Only a jug

I think for so long I told myself what more could I do.  I already had a houseful of children and a busy husband.  I already felt satisfied in the balance.  I wasn't really yearning for change.   

Then I met Jesus anew.  And the Living Word spoke into my life and said to fill my water pitcher to the brim. 

For some strange reason, I didn't ask, "Must I?" 

Another servant of Jesus heard the same call.  Fill your earthen jug to the brim.  And that special servant who serves beside me, initiated obedience to the voice of Jesus.   When two servants go fetch the water, how much better than one alone?

Water fetching is difficult work.  I know this from my brother's personal accounts of the women and children in South Sudan who walk half a day to get drinkable water.  Balancing big containers of water on their heads is not only an art form, it is their only means of survival.  When water sloshes over the sides, that is one less life-giving sip for their family at home.

Knowing this I think I understood that water, so precious, is hard to obtain.   Adoption is like fetching water.  It is heavy, sweaty, tiring work.  We were more surprised than anybody that we willingly subjected ourselves to things we found wearisome like: physical exams, notaries, fees, financial statements, inspections, social workers, fingerprinting, paperwork and loss of privacy.   Jesus' voice does that; it made us foolish in the world's eyes.  We questioned our sanity too. 

Several times we had almost filled our jug to the brim.

"Almost" required us to redo 6 travel permits 3 times because of a government's whim and "almost" required us to go back and replace the water that sloshed out. 

I am writing more for my benefit than yours.  As you know, the almost turned into actuality.  We did travel the globe to fill our jug, we think it is pretty brimming.   I guess you might say we are now waiting for the return to Cana.  At Cana, Jesus instructed the servants to fill their jugs with water and then Jesus transformed the obedience into wine.   I have high expectations from Scripture that what Jesus initiates will always taste best in the end.   Therefore, bottoms up.   A toast is in order to the Winemaker.