Hope Does Not Disappoint Us

My body aches. One day at a time has become one hour or, perhaps even, one minute at a time. I don't really want to share too many legal details on a blog but Matthew's adoption is being contested. He is certainly ours for now but in a couple of months he may not be. And, unfortunately, we don't have the kind of money it takes to fight. We've already taken out a loan to pay for the costs we've incurred and we haven't had a tough legal battle yet.

When I learned of all of this today, the following passage crawled into my head:

Romans 5:1-5
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

This is incredibly difficult. If you would please join us in praying for the well being of Matthew, we would be thankful. We would love it if you could share our story with people who might lift us up in prayer. Pray for Matthew and for Garrett. Pray for a peace that passes understanding. Pray, if you will, for our financial situation. We worship a God who is much bigger than our check book but, when a mother looks at the dwindling funds and then looks into her child's eyes, the anguish is almost tangible.