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Barren but Blessed – Trusting God with the Rest
You Can’t Do It Alone
You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.
Exodus 18:18
Child rearing is difficult and the adage “it takes a village” is no understatement. In this journey to be a foster / adoptive parent, a village is equally important.
We had recently finished our training classes and were anxiously awaiting our certificate in the mail. In preparation of welcoming children into our home, we began remodeling the spare bedroom. As we had not yet received our official certificate in the mail, we assumed we had plenty of time to paint the walls and switch out the furniture to create a more kid-friendly space.
With drop clothes strewn on the floor and open paint cans in the corners, my phone rang. It was a phone call about accepting two girls … that evening! I agreed, hung up the phone and went into crazy work mode to prepare the space for the two children who would be arriving within the hour.
I made some phone calls and my village jumped in to help. The paint cans were cleaned and drop cloths folded. New clothes and car seats were dropped off and a bed was put together. In a matter of an hour, the room was transformed and I was able to welcome these babies into a home and bedroom that was prepared for them.
You and the people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you can not handle it alone. Exodus 18:18 confirms for us the necessity of the village. Not only the physical labor of pulling together that bedroom, but the emotional weight of being a foster / adoptive parent is heavy. You can not handle it alone.
Satan works to separate us from our supports by making us feel different or like no one understands. He works double time to exhaust us physically, mentally and emotionally and keep us thinking we have to carry this load on our own.
Hold tight to your supports and thank them for walking this path with you. You can not handle this alone and you certainly don’t need to.
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