It's been a LONG time since I've blogged...I actually sat down several months ago and wrote a "good-bye" post thinking it was my last time writing...but thankfully Kaz encouraged me not to post it. Over the last few weeks, the Lord has been giving me little "signs" of encouragement to start writing again. I've missed it. He confirmed it last Monday. I went down to Charleston for a few days for some bridal sessions. My 1st session wasn't until Monday afternoon, so I had several things I wanted to do that morning, one being running the Ravenel Bridge. This bridge is very special to me...After our first failed adoption, I started running the bridge every single day. It took me 35-40 minutes to get there, and 35-40 minutes to drive back home, but that didn't matter. It was my "special and favorite" place to talk to God. I prayed for our child more times than I can count on that bridge. The bridge always reminds me of a hard time in my life, but it also reminds me of God's faithfulness to me and our family.
So last Monday, I was so excited to run the bridge again. I constantly kept checking the weather, hoping it would be sunny. I drove to Mt. Pleasant, parked, got out my car, stretched, and in my mind, I was going to conquer the bridge...but the Lord had other plans. I started running the "up hill" part of the bridge and felt great maybe the first .3 miles, then the wind came. It was so strong it pushed me back and literally made me stumble several times. I kept going and then the rain started...it poured. I kept going and could barely keep my eyes open. It was miserable, so I turned around halfway up and ran back down. The whole time I kept thinking of how I quit. So at the bottom, I turned back around and ran up for the 2nd time. It was no different. MISERABLE. Pouring rain, strong winds, and a lot of strange looks from other people coming back down the bridge. I'm sure they were thinking, "Why in the world is this crazy going the opposite direction of this monsoon." BUT I kept going. I couldn't run uphill the whole time...the wind was too strong. I walked at times, barely moving, but after awhile I reached the top. When I finally got to the top, I turned around and started down hill. It wasn't easy, but got easier the farther down I got. By the end, I was in a full sprint. I had different plans for that run...I thought it would be fun and relaxing, but the Lord used it to remind me of the storms in life. It's not always easy. We aren't promised an easy life...but when the wind and rain come and almost knocks us down, He IS faithful. When it's hard to keep our eyes open or focused on Him, what He wants and requires is that we keep moving towards Him one step at a time. And when the storm passes, our view looking back is a beautiful reflection of His FAITHFULNESS.
The Lord encouaged me so much on that run, and it is definitely the most memoriable I've ever had. He not only used it to show me truth, He used it to encourage me to write again...
I'm thankful for each of you who have followed our journey over the years, and who have encouraged us so much! The girls are growing up so fast...faster than I would like. AND we started the adoption process again last year, and have been on the waiting list since October 2014. So we are excited to see what the Lord has in store for our family:)
