His mercies are new every day

Lamentations 3:22-23

 

The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is your faithfulness. (NASB)

 

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. (KJV)

 

 

 

His mercies are new every morning.

According to the notes in my study Bible, Lamentations conveys the idea of "loud cries". Loud cries have indeed been what I have been in the midst of the past couple of weeks.  Back in January, our agency told us to be cautiously optimistic about traveling to meet our kids this week. Our case had been rolling along very smoothly. The birth father had made appearances at an embassy interview and at court and we were waiting on the next step which would be our court date-where we take legal custody of our children. Then we hit a wall. The letter that is typically issued after birth parent court was not issued.  This is pretty much unprecedented so our agency is currently trying to accommodate all requests of the ET government in an effort to get us to the next step. The uncertainty of the situation is consuming. It weighs on me like a pile of bricks.  It hurts.

 

I went back through my prayer journal and some of my blog posts this week. Through this process I was reminded of how much the Lord has worked in this adoption already. So many things could not have happened already to this point if His hand was not in it.  Great is Thy faithfulness. I was also reminded by a post that I made a couple of weeks ago about praising Him in the hallway.  We are definitely staring at a closed door right now and are in the middle of a hallway. So I need to heed my own advice. Thy compassions they fail not.

 

What do I praise Him for?  I think of our two children who currently are living in an institution away from any family -they know there is a family across the ocean that wants them but hasn't come for them yet. They go to bed without a mom to tuck them in.  I think of all the corruption that bad agencies have capitalized on in the country-making it hard for the ethical agencies to work without being lumped in to the mess. I think of people who do not have the best interest of the children in mind, but are concerned with reputation, money, or power. I think of the more than 147 million orphans in the world. What do I praise Him for?

 

I praise Him for this hallway. It has reminded me that His mercies ARE new every morning. All I need Thy hand hath provided. The simple fact that I am awake and drinking coffee and typing this are mercies. The King James translation tells us that it is because of His mercies that we are not consumed. Not. Consumed. If I got what I deserved, I would be consumed in a pit of fire for eternity.  Only because of His mercies am I alive.  Only because of His mercies did He choose to save me. Only because of His mercies are our children in an institution-yes... this is a mercy. Only because of His mercies did we learn about them. Only because of His mercies did adoption-this roller coaster that rips your heart out and shoves it back in and rips it out again- get planted in our hearts. How dare I sit in self pity or worry or second guessing. Every breath we are given is a mercy. What we do with this breath should be praising Him for He has granted me Parden for sin and a peace that endureth...Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow..."

 

"Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not

As Thou hast been thou forever wilt be.

 

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have need Thy hand hath provided-

great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me

 

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above,

join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love

 

Parden for sin and a peace that endureth,

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! "

 

 

 

Summer and Winter and springtime and harvest

 

 



A season for every activity under Heaven...

When you are a parent, there are myriad milestones that you reach in the lives of your children. We reached a big one last week-the last game of high school district play soccer ever for our Hannah. For the past four years of high school we have trudged a propane heater, sometimes an umbrella,  and always many blankets to gladly watch our baby girl do something she loves. In Louisiana, the high school soccer season runs from the end of October to the beginning of February. It isn't for the faint of heart...whether you are a spectator or player. It is always fun to see how many girls brave the game without Under Armour. Very few teams are given the priviledge of being able to play in their home stadiums. They typically play at recreational complexes run by the Parish. You really have to love the game to participate...or just be plain crazy.
 

2006

 

I have been reflecting on some of the lessons that she has learned and that I have learned. This is another area of my life where the Lord has graciously given me a "do-over". I guess you could call me a soccer mom...I played growing up....and also for 2 high schools. However...the lessons I learned this go 'round were much more applicable to my walk. I had the privilege of coaching Hannah on some off-season teams as well as being a spectator.  Some of these lessons weren't easy-for either one of us. Some were more fun than others. High school sports can be so many things UNGODLY, but the Lord can also use them in many ways. Some of the lessons that Hannah learned aren't necessarily Biblical...they are just life lessons-character building lessons. But some lessons are precisely what I think the Lord had in mind for us when we participate in sports.

Life is hard work and you get beat up sometimes. Not everything is fair. Sometimes people aren't nice. We can't be idle and expect results. When you love something, you devote yourself to it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the Lord gives us a talent or a skill, we are given it to glorify Him and Him alone. We are not to become prideful. We are to share our talent and skills in an effort to bring Him glory.

 

Hannah assisiting an Upward team at Cypress Baptist

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Patience and self-control are fruits of the Spirit and sports help fine tune them-like when you have to wait to take that shot on goal....

 or when you need to NOT comment on a call by the referee ...

or when you get frustrated with your team or your coach or your parents on the sidelines....

Score!!

 

 

                                                                             

Sports can also give the enemy a good opportunity to encourage us to lose our witness. We need to constantly be on guard. When we score or win we need to remember not to be prideful. It is not about us. We should not be selfish. We should be encouragers. We need to respect our elders and the people in authority over us(refs, coaches).  We need to continuously thank the Lord for these opportunities.

 

Praying before the game

The Lord plants friendships and we need to remember to be thankful and continuously water those seeds. They are in our lives for a reason and not just to help us on the field. We are placed in each other's lives for "such a time as this". He wants us to share life with them, share Him with them....not just our sport.

 

Lifelong friends

Ecclesiastes 3:1

"There is a time for everything , and a season for every activity under the heavens:"

 

 

Our identity is not something we find in school pride, in our alma mater, in our sport, in our letter jacket or our jersey number. And parents...our identity is not in how well our child does in sports...or if they will play at the college level. If we are  born again.....our identity is found in Christ alone. Although these are fun seasons in our lives, they don't last forever. We can search them for the Lord's purpose and use them to glorify Him, and be thankful.

 

We love you  Hannah Beth and will be forever grateful for the joy you brought us over the past four years...not only with your growth as a player, but your growth as a young Christian woman. I also want to thank you for giving me the chance to learn the lessons I did not learn when I played, primarily through you leading by example. The Lord has used you once again.

 

To Him alone be the glory.