Faith

 

I think I've had the wrong idea about faith for awhile now.

I kind of just thought faith was the same as trust.

There's a kids' song that goes,

"Faith is just believing, what God says He will do."

And that is true, but it's just part of faith.

I am learning that faith is more than just believing,

faith is acting on what you believe.

 

As the body without the spirit is dead,

so faith without deeds is dead.

James 2:26

 

In Hebrews 11 it says faith is the "evidence of things not seen".

Faith is showing by our actions that we believe

in what we can't see.  Realizing this truth is helping me

as we are waiting for our next child. 

 

Back two years ago, during the summer I kept feeling

over and over again that God wanted us to adopt a girl

with some sort of special needs.  I came up with all kinds

of excuses but whenever I came up with one God would

remind me of a verse or song that would blow my excuses

out of the water.  So as Andy and I discussed it, we decided

that yes, God wanted us to adopt again, and that we should

try to adopt a waiting child.  I remember when I put the application

to adopt through the state in the mailbox I felt such a sense

of peace that I was obeying God and what He wanted us to do.

 

Now, two years later, we still don't have a child, and the

state is really frustrating to work with, as you've read about

here on my blog.  We started to think this spring that this was

crazy and maybe we should quit trying to adopt through the

state and do something different.  But I am realizing that if we

did quit, we wouldn't be showing much faith, would we?

 

I have faith that God wants us to adopt again.  So, therefore,

if I have faith, we need to show that faith by continuing to

look for girls, inquire about them, and submit our homestudy

for them, even though it's hard and sometimes feels hopeless.

God has not opened up any new paths for us, so we will

continue to have faith that this is what He wants for us!

 

(I feel like I should also mention that when you feel like

God is leading you to step out in faith in some certain situation,

it is very important that you make sure what you feel

God is asking you to do lines up with what the Bible teaches.)

 

After the "faith chapter" of Hebrews 11, where we read about

people who did amazing things for God because they had faith

to do what he asked, we read this:

 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a

great cloud of witnesses,

let us throw off everything that hinders

and the sin that easily entangles,

and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,

the author and perfecter of our faith,

who for the joy set before him

endured the cross,

scorning its shame,

and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men,

so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews 12:1-3