We have so enjoyed the bird feeder that my parents gave the kiddos for Christmas last year.  Often Darling Daughter fills up the feeder.  Our birdies are little piggies so it gets filled often.  One day she spilled a lot of the seed on the ground next to the feeder.  It was a bit frustrating but we figured the birds might just eat it off the ground.

Well, an amazing thing happened.

The birds fertilized the seeds (a.k.a. pooped on them) and soon we started to see lush green growth springing up….

 Sunflowers!

We had been watching them for awhile hoping that indeed they might be sunflowers, and today they bloomed.

It reminded me that God can take the poop of life, the hard things, the unexpected, the accidents…and bring beauty out of them.  He somehow, miraculously, redeems what seems impossible, unlikely.

As we KEEP waiting to adopt, God reminded me of this.  All is not lost, our wait is not in vain, this time of uncertainty is not stagnant- He is at work.  He is producing beauty out of hard stuff.

In unlikely ways, He causes grace to spring up.
In unlikely places, He reminds of what He has promised.
In loss, He grows.
In grief, He fertilizes– to produce something new and different in the midst of emptiness.

Isaiah 61:1-3

New International Version (NIV)

(from biblegateway.com)

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,

    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3     and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.

 I think this song (Beautiful Things) from Gungor sums it up (click and enjoy):

Thanks God.
You, True Artist.
You, Who Can Turn the Upside Down Right Side UP
You.
Who never sleeps.
Who has it all under control.
You who keeps giving and giving.
You who cares more about my heart than I understand.
I love You.