Thursday, December 7, 2017

Travel Approval


Yesterday we received Travel Approval from China--meaning we now have permission to enter the country and finalize Matthew's adoption. We would be receiving Matthew on Christmas Day! What a blessing!

However, as we continued looking at airline ticket prices and routes to get to China--as we had been doing for about two months--the conclusion was that with the prices skyrocketing thousands of dollars per ticket, we would need to travel in January. So, instead of receiving Matthew on Christmas Day, we will be receiving him on January 8th.

I'll be honest. I was struggling last night with sadness. However, with each wave of sadness I refused to allow myself to stay there. I constantly battled my mind with the Truths of Scripture:

God is sovereign.
He is in control.
He knows all things.
He has a plan beyond what I can see or understand.

I have wondered if Mary may have questioned in her heart why she had to travel to Bethlehem when she was so far along in her pregnancy. Why did the God Who had complete control over all the world allow a census to take place? Why did the census have to uproot her from her family and home? Why would God want her to give birth without her mother there by her side? Why did she need to travel far away to give birth in a place she was unfamiliar and with people she did not know? Why did the census have to be now? Why not a month after she had given birth? Certainly God had the power!

God was moving the virgin Mary to the little town of Bethlehem to bring forth the promised Messiah, as the prophets Micah and Isaiah had already foretold.

The census WAS God's plan! The timing WAS God's plan! The move WAS His plan!

My God knows everything. Things don't need to make sense for me to be joyful in the hope of His sovereignty. I can trust the Good God Who has called us into this adoption with Matthew.

He is indeed GOOD and His ways are PERFECT. Always!

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