Jeff and I were so excited to get to see Steven Curtis Chapman in concert last night. Over the next few weeks you will read more on this blog about our journey to adopt Eliza. As you hear our story, you will see the critical role SCC played in our adoption of Eliza. I believe that God spoke to us through SCC at his concert four years ago. All that to say, we would not have missed this concert for anything.
I have to say that over the past five months not a day has gone by that I have not thought about and prayed for the Chapman family. I am sure all of you know the story of their daughter Maria going to heaven. As a parent, I can imagine no tragedy any worse then the loss of your child. My heart physically aches each time I think about their story.
I was not surprised that as soon as Steven walked out on stage, I literally got chills, my eyes began tearing up and my heart began thumping out of my chest. If I had been standing on that stage, I would have run to hug him and tell him how sad I am for their loss. The first fifteen minutes of the show, Jeff and I pretty much cried through. Steven and Michael W. Smith sang some amazing praise songs and Steven talked about his loss and how the family is coping. He did sing the song, “Cinderella” and he added these words to the end…
“the dance will go on”.
Steven knows that Maria is up in heaven, still dancing, and waiting to some day dance again with her daddy.
It was a wonderful evening and I wish so much I could explain more clearly to you all that was said and sung so beautifully.
As I sat there with tears streaming down my face I thought of several families. I would like to ask you to please join me in praying for them over the next days and weeks. I realize this is my “work” blog and for some of you this might feel a little too personal. However, God has been very clear with me that I am to share this with you and ask you to join me in praying for these families.
A family with four extremely young children. The precious mom just found out she has cancer. She is travelling now with her family to see doctors in another state. Please pray specifically for her fight against the cancer, the pain she might go through, her children who are too young to understand, her husband who is balancing family and work, and her doctors wisdom in treating her.
A family whose third child is about to be born. The prediction is that he will not live but a few minutes. Please pray for the mom and dad who are both hurting so deeply. Please pray for their marriage and their decisions over the next few weeks. I will be photographing the baby when he arrives and will keep you all updated on baby Noah.
A family whose marriage is on the rocks. There is no doubt that it is extraordinarly hard to have three young children and keep your marriage strong, fresh, exciting and fun. People make mistakes, trust gets broken and it is so hard to repair. Please pray for this marriage, for these three little ones caught in the middle and pray most of all that God performs a miracle and they are able to move forward, mend things, and love each other again.
There are so many other people who need prayers but as I sat at this concert, praising God, these three families kept going through my mind. Have a wonderful Sunday and enjoy this nice crisp weather!
