“O Lord, You have heard the desire and the longing of the humble and oppressed; You will prepare and strengthen and direct their hearts, you will cause Your ears to hear, to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man, who is of the earth, may not terrify them anymore.” (Psalms 10:17, Amplified Bible)

            Seven-year-old Juli smiled as the bus driver unloaded her wheelchair. Pushing her toward the house, I listened as she told me details about her school day. They focused primarily on her new best friend, Michele.

            I met Michele one day while volunteering at the school. Her mannerisms were solemn and she appeared uninterested in the other children. Few words passed between us, but a  perceivable longing within her spoke volumes.

            Michele’s parents enforced rigid rules that hindered the girls from socializing much outside of the school setting. Juli has cerebral palsy; she is no stranger to rejection from other children and occasionally adults. This appeared to be one of those situations. My parental instinct wanted to step in, to shelter and protect my daughter, But something in Juli’s response—tenderness for her friend—prevented me from intervening.

            During the summer we learned that Michele was a foster child. To our dismay she was moved into another foster setting. We were told we would never see her again. I realized how difficult the circumstances in Michele’s life had opened Juli’s eye to see Michele’s need for a friend. Motivated by this revelation, I prayed, not sure about what to do next.

            From the beginning God’s hand was recognizably involved in reuniting us. I learned through Child Protective Services (CPS) that Michele was a victim of severe neglect and abuse. After a lengthy attempt to rehabilitate her biological parents, the parental rights were evoked, placing four children into the states care.

            I could not understand why the door did not open right away for us to bring Michele permanently into our family. Within my heart burned a vision of taking her in. I found my “mothering nature” frustrated. The Lord led me to Habakkuk 2:3 (Amplified Bible), “For the vision is yet for an appointed time and it hastens to the end [fulfillment]; it will not deceive or disappoint. Though it tarry, wait [earnestly] for it, because it will surely come; it will not be behindhand on its appointed day.”

            My initial contact with Michele was always through her case worker. Occasionally several months would pass by without any contact with her. During those periods I grew anxious with concern until I rendered the situation to God, throwing up my hands in surrender. This was the lesson He was teaching me—the process of surrendering. When I acknowledged Him as the caretaker to our relationship with Michele, the doors opened and we were united again.

            Often I questioned if my efforts to influence Michele in a positive way were fruitful, especially when returning her to her foster setting after a lengthy visit. My evaluation of her progress was based upon my perspective, what I thought I should be seeing. But God’s perspective was different.

            When I took my eyes off Jesus, in stepped depression and feelings of inadequacy. The Lord encouraged me to press forward, to stop limiting Him by what I saw and to exercise my faith. When I ventured too close to the point of giving up, He led me to Galatians 6:9 (Amplified Bible), “And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.”

            After seven years of sponsoring Michelle, my husband and I became her foster parents—the first step to her adoption. Preparation for her adoption included reading her case history, The records revealed that almost immediately after her biological parents lost rights, God brought Michele into our life. So as Michele reminisces about the different people and foster settings (there were many), I remember them too.

            Several years have passed since Michele became officially ours. Looking back, I understand why it was essential to trust in God’s wisdom and timing. While I perceived the years we had to wait as unproductive, God was silently preparing my husband and me to become Michele’s parents. At the same time, Michele developed bonds of attachment and trust with us. If I had forced my will upon my family, ignoring God’s preparations, the challenges we encountered after she moved in, would have torn our family apart.

            Instead of destruction, my family walks under a covering of blessing. We recognize the privilege God has given us. It echoes through the house while my daughters laugh, fix each other’s hair, and on occasion complain that her sister is being a is bother. It reflects through the eyes of a young woman who found herself a home—a family—but most importantly, a God Who lovers her.

MY FRIEND GOD
By, Michele

A very large part of who I am,
And what I can hope to be,
May be found in the fact
That You are here,
In the lessons that You’ve taught me.
You taught me to listen. You taught me to care.
You taught me to laugh, to love and to share.
You taught me that I’m never defeated,
Until I give up and no longer try.
To taught me to know that one man’s joy,
Is another man’s reason to cry.
You taught me that no one’s perfect—
That no one always wins.
And that everyone falls short sometimes
And everyone sins.
You taught me that You’re always here,
That you care when I feel pain.
You taught me that there, with every loss,
Lay the seeds of a much better gain.
I remember when I first reached out to You.
Then I felt my torment end.
I will always be grateful, always give thanks,
To You… my God… my Friend.