A Journey through the Desert

Like most people, on January 1 this year, I flipped my calendar to a brand new year with a clean slate and vowed to read through my Bible and loose those pesky five pounds that taunt me each time I get dressed.  2018:  A brand new year - plus this was the year we'd #bringJennyhome!

A friend who happens to be a travel agent had sent us a calendar magnet with her company's logo:  Embrace the Journey.  "What a perfect mantra for this year!" I thought as I put the magnet on our fridge next to Jenny's picture and a list of practically completed steps of the international adoption process.

The Journey to Jenny has been filled with hills and valleys, and along with my self-improvement resolutions, I added a desire to truly embrace our adoption process with all of my heart and soul.

Little did I know our journey was about to head into the desert.  Literally...you all just saw that tumbleweed blow past, right?  

Moses famously led the nation of Israel on a similar journey through the desert.  As I'm progressing through the life of Moses in my Bible study time, I've come to what many people believe to be the driest, most boring book of the Bible:  Numbers.  But hear me out - the parallels are fascinating!

Numbers is the account of a 2 1/2 week road trip through the desert that ends up taking more than 40 years.  Sound familiar?  (Not that our journey has taken 40 years yet even though it feels like it to us, but it's lasted a lot longer than we anticipated when we set out).  Contrary to popular belief, Moses wasn't lost in the desert because he failed to ask for directions.  On the contrary, he and the entire nation of Israel were actually following God.

God had a plan for the Israelites during those 40 years that they "wandered" in the desert.  The Promised Land was their ultimate destination, but along the way they were learning to follow HIM.  They moved when he moved and stayed when he stayed.  3500 years later, Heaven is our ultimate destination, and this life on earth is a journey to get there.  This is where we learn to follow God, move when he moves, and stay when he stays.  

Back to Moses.  Ultimately his story ends just outside the Promised Land.  That's right, he didn't even get to complete the journey because of one seemingly trivial mistake he made in listening to God (ref:  The Waters of Meribah, Numbers 20:8-22).

Poor Moses!  It doesn't seem fair, does it?  Often what happens in life doesn't seem fair, but that's usually because we only see part of the picture.  Life on this earth is finite.  Our lives, even Jenny's life, are but minuscule specks in comparison to the wonderful, glorious eternity that God has planned for those of us who believe in Him. 

And you know what?  Moses did make it into the promised land.  It wasn't in his lifetime, but Jesus himself brought him there 1500 years later.  Mark 9:4:  "And behold two men were talking with Him, and they were Moses and Elijah."  I can only imagine Moses' reaction when he appeared on that mount with Jesus and Elijah.  He had finally made it!

Viv's journey includes embracing the puddles!

In much the same way, we know one day we will complete this journey to Jenny.  We still have faith that it will happen in our lifetime on this earth, but even if it doesn't, we know that Jenny will always be our daughter and when we find her in heaven, it will be a truly wonderful family union!