Noah's Ark

We have a pop-up book at our house that is all about Noah's Ark.  The kids love to open the window flaps and make the sounds of the animal that is peering out of each window.  Autum's favorite is the monkey, she lifts the flap that covers the monkey's face, gets real big eyes, starts raising her arms in the air and makes an "ooh, ooh, aaah, aaahh" sound real loud, while scratching one arm pit at a time!  Blake mimics whatever she does...

I've nearly got the book memorized by now.  Enough so, that I can read the words out loud, but let my mind wander to other things.  The other night as we were reading I was thinking about how I feel like we've been on an Ark in the middle of a flood the past 8 months...at least since Blake has arrived home.  We've been in locked down mode, of sorts, having very little interaction with other people, not getting out nearly as much, no trips/vacations, limited dates, and less spending.  This has occurred from our desires to protect Blake, to help him develop attachments to us as parents and his family, to ease his anxiety initially, and to ease him into his new life.  Our 40 days and 40 nights seemed a lot longer...and let me tell you...we are ready to get off of this Ark.  As we are starting to emerge from this cooped up Ark, though, I feel like we exiting this side of the boat, as completely different people. 

We have been changed through this time of seclusion.

 Honestly, I feel like we have had to grow up.  Really, we have had to communicate about the tough things that we never made time for before, because we were on-the-go.  And as a result, we are acting upon these new-found changes.  Personally, I feel this new freedom.  Freedom as in I truly now believe I can do all things through Christ Jesus our Lord...it's no longer a verse I memorized and see quoted on the back of every church camp shirt.  I truly believe it.  No doubt.  I lived it out.  Felt it first-hand.  Now I know.

I'm still praying for discernment and wisdom in what my hands and feet will be to this new faith and hope...but I know for sure that change is coming as a result.  A change that involves doing more, wanting more, being more.  Doing more for other people, wanting more in our faith and walk with Christ, being more in this short-life on Earth.

In addition, also more in the respect of how we are going to live out our days on this Earth, however long they may be.  I have had a lot of time to look back on life and wish I had applied myself more fully to what I was a part of at that point in time.  I wish I hadn't been so lazy in my approach to sports in high school and college...wish I would have worked harder in the weight room and on the field...really worked at it.  I also wish I hadn't been so intimidated by college classes that held me up from pursuing my career dreams, these same classes that are staring me in the face today, that I still have not attended.  I have never really lived fully, I don't think.  Not in my mind, anyway. 

Not any longer.  No.  I have some goals in mind, that I plan to pursue fully.  To apply myself fully too, God gave me this body, this mind, this situation, this opportunity, this life...and I'm going to work to glorify Him by my efforts.  I know Jerad feels the same.  We are excited to what this may mean or look like in our future.  Only time will tell.

So be ready.  Change is on the way.  We may look and act differently than we did before.  But we have a purpose now. A new passion.  And we aren't holding back.

This adoption has provided us more than a new son to love. 




No, it has given us so much more.

The flood waters have subsided, the doors are open.  We are on dry land.  The world is new, fresh, and exciting.