Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

trusting God

The writing on the rock

Sometimes, truth is so obvious, you wonder why you didn’t notice it before.

Our ladies’ Bible study is working through a series of lessons on spiritual gifts, and several weeks ago, we focused on ways we’ve stepped out in faith, felt God leading us, and when we’ve been most fulfilled in our walks with Him.

Powerful stuff. I wasn’t sure at first how this exercise would turn out, but I was amazed by what I discovered. We made a list of experiences and events in our lives, then looked for patterns and how that related to where God might be taking us next.

I’d never seen a pattern in my most meaningful experiences before, but what I noticed was that God often called me to do something that seemed impossible, impractical or insane to other people. And when I did those things, my faith deepened and I learned to trust God a little more.

But time can be a great eraser of memories, and I forget easily how much I’ve learned. Maybe it’s because I don’t exercise my faith enough.

So God reminded me.

In a big way.

When we had detected a pattern, we were to then write a word or phrase in marker on a rock that represented where God was taking us next.

I chose the word “impossible.”

And got this.

Sure, it’s a long word and I had a short rock and big handwriting. But I didn’t do this on purpose. When I’d finished, I felt like I’d been smacked in the head.

The future might seem impossible, but God says “I’m possible.”

The Bible even says that.

“What is impossible with man is possible with God.” (Luke 18:27)

Days later, I heard one of my favorite songs on the radio: “I Will Lift My Eyes” by Bebo Norman.

The chorus goes like this.

I will lift my eyes to the Maker
Of the mountains I can’t climb

© Sebastian Grecu | Dreamstime.com

I will lift my eyes to the Calmer
Of the oceans raging wild

© Iperl | Dreamstime.com

I will lift my eyes to the Healer
Of the hurt I hold inside

© Chris Galbraith | Dreamstime.com

I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You

© Jakub Cejpek | Dreamstime.com

What unclimbable mountains, raging oceans, or hidden hurts are you facing? What’s “impossible” about your life right now?

With man, it’s impossible. With God, nothing is impossible.
I’m believing with you.

What faith in action looks like — a review of Wait No More by John and Kelly Rosati

If the Rosati family had a motto it would be: Nothing is impossible with God.

They should know. God miraculously grew their family through adoption and the Hawaiian foster care system, a story they tell in Wait No More.

It’s a compelling roller coaster of a read, full of suspense, joy, fear, disappointment, elation and just about every emotion in between. The Rosatis are honest about their fears, their failures and the nitty gritty, not-so-pleasant aspects of adoption and raising adopted kids. They’re also upfront about their faith and having no regrets that God gave them four gifts in their children.

I tend to read adoption books cautiously. My husband and I have talked about it, but never seriously, and with two active kids under the age of 4, I’ve put the idea out of my mind lest I go out of my mind thinking about more kids in our family. The Rosatis acknowledge that adoption isn’t for every family, but they feel everyone — all Christians, that is — is called to care for orphans in some way. That’s an aspect of it I hadn’t considered.

I admire adoptive families, but I’ve never asked how I could help them or considered that maybe life isn’t peaches and cream because a family opened their home to a child who didn’t have one. I’ve romanticized adoption in the past. Wait No More has opened my eyes to other ways to support orphans and adoptive families.

Consider reading this book not only if you’re looking into adoption, whether it’s overseas or domestic, but if you’ve wanted to help orphans but didn’t know how. The book includes a listing of resources for further information and help on the topic.

Wait No More is a picture of faith in action. The Rosatis didn’t always have the answers or a clear idea of how the next step was going to happen, but they trusted God anyway and were blessed in doing so.

What blessings might be ours if we lived life the same way?

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In exchange for my review, I received a free copy of Wait No More from Tyndale House Publishers.
I Review For The Tyndale Blog Network