Exalting Our Inability

I hope each of you had a wonderful Christmas celebrating the birth of our savior! We sure did! From family visits from Grams (Joshua's mom) and Uncle James (his brother), to time spent with my whole side of the family that lives near by, we were able to be with the ones we love, and truly remember why we celebrate His birth every year! This was the year that Jude fell in love with Christmas and all the excitement that comes with it! He loved singing Happy Birthday to Jesus and he also loved that because it was a "really BIG birthday celebration" that a whole bunch of gifts were included! He's totally at the age (3 1/2) where the pure joy of getting a present can hardly be kept inside him, he dances (like he's about to pee his pants) and jumps around as a means of letting some of the excitement out. As a parent, it is such fun to see his eyes light up and I noticed at the end of day, my cheeks hurt from constantly smiling- because it's impossible not to! Here's our sweet boy, Jude, opening up his present from Uncle James...

And while there's no video of me squealing in excitement over the gifts I received, I sure felt a lot like Jude! Joshua got me an "I" for Isa for my necklace that I wear all the time that has two "J"'s on it already. I'm not much of a jewelry girl but when I saw this Waxing Poetic stuff at a boutique in downtown McKinney a couple years ago, I fell in love with their signet charms. So two years ago Joshua got me the little "j" for Jude on mothers day and then he got me the big "J" for Joshua on my birthday and now I'll have a little "i" to go with it! My whole lil family around my neck at all times!

He also got me the book Radical by David Platt which we started reading on Christmas Eve (I read out loud to Joshua while he wrapped all of Jude's little stocking stuffers- a good set up if you ask me) and we  could hardly put it down! We're over half way through it already and I have highlighted almost the entire thing! An excellent read if you ask me that I would highly recommend to believers and non-believers alike! Time and time again I'll read something and pause to look at Joshua and we both just shake our heads in amazement that this book totally reminds us of where we're at in our lives right now in this whole adoption process!

"God actually delights in exalting our inability. He intentionally puts his people in situations where they come face to face with their need for him. In the process he powerfully demonstrates his ability to provide everything his people need in ways they could never have mustered up or imagined. And in the end, he makes much of his own name."

The above quote pretty much sums up the Helms family adoption journey so far! We clearly are out of our comfort zones... He clearly is in His! But strangely, there is a peace about our lives and our inability to accomplish so many aspects of this adoption like we've never experienced before! The past 6 months of our lives, God sure has been making much of his own name!

"The question for us, then, is whether we trust in his power. And the problem for us is that in our culture we are tempted at every turn to trust in our own power instead. So the challenge for us is to live in such a way that we are radically dependent on and desperate for the power that only God can provide."

I would challenge you to live in such a way that you are desperate for God, seeking His will for your life, and trusting that He is able! Our lives have been rocked by this dependancy on Him and we wouldn't have it any other way! This Christmas we were reminded of the humbling truth that God came down to where we are as a vulnerable baby and that He doesn't wait for people to find their way to him, but instead he came to us... as Jesus. Because in our own ability, we never would be able to get to God- we are desperately in need of a savior, Christ!