Have you ever had a full plate–and it just seemed or felt like it was just too much? Look at the portions individually…and each looked exciting and tackle-able. (Is that even a word?) But all together–it would take a miracle to handle well. God will never give you more than you can handle is a […]
The Young Family Farm »
Category Archives: InspirationalI sink my heels in and move the dirt back and forth. I press the weight into each foot as I slowly grind my feet back and forth. The waters have come–there’s no doubting from where–and while I’m tempted to cover my eyes and scream, “Just tell me when it is over!” or run and […] Thank you, Andrea! This really ministered to my heart this morning. We feel God calling us to say “yes” to something that is yet to be a reality. Our hands are tied right now. We are on the bench, ready to play, and but begging God to say “it’s your turn!” Just having to wait on His timing right now and His will. It is hard, but so good to be reminded that He’s got this and He goes before us and hems us in behind. Have you heard the new Chris Tomlin song, “Whom Shall I Fear?”. Stop what you are doing and listen right now! Here is a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOkImV2cJDg Allison 🙂 I’ve never met you, Andrea, but I’m cheering you on! I pray you feel encouraged and energized as the Lord walks you through each trial and strengthens you to do His work. You’re an inspiration! praying praying praying!!!!!! <3 <3 <3 Just wanted to say thank you for your honesty!!! My husband and I have had a tough two years but God was always there even when I wondered why he was silent. The week of Christmas we were matched with a amazing birthmom in our adoption process. With our sweet boy due in May I cannot wait to sign up for the conference for next year and I am praying I will have several other mamas with me who are feeling the call to adopt. Thanks for your continued encouragement…you are AWESOME:) Oh, friend, I am sobbing reading this. tears of JOY over what God is doing through you, tears of felt pain, because I feel that same struggle here too, tears of hope!!! Praying over you now more than ever as I know personally how C4C has changed my life and I am forever thankful! Thank you for allowing God to use your struggles (and triumphs) to speak truth into so many others! I needed this word today! Praying for God’s provision … can’t wait to see how He shows up at the retreat in less than two weeks! Ohh how beautiful!!! Thanks for sharing your heart!! Lots of love! Today, I worked out for the first time since my Lyme diagnosis (after 7 months of being misdiagnosed). This month, my husband and I are dedicating ourselves to praying specifically and seeking God’s plan for how to start our family. My heart longs to adopt, even if we can beat the infertility odds. PRAYING HARD for your family! Again I say REJOICE because the enemy has reason to attack you. He has seen your coach and HE WILL WIN!!!! Just what I needed-a true message from God. When we follow Him, He will almost certainly lead us where the water is too deep for us to tread alone so that we will depend on Him. Let us not listen to the enemy’s lies that we are in too deep for Jesus, but instead, cling to the one that has already one this battle and will keep us afloat. Yes, STAND FIRM! Andrea, your words have resonated so deeply with me today! I’ve been journaling about this very thing lately and am so encouraged by this post!! thank you for sharing! As Rachel said, we are so blessed by your obedience! Thank you, sweet sister, for sharing these powerful words. I am praying for your family- standing with you and rejoicing that we are more than overcomers in Him who has overcome the world. The same power that raised Christ from the grave dwells in you! I am excited to follow along and read about all the beautiful things our Father does in and through your sweet family! Blessings!! Oh Andrea, LOVE this post! Needed your words today. I’m not a tattoo kind of gal–but if I ever get one it would be this post (in a really little font). Okay, perhaps just “I will not be moved” in a really pretty script. 🙂 We are also adopting (from China) and are feeling a bit beaten up. There are days that I want God to let me rest on the bench a while, days that I wonder if I’m cut out to play at all. Spiritual warfare is real–I have seen it, I have felt it, I have fought it. I’m standing with you now–ugly high tops and all. Yes, game on! I’ll be at C4C next week and can’t wait to give you a hug. Thank you for your courage and your obedience. I’m praying for God’s provision in all situations and healing for your son. Much love to you! This is gonna be QUICK–this momma has little time to blog in this season of crazy…getting a dossier ready, homeschooling, preschoolers…but THIS story has to be documented for our sweet boy’s journey. YESTERDAY… …began just as a normal day. Kind of. We had 3 extra dears at our house–so 7 little children running around. In […] Thank you for this post! We too are in the early process. We have identified a child and trying to get all the paperwork done, before her file has to go back. Our hang up as been funds. This has all happened so fast we can’t seem to raise it fast enough. Your post is encouragement to my heart for something my head already knows, God is faithful and will go before us. Thank you! Powerful!! Thanks for sharing as always….encouraging for me. That is soooooo awesome!!!! I loved hearing the story! It made me tear up about the official’s response to you guys. God is so good, praising the Lord with you as He prepares the way! How awesome! You always share so well and leave us all hungry to walk closer with the Lord! Thank you!! We’re up to our eyeballs in paperwork too and appreciate the reminder to be asking that God goes before us with every form and signature. 🙂 That is awesome! Praise the Lord! It’s so fun to hear good news! Praying your son home quickly. You are always such an encouragement to me, even though I have never met you. And the timing of my reading your posts always seems to be straight from the Lord. We got an important call today in our adoption process, and once again, I needed to read your post! Yaaay! Praise God!!! So excited for you. We are currently awaiting our biometrics appt, too, anyway now… I keep checking our mailbox…. Oh Andrea! I LOVE this post! Praise Jesus indeed!!! Love seeing Him at work and going before us to get our kiddos home! Truly worthy of praise!  My dear mom friend and author of the blog and book “Traded Dreams” is featuring an adoption story each week this month in honor of National Adoption Month… Such an honor writing a guest post for her blog this week! Thank you Lauren for asking me to share our story…it’s a LONG one…but when it […] It was a great one! I only found your blog about a year ago, so it was nice to get the back story!! Andrea, your story was exactly what I needed to read about today. I learned so much through it! Thanks for sharing!! Today was one of those days. Seriously. One of those. We all slept in…accidentally–kind of…when Rico Suave is out of town–it seems to happen more often:). I jumped up at 8am–jumped in the shower…and I remembered Rich telling me on the phone the night before that the pest control guy would be here between 8am […] Thank you, Andrea, for this post (and for all of your other ones, really!)!! It spoke to my heart and was exactly what this first year homeschooling momma needed to hear today! Sometimes the days can be overwhelming and the enemy does whisper “you have no business doing this, look what a failure you are,” but in God’s sweet words He reminds me that He has given me these two precious littles to love and to guide, and that He chose ME for this. No one else. That just makes me smile and know that even in the messiness of life, there is beauty and purpose. Glory be to God!! Praying blessings over you and your family. You are exactly right a FOLLOWER of Jesus! I needed to hear that today, well every day really! I’ll be praying for you my sister! The devil is always trying to get us down, but Jesus will always lift us up! P.S. sorry I did chuckle at the poopy incident…I’m sure I’ll have one of those stories one day! Totally encouraged by this today. We are in our first year of homeschooling with a 3rd grader, 1st grader and 3 year old. And added a newborn October 5th! The days (and nights)are long right now, but filled with many small moments of joy, family and sacrifice. It’s easy to doubt our decisions when it’s hard, but prayer and God’s word confirms that we are right where we are supposed to be, different, crazy and blessed! And God has put adoption on our hearts as well, praying for the strength to continue to trust and obey. Thank you for your honesty and encouragement! Andrea, Thank you, thank you for this post! I laughed ’til I cried remembering similar days in my 20+ years as a blessed-but-sometimes-harried stay-at-home mom. What precious and humbling memories! I’m so grateful, too, for your finish to your post. I think I’ll probably print your words and tape them to the wall that STILL doesn’t have a bulletin board on it. I want more than anything to be a follower. That desire to do WHATEVER the Lord puts before us has put my husband and me in an odd position during the past few months. We already have 12 children (nine of them older adoptees from Russia), and yet the Lord has another sibling group of four for us. We’re so close to finishing this adoption that we’re praying for a court date back in in Russia again before Thanksgiving. The craziness in this situation isn’t JUST that we’ll be the parents of 16, but that I’ve had major health problems this year. We’ve returned to the Lord again and again thinking we must have misheard. However, He just keeps whispering, “Go…trust Me.” So, your post truly encouraged me by reminding me that following Him often looks completely crazy…sometimes even to other Christians. But He is God. He is good. And never once has he ever left us (love that same song you cherish)! (BTW, we’re friends of Russ and Heather Nordstrom.) Thanks again for this post! God bless you richly, Andrea! Thank you for your transparency, Andrea. As a blog reader, I read alot of blogs written by mothers. I have to admit, that many times I feel that I just will never be the perfect Mom like “they” are… thank you for keeping it real and not just sharing the good times but the times when things arent going the way you would choose for them to. I SO needed to hear this as I myself have been struggling with alot of doubt and fear lately in how will I ever manage four children, when I just can’t seem to get it all together with the three I have now? As well as worrying what others may be thinking when they see what a busy and full life we have now with our three boys (Do they think we are being “foolish” to take on another?) Thank you for reminding me that as followers of Christ, what he calls us to do is usually not going to be easy but He will provide where we are lacking. I love you, sweet friend! |
|
by admin
So glad this song speaks to you too Andrea! I love the picture of God shaping the portions we have, rather than ourselves or others. It is so true that He is right there when we fall– we don’t have to clean ourselves up first, or “get our act together.” So good! I think you are carrying your God-shaped portions beautifully!
Thank you so much for posting this message today! You have no idea how bad I needed to hear it today! My daugther is almost four weeks old and I am loving every minute that I am able to be home with her while on maternity leave. That being said I am feeling extremely hormonal and exhausted and was having just a rough day until I read your post. God knows what we need even we don’t. Have a blessed day!
Mimi
I love this. I admire the way you handle your portions. I can relate to how others try to shape them. Lovely post Andrea.
I couldn’t agree more!! I used to love that quote “God will never give you anything you can’t handle”…. Until I really thought about it! I think He wants to give us all sorts of things we can’t handle, so HE can show Himself mighty on our behalf!! On our strength we can do nothing…. but we can do ALL things through HIM who strengthens us!
Thanks for sharing your heart on this blog- He is definitely using your words!
I’ve been coming to the same realization lately. It came on so slowly that I didn’t even realize it was happening – taking on everything all by myself and feeling hopeless and helpless all the time. What freedom comes when we hand the heaping tray over to Him. Lovely post. Thank you. 🙂