funny how things tend to go "in spurts" or "in groups" -
the camera batteries no longer hold a charge; the ones we bought here in the Philippines to replace them don't really work; the hard drive on a main computer in our house fails; appliances break....
paperwork collected for adoption according to the list given "isn't enough". Tomorrow Kurt and I fly to Manila to get a notarized affidavit of adoption eligibility from the US Embassy. Another hurdle to jump....another hoop to go through......
trials of various shapes and sizes hit us - some minor, some major, some on-going and the pressure from them can build up to breaking point.....
and sometimes, my humanness says "why? why can't it just be easy for a moment or two?"
then i read the refreshing word in Romans 5 and know my ABBA is growing me and us into His likeness. He is there each step of the way. And in that I can rest.
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith
into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the
glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings,
knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance
produces character, and character produces hope,
5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love
has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit
who has been given to us.