You give and take away...

“You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name…”

Almost four years ago God gave us two precious additions to our family. Hurt and brokenhearted, we started a journey beside them.  

We were catapulted from toddler training to teenage drama, and trying to parent and love the children God had given us.

We were scared. Apprehensive. We made mistakes, we have learned some huge lessons. But we loved deeply. Bringing them into our family and making memories, our youngers kids are so proud of their older brother and sister.   Family trips, carving pumpkins and cutting down Christmas trees. We brought made them a part of our family traditions and created new ones. We attended track meets, cross-country meets, cheerleading competitions, basketball games, football games, tackled math problems that only Jim could help them solve.  Hours, days, months, years; God has given us grace and mercy beyond what we could even fathom. He has sustained us, drawn us closer to him and to each other. 

¹ Praise the Lord! Yes, give praise, O servants of the Lord.
    Praise the name of the Lord! ² Blessed be the name of the Lord
    now and forever. ³ Everywhere—from east to west—
    praise the name of the Lord.⁴ For the Lord is high above the nations;
    his glory is higher than the heavens.” Psalm 113

I can hope for nothing more than God be glorified.  For now, the road takes an unexpected turn. Loss I didn’t anticipate and couldn’t comprehend. I was done fighting. My heart breaks with the resistance I can no longer fight.  In less than two months we emptied both their rooms and said good-bye.

So thankful for this Truth we have lived in…  “He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3

Praying that this next season God continues to draw us all closer to him, and maybe even closer still together. 

We said good-bye, but really said, “see you soon.” Christmas break is a few weeks away and we are planning for a weekend visit. With the one I have called my son.

I continue to sing this song learning the depths of it’s truth in a new way today… 

“Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say…Blessed be the name of the Lord.”