December 9, 2010

 Some news on the legal front, Judge Cubbon has set a “status conference” for all juvenile court motions for December 21^st.  Two of these motions are on Emergency Motions from over 40 days ago, so in my opinion she should have set a hearing date.  However, beggers can’t be choosers, I will take any movement I can out of the Lucas County.

An excerpt from my Journal July 11, 2010,

I truly believe God wants Grayson to be in our family.  I have never gotten a sign or a feeling that Grayson wasn’t meant to be my son.  I love that boy!

Faith and Scripture: Where is this Path Taking Us?

As Christy and I have traveled this journey together, our faith has been tested at several different points.  There are some really difficult questions facing us at this time?  When we prayed about adopting a child, we felt like God put it on our hearts to move forward and proceed with an adoption.  We felt like it was God’s plan for us to adopt a baby.  At that point we had already endured many setbacks and had painful events shape our lives.  It seemed like we were being guided down an adoption path.

But what now?  We have lost adoption battles in several courts in two states over a two year period.  How do we process those events?  How do we know what to do next?  The feeling I get is that we are supposed to follow the plan.  Keep moving forward.  Bring Grayson home.  However, there is certainly enough evidence to say maybe it’s time to move on.  So, how do we decide what to do?

I don’t know what God’s plan is.  I guess his plan could be for us to take care of Grayson while Wyrembek got his life in order.  His plan could be for the adoption to get finalized in January.  His plan could be that our case is meant to help shape adoption laws for the future.  It could be that his plan was never for us to adopt and we misread the whole thing.  I don’t know what the plan is. 

That doesn’t change our situation.  Here we sit, Grayson gone, unsure of his safety or well being, lawsuit pending, adoption pending, Christmas time, Jax and Addy talking about him everyday.  What do we do?  I have dove into the Bible to help me guide this family through these waters.  Here’s what I’ve got:  I share these with you not because I’m an expert at the Bible or because I’m getting clear signals from the man upstairs.  I share these with you because I bet some people have gone through tough times.  Maybe this list can help guide you in some way.  It as taken me a long time to find and record these verses, maybe this will simply save you some time.

Proverbs 3:5

Trust in the Lord with all you heart and lean not on your understanding.

This verse is probably the one I lean on the most.  Because, I don’t understand what has happened or why this is happening to us.  Also, I have to remind myself to trust the lord.  I find myself doubting everything.  This verse helps ground me.

Romans 8:28 Paul wrote:

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

This verse helps me try to focus on the good that can come of this situation.  There has got to be a way to create good out of all this pain.  I don’t know what it is, but there has to be a way.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (NLT)

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed.  We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.  We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God.  We get knocked down but not destroyed.

This is the verse that gives me my fight.  We have not been destroyed.  We have not been crushed.  We will not give up. 

Habakkuk 2:3 (LB)

These things I plan won’t happen right away.  Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled.  If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient!  They will not be overdue a single day.

The timing of these events are not in my control.  This verse reminds me that God’s plan is bigger than mine and may not be consistent with mine.  However, his plan will be good and in his time.

Proverbs 3-6

Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

and

Proverbs 16-3

Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.

This has been our intent.  We have tried will all of our hearts to seek his will, look for his path and commit our actions to the Lord.  We have struggled with this.  I can’t always tell the difference between a plan I create and a plan he has drafted.  I’m sure I have misread many of his intentions.  I worry that we have followed the wrong path.  The only thing I can recommend is to keep praying.

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

And

Matthew 6:34

Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.

This is the verse I read to Christy most often.  The worry is overwhelming.  The sorrow and anxiety can absolutely shut a person down.   We focus on Grayson, Addison and Jackson.  Our concern is making sure they are not scarred by this situation.  We cannot focus on our own worry, anxiety or sorrow.  There will be time for such things in the future.  We cannot worry about tomorrow.  We must be focused on our children today.

This one isn’t a bible verse it’s a song by Matt Redman.  Might be inspired by Pslam 23:4

And I will fear no evil, for my God is with me

And if my God is with me, Whom then shall I fear?

This is the verse that helps me understand that I can not be afraid to get this story out.  I cannot be afraid of the intimidation that Wyrembek has tried on Christy and I.  I cannot be afraid of judicial corruption and unethical lawyer.  I will not be afraid of frivolous lawsuits or any other person trying to harm Grayson.  He is the focus.  We will not be afraid.

Philippians 3

I’m not saying that I have this all together…..Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself and expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward………

This is the perfect verse to close on.  I don’t know what to do.  I do know that the Bible has answers.  I’m hopeful that Christy and I can find the right ones in time to satisfy God’s plan.  

I’m sure there will be people who misinterpret what I’m saying.  Some might say we are religious nut jobs.  We are trying to do the right thing.  We are looking for answers.  When you boil this whole thing down, it’s about Grayson.  It’s about the other children who are stuck in our broken system.  It’s about doing the right thing.  I believe this with all of my heart.

So, where is this path taking us?  We don’t know.  We will pray, follow our hearts, focus on Grady and protect our family.  Faith and Scripture will help guide us in our decisions.

November is National Adoption Month, a month set aside each year to raise awareness about the adoption of children and youth from foster care. This year’s National Adoption Month initiative targets adoption professionals by focusing on ways to recruit and retain parents for the 115,000 children and youth in foster care waiting for adoptive families. [learn more]

Few people would disagree that abortion is one of the most hotly contested issues in our country. The passion from the pro-choice and pro-life camps is evident. From printed words to television screens, from debate podiums to our living rooms — whenever the issue is even mildly discussed, tensions flare on both sides. Seldom is there an opportunity or an issue that bridges both viewpoints. But now we have one: the broken adoption system in the United States. That’s because the right of a mother to choose (pro-choice) and the desire for the child to be born (pro-life) are both at play whenever a mother takes the adoption route.

Abortion laws affect many areas of American life. Take their effect on crime, for example. Many are familiar with the theory that legal abortion reduces crime. Proponents of the theory argue that unwanted children are more likely to become criminals. In particular, it is argued that the legalization of abortion in the United States after Roe v. Wade has reduced crime in years since. Opponents generally dispute these statistics and will point to some negative effects of abortion on society. This camp encourages women to choose to put their children up for adoption rather than have abortions. [continued at MomLogic]