a piece of my heart

I have so much I want to share but so little time to blog right now. We had a big weekend (hopefully pictures will follow soon) and then a busy few days getting ready for our Liberian refugee family to arrive tonight. I woke up this morning thinking about the family and all they've likely been through and about trusting God's goodness when it's hard to see. Then I started thinking again about the song that we sang in church two weeks ago. I hadn't heard it in a while. It goes like this:

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful 
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out 
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering 
Though there's pain in the offering 
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out 
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

As we were singing the other week, I had an overwhelming memory of singing this song at Grace (NJ) while we were in our adoption process. For those of you who were around then, you'll remember that it was a crazy time... a long wait, a lost referral for Moses and Saturday, Garty being hospitalized and near death more than once, another long wait. I remember singing this song with unstoppable tears streaming down my face, trusting God's goodness but wishing to see it more clearly. Nearly two years later, the floodgates opened again as I sang "blessed be your name" with my 3 beautiful kids standing next to me, but now I cried tears of joy. We weathered that storm and are now enjoying God's great blessing. It won't be the last storm for us. But the truth of these lyrics doesn't change no matter where we are in our journeys. It's as true for the 10 Liberians we will meet tonight as it is for us... and for you. I hope that today we will all choose to bless the name of our good God.