Friday

"Courageous people feel the same fear everyone else does, they just decide not to live like they're afraid anymore." - Bob Goff


Over the last couple of years, y'all have watched me journey through what it would look like to let go of my fear, to let go of my need to control my environment, to let go of the need to know the outcome before the beginning.  (Raising three kids was, and still is, a HUGE lesson in this process). You've watched me explore what it looks like, for me, to "do for one what you wish you could do for everyone."

I've watched dear friends foster and adopt.  My heart has broken over and over and over with them, with both joy and pain, as I've watched their journey...but I never felt like caring for "littles" is where we were supposed to be - as much as you people are my heroes (and you are - you really, really are).

My heart has continued to break for those older kids that are hitting adulthood with no one...that become a statistic for homelessness, trafficking, crime, abuse.  I see pictures of teenagers without a safe place to be and my heart breaks for them.  We've sent three kids out into the world.  I know how much they've needed someone that was for them -- that's gone before - even when they think they don't.  As much as my heart continued to break, I couldn't figure out what it would look like for us to live Jesus out in this arena.

About a year ago, I began to pray that Brian would want this - that his heart would beat with mine --whatever that would look like.  I didn't want to "persuade" him - this was WAY too big a deal to just talk him into it.

And ain't God funny - He did just that.  Without my persuasion, Brian started talking.  And he was talking about teens.

Six months ago, we began to talk with our home group about what faith working itself out looks like -- what it means to BE the hands and feet of Jesus.  Really - not just theoretically.  And we worked up the courage to mention this growing sense of what we were supposed to be doing to our home group.  And a dear friend, without missing a beat, said, "I know exactly who it needs to be."

Two months ago, we met him.  And now I marvel at the capacity of the human heart to open up, to grow, and to make room to love one more.  Over and over again.

He IS exactly who it needed to be.

He moves in tomorrow.  To.mor.row., guys!

It's been a long, paperwork-laden, stupid-number-of-hours classes process.  But he moves in tomorrow - Friday.

I have no illusions that this will be easy.  We honestly don't have a clue what we're doing.  But we're doing it. Your prayers are being begged-for here. And we are excited to see what God has in store for this journey.

So, that quote that I opened with?  For now, this is what deciding not to live like we're afraid looks like...here we go!

It doesn't look like this for everyone...but consider this -- what does it look like for you?  (If you already know what it looks like for you - let us be encouraged - tell us about it!)


Love Does