Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Get off your buns!

So here's the deal. I was at church Sunday and while listening to the sermon (in between getting gum, making sure my phone was off, asking Mike what we were having for lunch, going to the bathroom, drawing daisies around the border of my program and wondering, "Was I with Lora when she bought Pastor Matthew that shirt? I think I was. Looks new. Looks nice. Was on the rack outside of the nail place. Mike can never fit into a shirt from the big and tall man's store.") I was struck, right between the eyes. Yep, the sermon applied. I HATE IT WHEN IT APPLIES! And I was probably going to cry. I HATE IT WHEN I CRY!!
You see, there has been this huge part of me, or part of us I should say, that we have been handling "the Johnson way". AKA not handling. Mike and I have felt so called to foster parenting and were so gung ho to bring that ministry into our lives, into our home, into our church, and were so on fire for it, and just like many things in life we've let the paperwork give us an excuse to let days, weeks, months go by without making progress in the direction we feel we need to be going in.
All I've had to do for a month now is schedule a first-aid / CPR class and get my cat vaccinated and we'll be pretty much ready to go. But when I get up in the morning and there's laundry to do and dishes to clean and girlfriends to play with...day by day it doesn't get done making me farther and farther away from finishing my goal.
Meanwhile our state (every state) is bursting at the seams for places to put children whose families are not safe for them to be with. These are the children my heart aches for. Bad. And I am not going to let paperwork stand in the way of God using our family to reach out to these children in whatever capacity He wants us to.
So folks, on Sunday I took a stand. No more popcorn and WifeSwap until my paperwork gets done. Friday Gus will get her shots and February 25th I'll become CPR/First Aid/ HIV certified. Nothing else is going to come between what my awesome God has planned for the next chapter of the Johnson household. Hang on tight...it's going to be quite a ride.

Tonight my child sleeps, in a womb or a home.
Are they scared, are they healthy? Sad or alone?
Please Jesus, hold them until my arms can,
and remind me that they too are safe in your plan.
I just wrote this little prayer thinking also of my precious friend Autumn and her Ethiopian baby coming SOON. I love you guys!

5 comments:

Erin said...

good for you Darbi! Adopting a child, fostering a child, those are such huge things to take on but such wonderful blessings for the children, and for your lives. Our thoughts are with you guys.
-Erin, Zakk, Abigail and Charlotte

Christi said...

That poem is awesome, Darbi!! I totally thought of Autumn too before I read the tiny print.

Autumn and Dan's family said...

Awwww, Darbi.
The paperwork and all those little details were so hard! I'm with you on that. I'm also with you on your journey. May it be a smooth, quick, happy, and peaceful one. Thanks for your comforting words. We love you and can't wait to see your family grow.

darah said...

yay! i'm so proud of you guys. and i know what you mean -- i hate it when things apply to me too.

on a completely different note, i think it's funny your cat and my daughter have the same name.
melissa has zoe and our cat is named zoe so i guess this might be a trend.

good luck this month!

{ erin } said...

you just gave me tinglies. Good luck! I think it's awesome that you want to be Foster parents. It's something we thought of, too (since I can't have any more babies and bc there are SOOO many kids who needs somewhere safe and full of love). Keep us posted, I'm gonna keep checking back!!