What If You Were The Plan?Sýnishorn

In 2012, Chad and I made our first trip to Addis Abba, Ethiopia. The destination was the America World Ethiopian Transition Home. This is a home where children who are awaiting adoption live to prepare for their new families. They are given healthcare, education, and a safe environment with adults caring for them. Most wait for their new parents to arrive for court and remain there until the paperwork is finalized. It’s temporary housing, but filled with excitement, hope and expectancy for what is to come. 

It’s a good work. 

It’s a life-giving work—one that exists only when people participate in the plan. From the conception to the construction, the staff, the supplies, the children, and the adoptive families—all of this results from individuals finding their place in the here and now, focused on eternity. 

Four of my children are a product of the Ethiopia Transition Home. We’ve been there to meet the workers and see their love for the children. Our kids were absolutely prepared for what God had for them as they walked off that porch into the unknown. And ours are not the only ones. 

One thing this demonstrates is that our time on this planet is very much like this temporary home. It’s where we learn, grow, and prepare for what God is preparing us for in the future. That means I cannot get too focused on the meaningless details of today. Those don’t matter. Not really. There is more awaiting us that has eternal significance. 

It’s also a reminder that life-giving works.  The Ethiopia Transition Home can’t bring the life without us. You and I must continue to be part of the plan for entities such as this one to exist. Maybe you are not going to show up on the porch to adopt four kids. Or maybe you are? You might know someone who wants to support an orphan or can travel on a mission to serve. 

Abraham waited expectantly and confidently in his temporary house. He understood what it is to look beyond the here and now toward what God is building in eternity. 

Maybe you don’t know exactly how that should look in your life, but today is a good time to ask. Pray for God to illuminate how you can be focused on eternal purposes while being a part of a life-giving work in your here and now.