adoption

May 28, 2007 by Tricia Goyer 1 Comment

The Gas Pedal Test

Today I am sharing how the Gas Pedal Test taught me how to seek direction for God’s will in my life.

Real Life for me always means making minor adjustments. Sometimes they are adjustments we think about with great diligence. Other times they happen slowly, and we hardly notice them.

It reminds me of the conversation I had with my son, Nathan, years ago. I was driving down the road and he started asking me about the foot pedals. He wanted to know about the one on the far right, and I told him that it wasn’t really a pedal, just a pad for resting my left foot, while the right one does all the work.

Then he asked if it was hard to adjust my speed.

“No, I’ve been driving for so many years … and I suppose it’s natural now. I do it without thinking. I think ‘slower’ or ‘faster’ as I read speed limit signs, or take in the road conditions, but then my foot works without me really thinking about it.”

Then, I told him about the brake pedal. It works the same way … I’m used to the right amount of pressure to slow me down and bring my vehicle to a stop.

Lessons in Our Walk With God:

Aren’t we the same way in life? We read the signs, take in the conditions, and speed up or slow down. For example, if I notice one of my kids seems “disconnected” I may suggest a lunch date. Or, if an editor approaches me with a project, I may “speed up” my writing goals to fit it in. It’s part of our lives we don’t think about much often.

The problem comes, though, when we want things to speed up (such as publishing goals, potty training, adoption paperwork) and it doesn’t. Or when we want things to slow down (such as dirty toilets, kids’ activities, and the ticking clock) and they refuse to comply.

Life, it seems, isn’t as easy to control as a gas pedal on a car.

I was thinking about all of this, when I came upon two short verses in Acts,

“Then [Paul] began preaching daily at the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for the next two years so that people throughout the province of Asia–both Jews and Greeks–heard the Lord’s message.” (Acts 19:9-10)

For two years, Paul preached DAILY. That must have been a big challenge. Did he come up with a new sermon every night? Did he feel stuck … wishing he could move to another place, and wish the people’s acceptance would “speed up” so that he could move on?

Or maybe Paul wished things could slow down. That he could cut back to three days instead of seven. Did he lament that he didn’t have time to garden or bake like he used to? Or that he didn’t have a day when he could just kick back and do nothing?

I’m sure that both things could have occurred. Paul was human after all. What we do know is that people throughout the province of Asia heard the Lord’s message.

Here are three things I’m taking away from this today:

Three Things to Learn From The Gas Pedal Test:

1. Speeding up and slowing down should be the Lord’s business. If we are centered on Him, reading the signs He gives us through the Bible, prayer, the Holy Spirit, and the church, we should know how to adjust.

2. If we KNOW we are at the right speed, then the Lord’s message should be communicated through our words and lives. It’s Jesus’ directive after all: to spread the Good News and to make disciples. If we’re on the right track and at the correct speed, our lives should naturally be doing both.

3. We need to speak the Lord’s message to those who God brings to us. Paul was in one place, and the Bible says, the “people throughout the province of Asia” heard the Lord’s message. Obviously, this meant that the people came to Paul.

Who has God put in your life? Remember NO ONE seeks after God unless God is doing a work there. If God has put someone in your life who is seeking answers, do what you must to minister to that person.

This recently happened to me. A young mom recently called to tell me she’s getting married and she wanted to bring her boyfriend to meet my husband and I. It was very clear from our dinner and the conversation on my couch that this young couple was eager to be mentored and had open hearts to hearing about God. Seeing this, John and I knew what we had to do. We invited them to come over weekly until the wedding in August, just to talk about marriage and life and God.

John and I only had to make eye contact to know what we were both thinking. One look at him, and I knew it was okay to add this commitment to our lives.

And ever so gently the speed of our life altered. It was a small adjustment, but it was made with ease. Clearly, it was God at work and we had to join Him.

So, today, what is God speaking to you? Keep the pedal steady? Slow down? Speed up? Break? As you seek Him, I trust that You will know. As you use the gas pedal test the Lord will direct you. And the more minor adjustments you make, heeding His voice and adjusting the gas pedal, the easier it becomes.

Almost like second nature.

~Tricia

Adoption Update (plus video!)

At least 2-3 times a week I have people ask me how our adoption process is going. I have one answer: SLOW. There have been a number of unforseen things that have slowed the process down, and after a year we are still working on our dossier!

The latest hurdle was due to fingerprinting. My grandmother lives with us, and she had to get fingerprinted, too. Sadly hers didn’t work after two tries. (I told her it’s because she’s worked her fingers to the bone for 77 years!) The alternative was we had to get police reports for every place she’s lived. With that done, hopefully we can move on to the next step soon. We’ve mailed the reports in and now we’re waiting to hear.

The one thing God keeps reminding me is that He has a child in mind for us, and when she’s ready we’ll be ready.

In the meantime I’m asking for your prayers–mainly that we’ll be patient with God’s perfect timing. (I want to ask for prayers for things to speed up, but alas God’s timing is perfect, and I desire His will above my own.)

In the meantime, also please pray for all the little girls in China. Here is a video that someone sent me today. Get out the tissues!

August 31, 2006 by Tricia Goyer Leave a Comment

Homestudy

Well, I’m happy to report that homestudy went extremely well. It was painless, actually! And the more we talked with the social worker, the more excited I became. We will have another daughter, it’s just a matter of a little more paperwork and a lot of time waiting. (We’re looking at 1 1/2 years still!)

One cool thing is how this adoption process has helped us understand God even better. Every night, we have a time of Bible Study with our kids. We’re currently studying the first chapters of Ephesians. These chapters talk about God’s plan to adopt us as His own. About Him preparing a heavenly place for us. About our seat in the heavenly places.

Likewise, we have this child in our hearts . . . and she’s most likely not even born. We pray for her. We have a name for her. She is a part of our family. It’s a message that resonates in our hearts.

Thank you for your continued prayers. Next week I’ll be plunging in to the remaining paperwork, and then it’s time to start my next book project. At least I’m not twiddling my thumbs as I wait for our girl! Instead I’m diligently working at what God lays before me . . . trusting Him.

August 29, 2006 by Tricia Goyer 4 Comments

This Is My Life

Today, I don’t have time for a long post because in a few hours the social worker will be arriving to start the homestudy concerning about adoption.

For those of you who don’t know, my husband and I are in the process of adopting a baby girl from China. And this homestudy is another step closer in bringing her home.

Of course, I have to admit that this homestudy has unnerved me more than I thought it would. The 13-pages of questions was difficult enough, but the idea of a person coming into to study our home and life . . . well, it’s hard to put it into words.

So I’ve thrown myself into the only thing I could tangibly do–my house got a total cleaning. Every closet and drawer has been touched. My office, for the first time in months, actually looks like someplace where books could be written.

I know, you don’t have to tell me. Our approval for this adoption will not hinge on whether the clothes in my closet are organized by color and season (although they now are). In fact, as a friend told me last week, “If your life isn’t acceptable now, a week won’t make the difference.” She was right.

Still, what else could I do? John and I have put sixteen years into our life, our kids, our home. We’ve loved lots and we’ve attempted to follow Jesus. In the end that is all we can do. In the end that has to be enough. And my hope is that by focusing on our heavenly home, our earthly one will be up to par.

And either way, even the hamsters now have clean cages. And, I think I have a few more minutes to tackle the goldfish bowl . . .

April 3, 2006 by Tricia Goyer Leave a Comment

Running a Tight Ship

I had to laugh the other day at a comment my son’s friend made. As I buzzed around the kitchen directing the two 16-year-old boys as they unloaded the car from Costco, Cory’s friend said, “Yeah, things are a little more relaxed at my house.”

“Are you saying that things are uptight around here?” I asked jokingly.

“Nah, you just run a tight ship.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, because he was exactly right. Although, personally, I’d never put it in those terms before.

To me, running a tight ship means doing things right the first time. It’s working together as a family to help our home run smoothly. It’s also living with the mindset that we serve God, and not people, valuing His opinion above all.

Running a tight ship also relates to my personal goals, including my writing. At the start of every day, I consider all the things I need to work on, and then I seek God’s wisdom (though reading His Word) and strength (through prayer). I then narrow the lists and lists of things to do, down to my top five or six.

Today these include:
Write the next few posts for my guest blogger spot at God Allows U-Turns.

Brainstorm ways to launch my new website Unforgettable Stories of World War II.

Walk at least two miles.

Take my grandma shopping for a new chair for her bedroom.

Read at least two chapters in one of my reseach books for my next novel.

Try my hand at making homemade New England Clam Chowder for dinner.

Work on the next level of paperwork for our adoption. (Check out my Gen X Parents Blog to read our adoption announcement.)

Narrowing down my “goals” into doable steps works for me. So does trusting that God’s plan for my day, and my life, is perfect.

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you,” Isaiah 26:3 reads, and this underlying trust is the one thing that allows me to do all these things, to run a tight ship, with inner strength and joy.