Having just celebrated the Easter season, I thought it a good time to write a little bit about obedience. I certainly don't intend this blog to be my personal pulpit, but our faith is a huge part of who we are and how we came to be on this journey...and I think it is important to share.

I mention in our Adoption Story how we very much feel called and led by God to adopt a child from Ethiopia, and it occurred to me that even people of faith may not truly understand what I'm talking about. God doesn't always speak to us in a clear audible voice. He uses the Holy Spirit, the little, tiny voice inside of us. Call it your inner voice, your conscience, that reoccurring thought, the feeling that won't go away. That's how He spoke to me, a small feeling, that turned into a thought, that turned into a desire, that turned into a need.

A lot of times, we find ourselves praying for things to happen the way we have it planned out. I was certainly guilty of this. In the begining I was praying for a pregnancy. I was saying to God, "I want a family, and this is how I want you to make it happen". I began to realize how childish this was and began praying that God would open our hearts and our minds, that He would show us His will, that we would understand it and have the strength and courage to follow it.

This has certainly been a journey for us, even up to this point. We've grown so much in our faith and our love for God and each other. I am so thankful that He has chosen us for such and amazing blessing and that he continues to mold and shape us into the people He intended. Very few times in life do you get to pause, look back, and say, "I understand why all those things happened. It was to bring me here."

So this past Good Friday, I had a new perspective on Jesus' sacrifice and His obedience to the Father. It's one thing to know God's will, it's another thing to do it.

I'm not saying that it has been easy. We've had a lot of heartbreak. Many times I have cried out to God in anguish. And when I couldn't find the words, I prayed, "Lord you know my heart. I can't take it anymore. Please help me." Not surprisingly, as soon as we decided to adopt, our burdens were lifted, and I have never felt more at peace.

Here's an amazing song by Patty Griffin "Up to the Mountain (MLK song)"