Reversal of Destiny!

A Reversal of Destiny!

I encountered a reversal of destiny on June 11, 2012 at apx 8:20pm.  Pretty specific, I know.  The thing is, I know exactly the date and time because it was one of my regular bible study meetings with my Princess Posse.  I know the time, b/c every other Monday we watch a video from 7:30-8:30pm and this particular week, my reversal of destiny occurred in the last few minutes of the video.  Pretty sure I will never ever forget that moment.  The Princess Posse is currently studying the Book of Esther with Beth Moore as our virtual leader.  If anyone were to ask me “Who is your mentor?”-  I would be quick to respond that Beth is certainly one of mine.  Although I have never met her in person, it feels as though we have been lifelong friends.  You may be thinking weird…but I can tell you I have heard many of my sisters say this same thing.  When we are doing our weekly homework, we can literally hear her talking as we read the words she scribed on the pages of our workbook.  This woman has no doubt discovered her God given talents of writing and teaching.  I have learned so much through her teaching that I have decided to teach myself.  I use that word VERY loosely b/c my group knows best, I hate the pressure of calling myself their teacher.  It’s more like a facilitator to me.  But nonetheless, yep, I lead the Princess Posse every other Monday night as we dig through the pages of the living word that has for sure, no doubt, changed all of our lives.  If you want to know why in the world we call ourselves princesses- read more HERE.


 

  I love when people pose the question “How in the world do you study, or better yet, understand the Bible?”  That question has a very simple answer…you study it.   You don’t just read it one time to say you did it.  You don’t just flip it open randomly and read a few verses and hope that will put some pep in your step for the day…although, this may just work sometimes, you have to have the desire in your heart to actually WANT to learn.  (1^st Corint 2:14, Prov 9:10, Prov 3:5) I almost want to repeat that line, because I can’t tell you the times I have heard people, particularly non-believers, say they didn’t understand the bible, or better yet, talk about how contradicting it was.  One thing they may not understand is that the Bible tells us that it is only for believers and seekers.  If you want to understand the Bible you must FIRST ask Jesus to be your savior and maybe even ask Him to help you understand as you study.  All that said and done, you must actually take the time to study it! (Acts 17:11, 2^nd Tim 2:15)  It is kind of like learning math.  When we first learn math as a child and our teacher teaches us that 2+2=4 we don’t just go “Oh, ok great!  That must also mean 3650/7=521.”  We must take baby steps, study, gradually add on, review, and test.  Then eventually we can recall without looking or using our fingers what that basic 2+2=4 formula was.  Some of the more complicated problems may require pencil and paper or heaven forbid…a calculator!  Often, the people who doubt or don’t understand are going off of what they heard from someone else- well, we all know how this works in day to day life! I could probably write a whole blog on how to study the bible and actually learn, but for now for the sake of loosing you I’ll just say a great place to start is by doing a Bible Study.  Imagine that? J Typically, they consist of about 4-8 weeks worth of homework along with a weekly video.  I recommend doing it with a small group because it not only holds you accountable, but it is imperative to have discussion to share your ‘a-ha’ moments and also discuss your questions.  Questions are GOOD!!!  The human mind is wired to seek- that is how we learn!  Can you imagine if Thomas Edison, Harrsion Ford, Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak, or the Wright Brothers would have never sought in their life? You can pick up a Bible Study workbook online or at your local Christian Bookstore.  For us Princess Posse- we LOVE us some Beth Moore.  Some of my other favorites are Margaret Feinberg, Priscilla Shirer, Jennifer Rothschild& Kay Arthur.  Feel free to reach out to me for suggestions on where to start or with any questions…now let’s get back to my reversal of destiny.

So on that Monday night, I was giddy like a school girl.  I felt in my heart it just might be MY TIME.  The reasons behind the why are for a whole other blog entry of itself, but for the cliff notes version- there has been a specific verse that has followed me through these past two years as we struggled with infertility.  However, the second half of the verse was relevant to when it would be MY TIME to fly like wings on Eagles.  (Isaiah 40:31)  The next morning, Tuesday June 12, 2012, I received confirmation that my intuition was correct- we were in fact having a baby!  We were elated, a bit shocked after all the turmoil, testing, doctors visits, “monthly NO’s”, tears, trials and re-directed steps over the past two years.  We were knee deep in the domestic adoption process waiting pool.  We had publicly shared and networked on behalf of our desire to adopt.  And just like that…He gave us a reversal of destiny.  A few things that I have learned from that Esther bible study I was referencing above include- God will re-direct our path whenever He feels like it and whenever He sees fit (Proverbs 16:9).  We NEVER write our own story no matter how hard we try.  HE calls ALL the shots.  His timing is always perfect and never delayed…He may miss a few opportunities to be early, but He is never late.  (To all my women out there that are still waiting, go ahead...holler amen right now!  Know also that I am praying for you too!)  Sometimes God calls us to a place and a time for a season in our life...and then just like that, redirects our path.  For me, this one gave me a huge amount of peace because I had no doubt that while we walked down the adoption path for a season in our life,  it was not for nothing.  We got to speak to many folks and answer a lot of questions to a lot of people and learn a ton about an incredible process that is so important in this world.  I have nothing but love for the orphans in our world and the families that take this path.
Finally,  He wants to give us a story that shows “THAT HAS TO BE GOD.”  Well for goodness sakes, I believe we are there Houston!  As you can see from some of my previous blog post...this journey of infertility has not been easy, so I think it is safe to say it's Him :)  We had prayed and listened and walked down the adoption path, all the while in my heart I was repeating “Your will, not mine…Your will, not mine” because I knew, he knew, that I still had a desire on my heart to have another biological child.  But my desire for His will in my life trumped the desire of my own heart.  Not every day...I am only human.   I do my very best, and make a lot of mistakes along the way, to live my life for Him.  I do my best to be a momma that shows my daughter how to always love on God and to recognize His Agape Love for us in our lives daily.  I do my best to share with my husband what I’m learning so that he too can learn and grow. I do my best to walk the walk and not just talk the talk.  I do my best to live with a motto that our God is a God of love.  Hence why I am so elated that  our due date is on Valentines Day... a day full of  LOVE!!   He is always faithful.  Always.  I mean, you can not make this stuff up! Yes, there is a lot of pain and agony in this world.  Sometimes I feel we will never appreciate the good if we didn’t experience a few bumps and bruises along the way.  Not to take anything away from the gift of life, but this pregnancy is already completely different than my first.  I have longed for this pregnancy for over 24 months so now that it is finally here…I cherish it so much more.  I’m not eluding that I will love this child any more or less than Kaylee, I’m just being honest that I bring on this pregnancy with a heart full of smiles!

The timing of this Bible Study was not ironic; once again, it was all perfect according to His plan.  I saw a verse that Monday night that set me on top of a mountain.  While on top of that mountain, I clung as tight as I could to His truth literally putting on the Full Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) many times a day knowing that just as easily as He gave us this baby…He could take it away as well.  So we prayed, we prayed like crazy!  I asked for prayers and I praised God during my fears…knowing our God is not a God who places fear in us, so if I praised him during my trials the evil one just might leave my little mind alone!    I am thrilled to have learned about the  "Reversal of Destiny" and about “chiastic structure” via the Esther Beth Moore videos.  Chiastic structure is inverted parallelism.  In other words, it is a reversal of structures to emphasize an overarching point.  I praise God for our chiastic structure of Reversal of Destiny J