** Warning: This post is too long, but I just couldn't shorten it and
saw no point in dividing it into two days. Yikes! I have a lot to say today. **
I recently finished reading an interesting book entitled "Prison to Praise" by Merlin Carothers. It was one of four books that showed up on my doorstep as a gift from a praying friend at church. (How cool is that?!) I am pondering much of the content of this book. The overall theme is that as Christians we can either allow our circumstances to put us in a "prison," so to speak. Or, we can be a part of God's transforming work by practicing the discipline of praising God in the midst of trials. Actually praising and thanking Him FOR the trials. I do not do this. Not one bit. But I am eager to learn and try.
"Jesus didn't promise to change the circumstances around us, but He did promise great peace and pure joy to those who would learn to believe that God actually controls all things.
The very act of praise releases the power of God into a set of circumstances and enables God to change them if this is His design. Very often it is our attitudes that hinder the solution of a problem. God is sovereign and could certainly cut across our wrong thought patterns and attitudes. But His perfect plan is to bring each of us into fellowship and communion with Him, and so He allows circumstances and incidents which will bring our wrong attitudes to our attention.
I have come to believe that the prayer of praise is the highest form of communion with God, and one that always releases a great deal of power into our lives. Praising Him is not something we do because we feel good; rather it is an act of obedience. Often the prayer of praise is done in sheer teeth-gritting willpower; yet when we persist in it, somehow the power of God is released into us and into the situation. At first in a trickle perhaps, but later in a growing stream that finally floods us and washes away the hurts and scars." Merlin Carothers
I'm praying that God will help me sincerely praise Him for the circumstances that I find myself in. That praise has to flow from trusting that my heavenly Father knows what is best for me and that He cares for me. Do I trust Him? Do you?
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (emphasis mine)
In Ephesians chapter 5 Paul describes how believers in Jesus should live. One component of that is found in Ephesians 5:20. "… always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
So without further ado… some things I am thankful to God for.
2) I am so thankful for good friends that love me, listen to me and offer me support. It is with these few friends that I share the raw, ugly places of my heart as I learn day by day how to trust God. It is with these friends that I share my weak faith, struggle to hope, or ugly despair. As transparent as I've tried to be on this blog, I simply cannot and won't share everything. However, I don't want to fool or deceive anyone that everything is perfect or that I am positive all the time. I am a sinner and I have many bad days. (Just ask my family!) I'm so thankful to have friends with whom I can safely share the broken places AND that God's mercies are new every morning.
3) We enjoyed sledding at Grammy and Poppy's house on Saturday. It was chilly, but I love watching them enjoy the outdoors together. This was a much better snow hill then our steps from the deck!
4) I am thankful for my adoption support group through church. These women are awesome! Truly a gift. I have been encouraged, prayed for and given practical strategies for helping Irina go to sleep. I received these wise words as I was struggling last week.
It's not good and it's not healthy for children to be abandoned to orphanages and raised in (often abusive) institutions. This broken world has harmed Irina. She has experienced life that is beyond what we can ever comprehend. She has been hurt so badly - maybe not physically but mentally and emotionally.
You and I and probably most other mothers in similar situations - we are experienced and capable women. We have raised children - and pretty successfully at that. But we have never had to be therapists for hurting children who come from hard places, whose brain chemistry is altered, and who have been in survivor mode every single minute of every single day. We have to change our whole paradigm for parenting these children. And it is HARD!!!
There is no one right answer for how to help our children heal. We may try a hundred different approaches or techniques only to have four or five have an actual positive impact. So anything you read or any advice that we give you may or may not work. The only thing that we can truly offer with confidence is our prayers for you and your family. ~ Britta Wolfe5) Speaking of Irina's sleep… last night, Irina went to sleep within 30 minutes without the typical drama. Hallelujah! This is a record!! It took longer this evening, but one night of improvement is something for which to be thankful.
6) And since Irina went to sleep sooner, that also means that I went to sleep sooner! I slept 7 hours last night with only one brief nighttime interruption. Hallelujah! I'm surviving on 5-6 hours of sleep maximum with regular nighttime wakings. It's amazing how much an extra couple hours will do.
7) Yesterday afternoon, Irina asked me if she could rake the back yard and earn some money. I said sure! SO she and Aaron got busy working. Remember this was Irina's idea!
When Luke found out that there was an opportunity to earn money,
he ran outside in his pajamas to join in the work.
An hour later, they had cleaned up all the gum balls from the back yard.
Their team work and work ethic makes me thankful.
When I paid her, she said "Telephone, nine dollars?"
She is hoping to save up to buy an iPod Touch (which she calls a telephone). That's a lot of extra jobs!
8) I've mentioned before that Irina likes to be with Darin or me all the time. The only time she is not with us is during rest time or when she first goes to sleep. (She relocates to an air mattress in our room every night when she wakes up with bad dreams. It is the only way to get her to go back to sleep.) Imagine our surprise when she disappeared with the boys on Sunday to the lego room (play room). She spent over an hour building with the boys without checking in. I snuck up there to find them all building together happily. I wish I snapped a picture. Here is what she and Aaron built.
And yes, the first thing Aaron does when he gets home
from church each week is to put his pajamas back on!
9) I have seen a significant improvement with Irina's attention span and increased fine motor skills. In December, I gave Irina pattern blocks to work with during school. This frustrated her quite a bit and she refused to do it. I decided to try again today. She did one and then asked to do 3 more!!
10) Today for the third time (yes, I'm counting), Irina said, "I love you Mommy." This was after she said, "Irina love Jesus." I definitely needed to hear this.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
OH Jill, I am praising him for these small improvements! So glad you got some added sleep!
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