thrive community

It’s been a while since my last post, but there’s good reason. No, there’s a great reason! My long, awaited daughter from China, Jaida Li, is finally here!

She is 16 months old, a tiny peanut of 18.5 pounds, a load of laughs and is the most easy-going kid in the world.

Jenny and I have been in the adoption process for over four years. It’s been a long season of waiting. Waiting on paperwork to be done, governments to process them, money to be gathered and God to work on us through the process.

There were days that Jenny wanted to quit. There were days that I wanted to quit. But when one of us was down, the other would offer encouragement that kept us going. And now, having returned from China about three weeks ago, we can now see with our eyes and know in our hearts that the struggle has been well worth it all, and more.

There’s a season which comes to all of us. It’s a season that is all about preparation. It’s like a farmer who is working towards his vision for a great harvest. It takes great wisdom, hard work and a strong will to see it to the end. God used this journey to help us see how He has worked in our lives to prepare us in every way imaginable: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. By no means have we arrived. But, we have come a long, long way.

There’s also a season of harvest. It’s a time when everything is ripe and ready to be received and enjoyed. We can look back and see how God’s love has prepared us, not only to receive our daughter, but to enjoy our daughter. Not only were we not ready, but neither was our little girl. Four years ago, she wasn’t even born. It would take this season for what God had birthed in our lives to be ready for her birth into the world. I have learned that with God, timing really is everything.

On this side of our “harvest,” Jenny and I can see how much God had been doing in us, through us and around us to make this season more than we could ask or imagine. We’ve been through so much in the last four years and I could write plenty about what has happened, where we’ve been and who we have become. But these stories fade in light of what we have been given today. God has truly blessed us.

Like with any new season, this season has its difficulties, challenges and hurdles. But we are so thankful for them. It let’s us know that God is still working and we are still growing.

Many of you have entered into new seasons as well. I pray that you can see all the ways that God has prepared you for today and that you will continue to trust Him to bring a great harvest in this season. All of it matters because it is what God is using to prepare you for what only this season of faithfulness, patience, repentance and trust can bring to all who seek to follow the Lord of the harvest.

Let me know what you think…