My parents recently went through the process of becoming foster parents. They were approached about two little girls who needed to be placed in a new home. Seems like a no-brainer to say yes. The only catch was that whatever home they were placed in, needed to be willing to adopt them down the road. Our family had prayed about foster care. My parents felt led down that road. Adoption had not been a topic of discussion...except when talking about our little joys at Agape in Myanmar. It was an exciting thing to think about and pray about. I had no idea where God was going to lead my parents. Ultimately, my parents realized God had other plans for them. It was a hard and emotional decision. Even without meeting them, we had become somewhat attached to the idea of expanding the Nold family permanently.
I thought that this could be one of God's big plans for our family. It's hard to fathom that his plan could be bigger than adopting these two girls. I was with my sister, Katy, when our parents told us the decision. My initial thought was that maybe God said no to these two precious girls because he had a plan in the works to legalize adoption in Myanmar. We quickly dismissed that idea. No way was that happening.
This morning I was cleaning my apartment and came across the notes I took during my dad's sermon on Dancing Cripples. My eyes were drawn to two notes I took then starred and underlined. The first was, "Expect to see Him! Even cripples hope for a new normal, do I?" The second was, "It's always too early to quit asking- to quit hoping in God."
For me, for our family, a new normal would be adopting from Myanmar. It is something we wouldn't hesitate to do if it were legal. It's something that has been on my "Impossible Prayer List" since my first trip when I was a senior in high school. But I stopped praying for it. I stopped believing it could happen. It's an idea that is easily and quickly dismissed in conversation. So I started thinking, did I stop hoping for this new normal? Did I stop expecting him to move, to show up in a larger-than-life way? Why did I quit asking?
I always expect God to listen. I just don't always expect to SEE him. I don't like that. If I am not expecting to see him, chances are I am going to miss out when he reveals himself. Where in your life are you no longer expecting to see him, to see him move? What things have you quit asking for? I'm not saying to continue to ask for the things that God has clearly given you an answer to but you refuse to accept it. I'm talking about the things that you have been asking for that have yet to be answered. The things you don't think God could ever change. The hearts of loved ones, a child, a new job, reconciliation. Don't quit hoping, don't stop expecting to SEE God. Because if you do, you'll miss out on whatever beautiful, powerful, awesome plan he has. You could miss out on his new normal.
