But, what if God doesn’t grant us anymore children? I think we’ve realized that we will be content with our two beautiful girls. It would be sad at times, but we have indeed already been blessed.

We have lots of friends who have 2 or more kids. We try not to compare ourselves to those with more kids than us (especially if they look like they have their act together more than us!). Every family is unique.

But, we never want to lose sight of one of the most important things we believe God calls us to. We see scripture clearly telling His followers to ‘Consider Adoption.’ So, today see if your family is ready for more love and excitement and of course trials! We certainly do!

Amazing Grace Adoptions Benefit Concert

My wife and I are always talking about things we want to do, to accomplish. Being the youngest, we find it easy to measure our worth by how much we do. I remember many years of seeing an older sibling accomplish something and how one day I’d do the same or better. Somehow they kept doing things I also wanted to do, and I kept having to replace my unfinished goal with the next.

And while in the “busyness” of raising two beautiful little girls, managing a home and job, we find ourselves at odds with the desire to accomplish and finish things. Our greatest fear is to be known as people who don’t follow through.

A friend of mine told me he didn’t know of any couple that set more goals than me and my wife. That would almost be a complement except for the rest of the statement that didn’t come out, “and achieve those goals.”

So my wife and I have been talking a lot about how we need to learn to simply “be” who we are. Right now I’m not in a full time ministry, so we can afford to not be at every church function. I have a relatively easy work schedule, so I can usually be home with my wife and girls each night and weekend.

Do we want to do more? Of course, because God made us that way. We want to lead and help others accomplish great things for their savior. I want to be a full time pastor again and spend my time helping people in need. Emily wants to be part of a deeply theological discussion group with young women who are poised to be married or who are just starting their careers. But for now, we are trusting that God has more in store for us when the time is right.

So, what’s been going on? Not much – just staying busy raising little girls to love God, to do our best in the circle of friends around us, and do my best at work so I can continue to provide for my family. That seems to be enough for now!

http://www.joniandfriends.org/blog/loves-last-calling/

Today’s fun ended, however, when our eldest decided to be stubborn and disobey mommy and daddy. Now that she is 3, some of the previous means of discipline have lost their effectiveness, so we decided to remove a privilege. Because she wasn’t obedient, she would not be able to go to the pool.

While the house is quiet now (my wife and other daughter are happily at the pool), I’m reminded of how amazing our Father in heaven is. And, I wonder, how often he removes a privilege from us while he disciplines us.

I know in my own life, there have been many things that I didn’t quite get – much worse than a 3 year old. And, now, it makes me wonder what I’ve missed out on. What privilege did I not get to do while my father was shaping me and forming me into something better?

Discipline is hard – especially for parents in this world. But, our Father in heaven does it all the time with the best intentions and most amazing compassion. I hope my wife and I learn just a little bit of how he parents us in our daily parenting of our kids.

And, I’m going to spend a little more time today reflecting on the times that I, myself, disobeyed the Father and lost out on something – maybe I’ll also discover I actually learned some valuable lessons. And, I’ll pray that our daughter learns her lessons, too – without to many privileges lost.

http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/finding_family/110623-adopting-siblings

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This is a re-post from Proverbs 31 Ministries – could not help but pass it along as I sit here @ 11:30pm (yes, that is LATE for  ME!) with “stuff” on my mind.  God is good and bigger than all my anxious toil.  AMEN!!!! I think I will go to bed now, sweet dreams everyone!

Encouragement for Today From Proverbs 31 Ministries

Daily Devotions for Women
February 11, 2011
Sweet Dreams

Karen Ehman

“It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.”
Psalm 127:2 (ESV)

I restlessly rolled over and squinted sleepily trying to focus my eyes on the bright blue digits still taunting me in the night. The alarm clock on my dresser flashed the awful news:

3:18 AM. Ughhhh!

I had crawled into bed nearly four hours earlier, eager to rejuvenate my body with a sound night’s sleep. My ever-full schedule as a wife, mother, daughter, volunteer, neighbor, friend and part-time work-at-home woman had me worn and weary. Not only was my body tired, but my brain raced as well.

Random thoughts strung together like an annoying necklace of woes: Would my latest project be done in time? Is my adult daughter doing okay in her new job and living situation? Is my elderly mom going to slip and fall on the ice in this nasty winter weather? Did I offend my friend when she’d asked for my honest opinion about her child-rearing decision? Are my sons making wise choices when it comes to their peer groups? Would I gain back the twenty pounds I’d just lost…..for the third time?

And then…the dreaded “what ifs.” What if the young mom in my Bible study discovers her husband is having an affair just as she suspects? What if my high school son with special needs doesn’t do well on his ACT exam next year? What if my friends lose their home to foreclosure? What if my sister-in-law’s ex-husband threatens her again…or worse?

And so I tossed and turned; and tried to no avail to induce sweet slumber that would whisk me away from all of my fears, both real and imagined.

Finally giving up, I dragged my flannel-clad self into the kitchen to heat some boiling water in my kettle and steep a bag of chamomile tea. I hoped it might do the trick.

Then, I recalled today’s key verse.

Anxious toil. Yep. That pretty much sums up the state of mind in which I found myself:

ANXIOUS: “feeling nervous: worried or afraid, especially about something that is going to happen or might happen.”

TOIL: “hard exhausting work or effort.”

And all of this worry, unrest and wondering was costing me precious moments of sleep.

So that night, and many nights since, I have taken God at His Word. He says it is vain for me to toil anxiously. He says He gives sleep to His beloved. So I asked Him to give me the very sleep He promised!

As in many areas of my life, He doesn’t simply wave a magic wand and make everything disappear. Oh, He is willing to grant. But sometimes, I also need to be willing to help in the process. So now, when the restlessness creeps in and threatens to rob me of another night’s sleep, here is what I do:

With a notebook by my bed, I jot down my worries and leave them in the hands of the only One who never slumbers or sleeps. I transform my list of “what ifs” into a prayer page of “please advise,” asking the God who crafted the entire universe out of nothing to show me, when He is ready, what action, if any, I need to take with regards to my list. For the time being, I request that He work on them, so I can get some shut-eye.

I also ask Him to show me if there is work for me to do that will require a temporary loss of sleep. Oh, not the flustering worry-work of fretting, but the pure, sweet work of simple prayer. I slide out of my comfy covers and get down on my knees. Then I pray a child-like prayer (about the only kind I can muster at that hour) and solicit the Savior. At times, I’ve even fallen asleep at the edge of my bed. (It may sound un-spiritual, but I see it as an instant answer to prayer! After all, I was asking for sleep and He granted it!)

If you too are tired of sleepless nights, will you join me in this quest for slumber? Stop counting sheep. Come to the Great Shepherd instead. You are His beloved and He has a little gift for you: rest for both your body and your soul.

Dear Lord, I am tired. I am weary. I want to be at my best so I can serve You fully. Will you please grant me, Your beloved, sleep just as You promised? In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Related Resources:
For more on this topic and a Sweet Dreams basket giveaway, visit Karen’s blog

A Life That Says Welcome by Karen Ehman

His Princess: Love Letters from Your Prince by Sheri Rose Shepherd

31 Days of Power: Learning to Live in Spiritual Victory by Ruth and Warren Myers

When you purchase resources through Proverbs 31 Ministries, you touch eternity
because your purchase supports the many areas of hope-giving ministry we provide
at no cost. We wish we could, but we simply can’t compete with prices offered by
huge online warehouses. Therefore, we are extremely grateful for each and
every purchase you make with us. Thank you!

Application Steps:
Locate today’s key verse in your Bible. Read each word slowly, pausing to let the words penetrate straight to your soul. For added effect, look up the specific definitions to any key words.

Reflections:
When have I been unable to sleep? What did I do? Did it work?

What other ways can I combat sleeplessness and restless thoughts?

Power Verses:
Isaiah 26:3 “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” (ESV)

© 2011 by Karen Ehman. All rights reserved.
Encouragement for Today

“Lovoso stands for Love Orphans, Visit Orphans, Serve Orphans. It is our humble desire to love orphans with our actions and deeds, visit each orphanage annually, and serve the orphans through our time and resources. We are a for-profit business that gives 50% of our net profits to social needs around the world. This includes orphanages, micro-finance projects, widow and single mother ministries and anywhere else there is a need. We do not throw money at the problem, but rather partner with frontline organizations that are fixing the problem. We also donate our time by visiting each orphanage and loving the children in a real and personal way.

“Chunky Junk is a subsidiary of Lovoso, which specializes in hand-made jewelry from Dehli, India. We partner with a group of ladies there, buying their beautiful jewelry and selling them here in the United States. All of our jewelry is bought using fair trade business practices. ”

http://www.lovoso.org/