The Fern and The Bamboo

A sweet friend sent this to me today.

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS I HAVE READ IN A LONG TIME.

GOD HAS GIVEN EACH OF US A JOB TO DO . IT MAY BE BIG(TALL) LIKE THE BAMBOO OR SMALL(SHORT ) LIKE THE FERN, BUT EVERY ONE IS IMPORTANT TO
HIM AND TO SOMEONE HERE ON EARTH, AND WE MUST EXERCISE PATIENCE.
 
 
The Fern and the Bamboo...
 One day I decided to quit...I quit my job, my relationship, my
spirituality… I wanted to quit my life.
I went to the woods to have
one last talk with God.
 "God," I said. "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?"
 His answer surprised me...
 "Look around," He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?"
 "Yes," I replied.
 "When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care
of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew
from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing
came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.
       In the second year, the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And
again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the
bamboo."
      He said, "In the third year, there was still nothing from the bamboo
seed. But I would not quit.
      In the fourth year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed.
But I would not quit.
      Then in the fifth year, a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared
to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant.
      But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had
spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and
gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my
creations a challenge it could not handle."
      He said to me, "Did you know, my child, that all this time you have
been struggling, you have actually been growing roots. I would not
quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you. Don't compare yourself
to  others. The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern, yet,
they both make the forest beautiful."    

 "Your time will come," God said to me.
"you will rise high!"
 "How high should I rise?" I asked.
 "How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return.
 "As high as it can?" I questioned.
 "Yes," he said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can."
 I left the forest and brought back this story. I hope these words can
help you see that God will never give up on you
 Never regret a day in your life.
Good days give you Happiness.
Bad days give you Experiences.
Both are essential to life.
Keep going...
Happiness keeps you Sweet,
Trials keep you Strong,
Sorrows keep you Human,
Failures keep you Humble,
Success keeps You Glowing,
But Only God keeps You Going!
 Have a great day! The Son is shining!
 God is so big He can cover the whole world with his Love and so small
He can curl up inside your heart.
  

We have NEWS!

Okay, I know the 6th frame is a dead give away.  We have officially started the adoption process! We are so thrilled to have another little Perkins running around this house.  The mountain to climb is huge!  The paperwork is a lot.  We are confident that God will lead us through it all.  I am just praying for patience, grace and the ability to multi-task.  Our new addition from China will be special needs which would be a heart condition, cleft lip or pallet or both, club feet, missing a limb.  We anticipate being through the paperwork process by November/December at which time we are counting on God to direct us to our new little one through a list of special needs children that comes out a few times a year.  About 5 months after we are matched, we will travel to China for two weeks to complete the adoption process.

The children are  thrilled beyond belief!  I am so thankful that they get to be a part of such a huge blessing!  My brother's adoption in 1994 marked my heart for life!  That adoption was the answer to a prayer I prayed as a little girl over and over and the blessing just keeps on giving:)

Some of you ask why? Adoption has always been very special to me. For one reason I mentioned above, my brother.  Also, when I was young our neighbors across the street adopted two Korean babies.    Their mother taught me how to care for their little girl and I would go over to their house and play with that baby until finally she had to go down for a nap.  Somedays I would get to rock her to sleep.  While I was rocking her I would wonder about where she came from and how she ended up in Utah.  She was so sick when she came from Korea and I could understand her life had been difficult.  Little did I know there was a Huge God out there setting things in place.  I believe there were many reasons we lived across the street from this family - the biggest is probably in China right now.