which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity;
but which kindles up and beams and blazes
in the dark hour of adversity.
-Washington Irving
(My September Quote of the Month)
I cannot wait for October to begin. We have some very very exciting news to share in regards to happenings in October, but I’m going to wait until this weekend to let the cat out of the bag because I don’t want to jinx anything!
As I sit here this 1st of October morning, I thought it would be appropriate to leave my feelings about this past month’s quote (above) since I really didn’t have the chance to throughout the past 30 days. Washington Irving’s quote, “There is in every true woman’s heart a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity; but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity.” is one of my very favorite because I feel like I can relate to it and it gives me encouragement and power. There have times in my life when things weren’t going great and I needed to be more than I was… and somehow I was able (with the help of God) to rise above my normal abilities and do things I didn’t know my body was capable of.
I am still working on writing our journey to Ethan & Vienna and hoping to get it finished for them for Christmas. But this quote makes me think of that journey that no one but me and God really know about. There were several moments…perhaps the whole ordeal…that I was beyond aware of my weaknesses. I completely understood that adopting from Uganda was impossible and that I wasn’t going to be able to do it, but then something which can only be called faith and God’s encouragement told me I could. And that “heavenly fire” that Washington speaks of would blaze inside of me. And I would muster up more courage than I had inside of me and walk into another Minister’s office or court room and push the limits, and beg, and become down trodden, and then try again because I knew that little boy was mine and I knew God and his angels were behind me -even if it was “impossible.”
This “Heavenly Fire” is just not in some of us. It is in all of us. It is our connection to God and his genetic code inside of each of our souls. It gives us the courage to do things that we feel we cannot do. It’s part of each of our personalities and our beings.
I know each of us go through personal journeys that are unknown to others. Journeys that only you and God know about together. Yes, perhaps people know you are “adopting from Uganda” but the inward journey is personal. I try not to judge people because of this. We really never know what we are each going through. Our trials are our own and the desire and knowledge that we will come out the other side better than when we started is our Heavenly Fire.
I thank God for placing a heavenly spirit inside of each of us. He knows our journeys and He knows our destinations. I think He is more proud of us than we know and we would be overcome with joy if we knew all that He had planned for us individually.
Which brings me to my October quote.
But as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
1 Corinthians 2:9
