ThirstQuenchers: Encouragement for the Parched

[Stork Central 1,114]

Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will;

When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest, if you must, but don't you quit!

Life is strange, with its twists and turns

!(As everyone of us sometimes learns)

And many a failure turns about

When he might have won had he stuck it out.

Don't give up though the pace seems slow--

You might succeed, with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than

It seems to a faint and faltering man.

Often the struggler has given up

When she might have captured the victor's cup.

And they learned too late, when the night slipped down,

How close they were to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out--

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt!

And you never can tell how close you are,

it may be near when it seems afar.

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit!

It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

--Clinton Howell

[Denise 0]

Here's a Bible verse that offers me encouragement through trials.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.  

James 1:2-5 (NIV)

Denise

[FeelingBlessed 20]

I believe God answers prayer,

Answers always, everywhere;

I may cast my anxious care,

Burdens I could never bear,

On the God who heareth prayer.

Never need my soul despair

Since He bids me boldly dare

To the secret place repair,

There to prove ... He answers prayer.

--From George Muller of Bristol

[linlacor 23]

"You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it". -- Margaret Thatcher

"To dream anything that you want to dream, that is the beauty of the human mind.

To do anything that you want to do, that is the strength of the human will.

To trust yourself, to test your limits, that is the courage to succeed."

-- Bernard Edmonds

"You must do the things you think you cannot do". -- Eleanor Roosevelt

[dana 0]

I truly believe in the power of prayer and that God answers all prayers.  When I am facing challenges or I'm worried about something this is a scripture that brings me peace and strengthens my faith that all things are possible through Christ if we turn our concerns over to Him.

Phillippians 4:4-7

Always be full of joy in the Lord; I say it again, rejoice!  Let everyone see that you are unselfish and considerate in all you do.  Remember that the Lord is coming soon.  Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank him for his answers.  If you do this you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.  His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.

[Stork Central 1,114]

Poet, adoptee and mom-by-adoption Penny Callan Partridge (our 1999 Camp Abrazo keynote speaker in Charlotte, N.C.) was recently asked for her insights as to why some adoptions work out so much better than others.

In response, she quoted the writing of Michael Leunig:

There are only two feelings: love and fear.

There are only two languages: love and fear.

There are only two activities: love and fear.

There are only two motives, two procedures, two frameworks, two results.

Love and fear.

Love and fear.

"Like any institution, adoption is so dependent upon the individuals involved," she said. "And each of us has such a different mixture of love and fear, and what we do with them. Such diversity is bound to affect the adoptions we find ourselves in."  (Wishing you love that casts out fear...)

[Guest CJsProudParents]

Speaking of encouragement, here's an oasis! (Just be sure to turn up your volume controls so you get the full effect. It's wonderful.) Daily Motivation

[FeelingBlessed 20]

From Beth Moore's "Believing God":

Perhaps you are adopted, and although you know the mother who raised you, you don't know your biological mother.  God knew her intimately enough to choose her womb for the place where He would fearfully and wonderfully fashion you.  God hid you in a blanket of soft tissue and bid your heart to beat.  For many days He alone knew you existed.  You were His secret.  God's own skillful hands knit you together.  His watchful eyes gazed on you, and His wise counsel ordained each of your days before you squinted from the light of your first.  Long before technology ordered the first sonogram, God watched you suck your thumb in your mother's womb.  Amazing, isn't it?

"You created my inmost being;

You knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made."

    -- Psalm 139:13-14

[FeelingBlessed 20]

From a recent MOPS e'mail:

PERSPECTIVE

By Janis Kugler, Development Team Leader

"It's a bigger adjustment than I ever imagined!" said my friend, a forty-something first-time mother who just adopted her daughter from China. "But of course, I wouldn't change it for anything."

Isn't that exactly how we feel as moms?  No one or no experience can adequately prepare us for the task of mothering, a 24/7 responsibility that, even with the most helpful of husbands, primarily falls to us. We're likely to be the one to find the sitter every time we leave the house. We're likely to be the one who puts the children to bed. We're really likely to be the one who wakes up in the middle of the night when a child is sick. And sometimes, we're likely to be the one who feels taken advantage of, regretting our loss of freedom.  

But really, would we want it any other way? Let someone else be the one to find the sitter or put the children to bed or wake up with them in the night, and we feel "deprived" - our natural mothering instincts tell us we should be the one to most often meet the needs of our children.

It all boils down to perspective, and how ours changed when we became mothers. As Elisa Morgan and Carol Kuykendall share in What Every Mom Needs, perspective is "the ability to stand between yesterday and tomorrow and understand how today fits." Our mothering perspective tells us that it's okay to put a bit of ourselves on a shelf for a while, because during this season our mothering is making a difference in the world of tomorrow. When we drop everything to hold our babies while they are sick or disregard the clutter to read to our toddlers, it's our mothering perspective that tells us we've chosen well.

Yes, mothering is an awesome, time-consuming responsibility, and we wouldn't change it for anything. That's the perspective we need to thrive in this season of life.

[DrMom 1]

To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.  -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Everyone connected with this site has succeeded beyond their wildest imaginations -

[sugarfamily 2]

I found this beautiful "letter from God" in the Twenty Things Adopted Kids... book that Abrazo recommended we read. (I cried! It spoke to my heart...)

Dear xx and xx,

One of My children needs a home - a mother and father who will love her and provide for her.

I know how much you wanted to have children. I know the tears and anguish you have experienced. But the only way I could make a place for this child in your home was through the open door of your infertility.

I am loaning her to you for a while to take care of. Do the best you know how to do, for she is precious to Me.

Someday, when you are gone, I will be her mother and father. She will learn to trust Me and depend on me as she did on you.

Thank you for being willing to love My daughter and give her a home on earth.

Love,

God

[Guest Paula L]

I have to thank you all for the wonderful posts. I am not that Internet savvy but I really do enjoy reading what everyone writes. I have been down lately and thinking of giving up and after finding this section of the forum I am feeling better about what we (my husband and I) are doing and know that I can not give up, there is a child out there for us and everything does work out for a reason. So again thank you!!

[sugarfamily 2]

Don't give up, Paula! Remember, you're just 5 minutes away from a miracle!

I've been in your shoes and can tell you for SURE that prayer - in faith that God WILL give you the desires of your heart if you seek Him first - does work! I learned an important lesson while waiting: we are to be focused on the tasks (that He gives us to do while serving Him) and He will focus on our asks (prayers). Look at your life and see if there is anything you need to be working on outside of the adoption process, do what you feel needs to be done, and watch Him take care of the rest!

Hang in there, girl. It will happen!

Linda

[Guest Pamela]

Linda,

that is wise counsel. As I have told you in other emailings, Tom & I pray every day that our hearts will be right with the Lord and we will be able to clear away the fog from our eyes and see His hand leading us to the birthfamily and child we are meant to know and love. Subsequnetly, when the opportunity presents itself we will know in our "heart of hearts" that it was meant to be. This gives us tremendous peace.

I do like what you have suggested regarding taking care of tasks. I also feel that need right now. I have a long "to do" list that includes several items of importance that are outside the adoption process. One of the tasks at hand is helping prepare Nathan to be a sibling.

It is nice to hear such words of wisdom and encouragement. Thank you.

pkk

[Guest Paula L]

Yes thank you for your support and I have been spending my time on other tasks in hopes that it will make the time go by faster and it is working. It is nice to know that others are or have been in the same place as I am. The Lord does work in his own ways and if you keep your eyes open you and are patient will see what his plan is for you.

[linlacor 23]

Today I received an email from a guy I hired to work for me about 4 years ago. When I hired him, there was just something about him that I knew he was an exceptional person and without hesitation - my boss and I offered him a position that he was actually overqualified for but he accepted. He's since moved on to another company and shortly after hiring him, we moved to Seattle. We've kept in touch very intermittenly - about a year 1/2 ago, he asked if he could use me as a reference and he also told me he and his new wife were trying to have a baby. I then received an email from him after they had their beautiful baby girl and hadn't heard from him since. I guess I've always believed that there is a reason for everything - including the people God puts in your life...even if the reason is just a small one.

Today, I received an email from Jerry (the guy I hired) with a photo of his 6 month baby girl (who is so gorgeous!) and at the end of his mail, there is a quote although it doesn't reference who it is from so hopefully I'm not violating any plagerism laws here but I wanted to share it here. It couldn't have come at a better time as I am struggling so much right now with such an overwhelming desire to make our family a family of 4 and not 3 - but at this time, my husband just hasn't fully embraced that so we will wait and I'm just finding the waiting to be just as hard this time around as it was the first time around (although at that time, the circumstances creating the waiting were different - waiting because we needed to go through the infertility treatments before we could see that the way we were really supposed to create our family was through adoption...waiting because we had to do a lot of paperwork before we were accepted into Abrazo's adoption program...waiting because we needed our homestudy to be complete before we could even adopt our child, waiting for those birthmothers to find Abrazo and us, and then the hardest wait - waiting for Kayleigh's birthmother to decide for sure that the best thing for her and her child at that time in her life was to place her for adoption through Abrazo and into the arms of 2 people who feel so much love for their child that it is indescribable. I feel so ready to be a mom again - I feel we are so ready to be parents again - I know now that parenting a second child will not take anything away from our precious Kayleigh but will give her more than any material things ever could - and that the love between the 4 of us will be so much greater than any of us could ever imagine. I value my sisters so much and I often tell my mom how thankful I am to have them - I want Kayleigh to experience the bond between siblings and all that it entails - I just want this so much. But...Lance needs time to realize what I have finally come to see and I just need to be patient while he gets everything together and has the desire in his heart as I do.

Anyway, all that just to share this one sentence...but to me, this just came at a good time and maybe for someone else, it will as well.

Patience is the bridge that gets you from the will of God to the promise of God.

-Lisa

[marthaj 112]

RECIPE FOR JOY

PREPARATION: Find a bowl made of love. Preheat your spirit with faith and hope.

ADD: 2 cups of positive attitude.

SIFT FOR JOY ROBBERS: Fear, low self-esteem, anger, resentment and rejection.

POUR: 1 full cup of vision. Should be clear of any loose particles, like jealousy, envy.

BLEND: 2 heaping tablespoons of celebration and humor.

MIX: Stir the ingredients together with purpose

YIELD: A spiritual advantage that lifts you, sustains you, and brings you and those connnected to you to a place of increase.

(From the book "Who Stole my Joy" by Sandra Steen)

[Stork Central 1,114]

Here's something to lift spirits in need of lifting: A Message from God

[Jason and Kristen 0]

Thanks Elizabeth, that is wonderful!

Kristen

[Angie 0]

Elizabeth,

That was a wonderful message. Thank you sharing it with us.

Angie

[DrMom 1]

• When in sorrow.....................................call John 14

When men fail you.................................call Psalm 27

When you have sinned..............................call Psalm 51

When you worry.............................call Matthew 6:19-34

When you are in danger............................call Psalm 91

When God seems far away..........................call Psalm 139

When your faith needs stirring..................call Hebrews 11

When you are lonely and fearful...................call Psalm 23

When you grow bitter and critical.........call I Corinthians 13

When you feel down and out.....................call Romans 8:31

When you want peace and rest..............call Matthew 11:25-30

When the world seems bigger than God..............call Psalm 90

When you want Christian assurance............call Romans 8:1-30

When you leave home for labor or travel..........call Psalm 121

When your prayers grow narrow or selfish..........call Psalm 67

When you want courage for a task..................call Joshua 1

When you think of investments and returns..........call Mark 10

If you are depressed..............................call Psalm 27

If your pocketbook is empty.......................call Psalm 37

If you are losing confidence in people...call I Corinthians 13

If people seem unkind..............................call John 15

If discouraged about your work...................call Psalm 126

If self pride/greatness takes hold................call Psalm 19

If you want to be fruitful.........................call John 15

For understanding of Christianity...call II Corinthians 5:15-19

For a great invention/opportunity................call Isaiah 55

For how to get along with fellow men.............call Romans 12

For Paul's secret to happiness..........call Colossians 3:12-17

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ALTERNATE NUMBERS:

For dealing with fear............................call Psalm 347

For security...................................call Psalm 121:3

For assurance....................................call Mark 8:35

For reassurance........................call Psalm 145:18

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PLEASE NOTE: Emergency numbers may be dialed direct. No operator assistance is necessary. All lines to Heaven are open 24 hours a day!

[stennison 0]

That was awesome Elizabeth....

[mwalker 25]

This is wonderful, Elizabeth. What a great reminder.

And Dr. Mom, I was looking for that list a while ago. It was in our church newsletter and I lost it. Thank you for posting!

[marthaj 112]

From an unknown author:

"Angels sometimes block our paths because we are headed in the wrong direction."

Experiencing discouragement due to a delayed or failed adoption plan? Still "in waiting," and haven't talked with a prospective birthmother in quite some time??

Perhaps you went on a job interview for the "perfect job," just to find out that you weren't selected for the position. Or you've applied to the "perfect college," only to find out you didn't meet their criteria for admissions. Or you went out on a date with the "perfect guy," but he didn't call back as promised??

Maybe there is an unseen angel at work in your life right now!

Edited September 11, 2005 by marthaj

[weadoptedthree 10]

I found this saying on a plaque in one of the many, many catalogs I receive. I thought these were good suggestions on how to live. The plaque was called "Alphabet for Life". So here it is:

ACCEPT Differences

BE Kind

COUNT Your Blessings

DREAM

EXPRESS Thanks

FORGIVE

GIVE Freely

HARM No One

IMAGINE More

JETTISON Anger

KEEP Confidence

LOVE Truly

MASTER Something

NURTURE Hope

OPEN Your Mind

PACK Lightly

QUELL Rumors

RECIPROCATE

SEEK Wisdom

TOUCH Hearts

UNDERSTAND

VALUE Truth

WIN Graciously

XERISCAPE

YEARN For Peace

ZEALOUSLY Support a Worthy Cause

Just some food for thought. I'm going to try and practice these on a daily basis.