I feel that God has a sense of humor and He loves to bless His children. He has a way of giving over and beyond what we can imagine or dream of! About the time I started writing The Displaced Belle, we found out we had a 10-month-old grandbaby in “shelter care” in another state. The term “displaced Belle” took on a whole new meaning! My poor husband, who had agreed to adopt two babies, now had two babies in the house and a third surprise baby on the way! Isn’t God good? LOL. We hired an attorney and petitioned for custody.At the hearing in May, a relative of the birth mother stepped in and complicated things. Again I wondered if we’d heard God correctly when we prayed and felt led to step forward and request custody. We ended up traveling back and forth between states every other weekend all summer and fall so we could build a relationship with our granddaughter, not sure when the visits and rapidly climbing expenses would end. It was a total journey of faith and every weekend, God supplied the resources to cover our expenses.
We had some great family weekends on those trips, we were able to get to know the baby, and we had a great bonding experience. The baby’s appointed guardian at first opposed us in court. She’d fallen in love with our little munchkin and wanted to be sure she was in a safe place. Court was continued several times. Through the visit trips we were able to get to know the caretaker and we built a friendship and trust with her. The baby’s caretaker decided to step out of the picture in August and at her suggestion, we were given temporary custody and were able to bring her home! Our grandbaby’s “guardian angel” went from our opponent to our ally.
We’ve had our grandbaby “home” for two months, but we went back last Friday for the final hearing. I’m happy to say we were granted permanent custody. What a wonderful feeling to bring our displaced belle home with us again!
Our “no” or “not right now” from God when it came to adopting and adding to our family later turned into a “yes” as He worked His blessings into a tapestry and a beautiful gift with a bonus blessing added to the mix. I was able to dedicate my newest story to our very own displaced belle.
Do you struggle when God’s answer is “no” or “not yet?” Has God ever closed a door in your life, just to open another one? I’d love to hear similar stories!
Paige what a precious testimony of God's faithfulness. Sounds like three lucky little girls have a wonderful family to grow up in.
My question for you today is did you grow up in a Christian home or find Christ later in life? Or feel free to answer Paige's question or both. Happy Wednesday to all.
I have had several huge answers from God that didn't come in my timing but there is no question that it was God's plan all along. Now I can look back and see how all the pieces had been falling into place for quite some time. It is truly humbling and exciting that the God of the universe cares about the details of my life.
ReplyDeleteThat is such a beautiful story. I love how God was preparing your hearts all along for His best for you, and how you've felt His leading all along the way.
ReplyDeleteThank you all so much for your kind words on the excerpt and for sharing your comments on God's timing, etc.! It is so wonderful to see His plan unfold. I wish my patience level was as wonderful, but it isn't. I'm definitely a work in progress, but each experience builds more faith and trust. It's a fun journey.
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