Tsunami of Grace

One of the things I learned from our two year adoption journey was that there are times when the needs of the soul outweigh all else, and in those moments it is imperative to stop and meet with God.  So many of those moments in our adoption journey were borne out of sorrow but December 2, 2005 was different.  That afternoon, as I took time out for my soul, it was because I was overwhelmed by God’s goodness and grace. 

As I sat in the quiet of my living room thinking over the abrupt turn of events that day, it occurred to me how many times I used that word “overwhelmed”.  Almost without exception, I had used the word in a negative context but only rarely to describe something God had done for me.

How often had I genuinely been “overwhelmed”? What did it mean to be overwhelmed?  It was the literal word image of a tsunami.  Just as the giant wave of a tsunami completely surpasses and covers people and even some buildings, the word overwhelmed means to be completely covered.

 And that afternoon, I was truly overwhelmed by God’s goodness, tender love and compassion.  I litterally was unable to absorb it.

That morning, I had called Haiti and found that both of our orphan petitions were approved.  I was just shocked because I knew we had never been to Haiti to sign them.  I protested to the officer at the U.S. office there and she told me she was looking at my signature right before her.  She told me to call the consulate on Monday morning and scheduled our visa appointment. 

Then, I received a call on my cell phone that Roseline’s passport was done.  The word was that the orphanage director was holding it in her hand.  I could not wrap my mind around the truth that my baby was finally, finally free to come home.

The news concerning Claudine however, was still shaky.  The word was that the orphanage staff “hoped” to have the issue with her birth certificate settled that day and obtain the passport the following week.  It was this great unknown, coupled with the many times we had hoped in vain that contributed to the numbness that seemed to envelope my heart and mind.  I wondered if I would be able to let down my guard until the officer put the visas in my hand and said, “Have a nice trip.”  I could not help but wonder if when that finally happened if I would need a few moments alone to have a breakdown.  What would it be like to finally lay down the burden of our long wait? 

As hard as I tried, I could not even imagine it.

But for that moment, that day, it was so sweet to just be thankful for God’s tsunami of grace.

Isaiah 49:22 – 23 22 This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
       “See, I will beckon to the Gentiles,
       I will lift up my banner to the peoples;
       they will bring your sons in their arms
       and carry your daughters on their shoulders. 23 Kings will be your foster fathers,
       and their queens your nursing mothers.
       They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground;
       they will lick the dust at your feet.
       Then you will know that I am the LORD;
       those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”