mad scramble to get ready for Christmas. We intentionally keep Christmas simple in our house so that we don't lose sight of the true meaning of this season, but there is still food to prepare, gifts to wrap and children that get out of bed way too early.

I guess the saying "there is no rest for the weary" is fitting for us right now. But I'm okay with that, because God is faithful even when we are weary.

This trip was exhausting emotionally, physically and mentally and yet, at the same time, God was very prevalent as we struggled with some very tough emotions.

As I take a moment to gather the discombobulated thoughts that are swirling through my head, I struggle to know where exactly to begin. I suppose though, that the most profound thing that happened occurred on our flight to Amsterdam, and so I will start there as it set into place the tone for our trip, and the trust required in knowing that God is in control.


As I was finishing packing my bags the night before leaving for Russia, I realized that I didn't have a book to bring along with me. There was a small book sitting on my nightstand that I had nearly completed, and knew that it wouldn't hold me over until we returned the following week. For this reason, I had every intention of running to the bookstore on Tuesday morning, but in the midst of packing and making sure everything was taken care of at home, I lost track of time.

Realizing, as we were on our way to the airport, that I forgot the get a book, I asked if we could make a quick stop at the book store. I spent about 5 minutes searching the bookshelves for something that would stand out, as I didn't have a specific book in mind, just something interesting enough that would keep me from staring mindlessly at the seat back and tray table in front of me.

I glanced at books by familiar Christian authors; Philip Yancey, Max Lucado and Charles Colson, but didn't see anything that piqued my interest. Then I remembered a conversation my dad and I were having about Ravi Zacharias the night before, and decided to search for his name among the shelves. We pulled out a few of his books and after looking at them, I decided on his book called Jesus Among Other Gods.

During our eight hour flight to Amsterdam I decided to pull out the book and read a few pages before beginning my in flight movie, but it drew me in and I couldn't put it down until reading about Ravi's visit to a place in India where beautiful wedding saris are made. Here is an excerpt:

The Pattern Unfolds
I would like to share how a purposeful design emerges when God weaves a pattern from what, to us, may often seem disparate threads.
Some years ago, I was visiting a place where some of the most beautiful wedding saris are made. The sari, of course, is the garment worn by Indian women. It is usually six yards long. Wedding saris are a work of art; they are rich in gold and silver threads, resplendent with an array of colors.
The place I was visiting was known for making the best wedding saris in the world. I expected to see some elaborate system of machines and designs that would boggle the mind. Not so! Each sari was being made individually by a father-and-son team. The father sat above on a platform two to three feet higher than the son, surrounded by several spools of thread, some dark, some shining. The son did just one thing. At the nod from his father, he would move the shuttle from one side to the other and back again. The father would gather some threads in his fingers, nod once more, and the son would move the shuttle again. This would be repeated for hundreds of hours, till you would begin to see a magnificent pattern emerging.
The son had the easy task-just to move at the father's nod. All along, the father had the design in his mind and brought the right threads together.

Ravi Zacharias - Jesus Among Other Gods

After reading this, I had to put the book down and digest this truth. You see, God is weaving a pattern in each of our lives, but in order to complete the pattern - in order to make it beautiful - we must move when He says move.

Even if the pattern, from our limited perspective, doesn't always seem to make sense.

I didn't realize it at the time, but this book was meant for me (and Adam) for this very moment in our lives. For this I am grateful, because our all knowing God knew the struggles we were going to have as we traveled half-way around the world to meet the little girl He hand picked for our family. A little girl who is not perfect in the worlds eyes, but who has immeasurable value as a child of the King.

I can't begin to tell you how excited we are to see the pattern unfold as God weaves our lives and the life of our daughter together. Until then, we will dwell on this truth:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

Blessings,
Anna