Thursday, January 1, 2009

The Year 2009  

This year is sure to be a year full of unexpected events, surprises and great blessing from God that we cannot even imagine as I write this. In 2008, we went through many exciting times and several very low times. Times when our relationship with God was all we had and all we wanted. Those times made us cling even more to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

During 2008, God led us to adopt two boys from Ukraine with Down Syndrome and we began the process in August...wondering how in the world it would ever really happen...where the money would come from...all the logistics and paperwork. But God did it and as we celebrate this first day of 2009, we are also preparing to leave the country for 5 - 6 weeks to rescue our two boys. Bittersweet, for sure. Leaving our kids in the USA for 5 weeks seems unimaginable. Leaving the comfort of our home and normal schedules is not the easy path. Yet...God has called and we answered and we TRUST HIM.

During 2008, one of the lowest moments was the moment we realized that one of the boys we had planned to adopt had been adopted by another family. The only consolation being that we know the family, know their love for our God and the fact that we have only every prayed that GOD'S PLAN WOULD GO FORWARD which it has and is! Again...we TRUST HIM and HIS HAND a lot more than our small-minded, short-sighted plans.

Some scriptures that stand out to me as we begin this year of uncertain journey...

2 Corinthians 5:7
"We live/walk by faith, not by sight." (NIV)

The Amplified says is like this...
"For we walk by faith [we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor; thus we walk] not by sight or appearance."

It is my nature to want to have a plan. We have, time and time again, tried to get a plan set and have tried to stay with that plan throughout our adoption process. God has met us at nearly every turn with a different plan or at least process. It has been with great joy that we have surrendered to His hand. Joy...not necessarily because we liked the way He did something, but because the Hand of our Father is so powerful and we know that everything He does is RIGHT and GOOD. We know that what we see is just a tiny part of the picture and He sees the picture in its entirety. Every nuance. Every beautiful color. Every tiny detail. So...we rest in His Hands by faith...not sight.

We know that we will have to stand strong in FAITH this year. We don't know why...but we have decided to begin with that we will trust Him. No matter what.

Psalm 139

"13 For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery]. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them. 17 How precious and weighty also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!" (AMP)

It is a truly amazing thing to know that God didn't just create me, my family and the boys we are grafting into our family. He also wrote the details of every one of our days before one of them came to be. Before we were born. Before the foundations of the earth. Another reason to TRUST HIM! He is trustworthy because He has already planned every moment of our lives. All we have to do is follow and obey. Not easy...but simple.

God is enlarging our tent and we are opening wide the doors to what He has for us during this new year. We place our lives in HIS hands and will follow, obey, and trust.

"I will walk by faith, even when I cannot see."

Happy New Year from the Malones
Chris, Mary, Blake, Hannah, Bethany, Seth, Eli, Matthew & Misha


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