Your Right Conditions
It’s been a crazy few weeks. We are FINALLY saying goodbye to winter and welcoming spring! Spring always makes me happy because it’s when I get to plant my garden. Every year I get to take a barren piece of land and turn it into something that is beautiful and provides for my family and friends. I watch as a tiny, dormant seed sprouts, grows, and blossoms.
I feel like I have been in this dormant seed stage of my life for a while, just waiting for the right amount of water and sun to give me what I need to spout up and grow. The problem with that is that I could wait for forever. There are just periods of drought and it’s learning to adapt that makes us who we are.
Some of the most gorgeous plants grow in some of the harshest environments. This has really got me thinking that maybe it’s not always the “right” conditions, the sunshine and proper rain, that we need. Maybe we will flourish when things get a little dry, or cold, or maybe even too wet. We never really know what we are made of until we tried and tested. I know many of you have followed our foster journey and you have seen us at our worst: face in the mud, tears unrelenting, when we say, “We can’t do this again.” I am 100% certain that I never would have grown in the ways that I needed to if it hadn’t been for those harsh conditions.
Whatever conditions you are in, know that something so magnificent is coming.
We are quick to complain and throw our tantrums in the hard times. I’m going to challenge that. There is ALWAYS something on the other side of it all. We don’t see it while we are those little seedlings trying so hard to push our way through the rough terrain. We don’t see what’s on the other side if we just keep going.
I have been tempted more times than I can count to just stop fostering. I wouldn’t hurt anymore, I wouldn’t lose my heart with the fear of losing the little one. However, I gain nothing of real value. In fact, I may lose so much more. I would wither and fail to become everything I was meant to be. These seasons that feel cold and unproductive are not failed seasons. They are just preparing us, thickening our skin if you will.
If you find yourself in what feels likes impossible conditions, don’t just stop. Keep going, keep fighting and moving forward. Keep pressing on and see what’s on the other side of it all. You will blossom into something that someone else needs, that’s the fruit of it. Whatever conditions you are in, know that something so magnificent is coming. You are changing, you are growing and the conditions make it hurt, make it feel like too much. But if delicate little flowers can weather the storms and grow in their beauty, just imagine how much more God has planned for you.
Foster update: It’s been nine crazy, fun, exciting months with Little Lion Man. He is SO adventurous and daring. We are up against it right now. We just keep praying and trusting that God is in control and has him and his future in mind.
We have recently reopened our home for emergency placements because the need is astronomically great. This is our calling, this our joy, even in pain and frustration, we know that God has called us and given us all the grace we need.
If you have ever thought about fostering, Hope Cottage will be hosting an Open House in Denton.
Date: April 25, 2019
Time: 3pm
Location: Serve Denton- 306 N Loop 288, Denton, TX 76209
I would encourage you to come, or pass this on to someone, just one other person.
♥Amber