He Upholds

The world is so heavy right now.  So much heartache and hatred and conditions for other human beings I could never imagine living in with our family.  There is death and fear.  The world feels far too heavy right now.  Like far too much to fathom or even think about.

I read two articles about syrian refugees this week…HERE and HERE.  I found myself absolutely bawling.  I mean, can you even imagine…my mind can’t physically even go to these places and situations and the actual things these people and children are enduring.

Our week has felt heavy with all that is going on in our world and news reports.  My sweet Uncle Harold passed after a long battle with Alzheimer’s.  We also found out yesterday our littlest will be going home very soon.  On one hand we are so thrilled for her and her parents and on the other hand she has been with us for 314 days and we are all so very sad to see her go.  Harper immediately broke down into tears when I told her…we shared a good cry together in the Walgreens drive-thru pharmacy line.  Later last night, after Harper went to bed, I discovered her crying her little eyes out again.  I sat with her for quite some time talking about why our family does what it does and how we’re all so happy and sad at the same time.  We talked about all the reasons we chose to be a foster family.  We talked about how Jesus says so clearly in scripture we are to first love Him and second love others.  We talked about how much we love our littlest and her parents and how if we reversed the rolls, how desperately our family would want to be reunited as well.  She gets it and I love that she gets it, but the sadness is still real and part of the reality.

One of the greatest things God has ever urged me to do is to read His word.  Bible journaling…the actual act of studying what God says in scripture has been a game changer.  If you want to know how Jesus would handle a situation all you need is scripture.  The more we know Christ, the more we learn how to imitate Him in our own everyday lives.  When I feel so unsure of all which is going on around us and in our world, God Himself is consistent and faithful…His word stands firm and is a guiding light to how we as believers are to act and love in His name.

I sat down last night to Bible journal after my talk with Harper.  I’ve been dreading Hebrews a bit, but after I actually made it through all of chapter one I was a sobbing mess by the end of it.  In the mess of the world…in the sadness and heartbreak…in the uncertainty and fear…God’s word stands true.

Hebrews 1:3 “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.”

Hebrews 1:8-12  “You’re God, and on the throne for good; your rule makes everything right.  You love it when things are right; you hate it when things are wrong…You, Master, started it all, laid earth’s foundations, then crafted the stars in the sky.  Earth and sky will wear out, but not you; they become threadbare like an old coat; you’ll fold them up like a worn-out cloak, and lay them away on the shelf, but you’ll stay the same year after year; you’ll never fade, you’ll never wear out.”

God is absolutely still in control.  He is still on His thrown, He reigns supreme and none of the things taking place in our world surprise Him.  I think all that is going on absolutely breaks His heart and He commands us to love and to love in a manner which brings His name glory and points us all back to Him.  What my heart hopes in is Him, in His coming again and the fact that He remains the same year after year…He will not ever fade away.  So in the darkness, the chaos, the heartache, the fear, the sadness, the injustice, in the uncertainty, in the mess He is still God and He upholds it all.

3 Comments

  1. Oh Laura, I am both thrilled for your littlest and completely saddened like Harper as I am sure it is hard for her to wrap her sweet arms around this……thank you for accepting God’s call to be a foster family. I love it! As for the desperate situations overseas, my eyes were full of tears and my heart was very sad! I have 3 boys and one of them is 9 – I cannot imagine him carrying the burden, images, and “life” that I saw in those stories and pictures. We are all called to carry on Jesus’ work and my hope is I am doing all that I can to help in my little world. Thank you for sharing the not so wonderful sometimes as it makes us realize how truly blessed we each are and how much we can each still be doing.

  2. We adopted a 12 yr old girl from CPS 2 yrs ago. People call us saints when they hear our story ( people that don’t know us well ;). Anyways were not, and we know the true saints are families that do fostercare without planning on adopting. Because your only payment is helping and hoping the family can be restored. I will pray for sweet Harper and your whole family.

  3. Call me weird, but just seeing our little foster girls in her mom’s pictures on Facebook for the first time made me cry last week. I don’t know your pain, but I can feel it from afar. My husband reminds me all the time that they are always in God’s hands no matter where they are. And god reminds me that we are all orphans in the world brought into His family 🙂

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