It’s morning. It’s tomorrow. And here comes the sun.

The view of the rising sun from my bedroom window this morning.

As soon as I awoke and became aware of anything, I felt it. The shadow of yesterday’s news has already passed! I am filled with peace after a good night’s sleep, and soft, whispered reminders of who God is and who we are in Him through Christ.

I opened my eyes to the beautiful realization that nothing has changed, and thoughts of a Christmas stocking. 

This Christmas stocking.

Lilyan’s Christmas stocking – ordered last year in faith, believing that she would come home to us in time for Christmas this year

And I cherished in my heart the miracles surrounding this stocking almost exactly a year ago, the memories of meeting our new daughter five months ago, and the excitement over the fact that this stocking will be hanging on our fireplace in just a few weeks now, along with seventeen others.

Nothing has changed. Everything God has planned for Lilyan still stands. Nothing, nothing, nothing can thwart that!

“The Lord of hosts has sworn:
‘As I have planned, so shall it be,
and as I have purposed, so shall it stand.’”
Isaiah 14:23

It’s not that I believe that God is necessarily going to prove the doctors wrong and give Lilyan a long, healthy life without that terrifying surgery. It just doesn’t matter now — because nothing the doctor said yesterday changes the plans that God already had in place when He brought her to us.

Nothing has changed! 

I trust Him!

I trust His plans for Lilyan and for all of our other children. The name Lilyan means, “God is perfection.” 

“As for God, His way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless.”
Psalm 18:30

I trust Him to keep His promise to carry us through any of the hard, yucky stuff ahead of us — no matter how much our hearts might break.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
Isaiah 43:2

We have Lilyan. He brought her to us. And we have today. He has tomorrow! 

I am free to sing and dance with my babies; to bake cookies with them; to discipline them and teach them about the God who created them, brought them home, and holds each of their stories in His hand; to live life just like we’ve always lived it.

Nothing has changed!

In my blog last night, I mentioned that we give each of our children a song when they come home. Lilyan’s song sums it all up for me this morning:

Long before you drew your first breath
A dream was coming true
God wanted to give a gift to the world
So He wrapped it up in you
Every step that you’ve taken
Every move that you make
Is part of his plan

You were meant to be touching the lives that you touch
And meant to be here
Making this world so much more
Than it would be without you in it
You were meant to be bringing
The gifts that you bring
And singing the songs
You’ve been given to sing
You are perfectly, wonderfully,
Beautifully meant to be
You were meant to be

Long before you took your first fall
And stumbled to the ground
God started telling the story of you to the angels around
Every failure and victory
Everything in between
Its all in His hand

You were meant to be touching the lives that you touch
And meant to be here
Making this world so much more
Than it would be without you in it
You were meant to be bringing
The gifts that you bring
And singing the songs
You’ve been given to sing
You are perfectly, wonderfully,
Beautifully meant to be
You were meant to be

Nothing has changed! All that was already meant to be as part of God’s perfect and beautiful plan, will still be.

“Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” Psalm 139:16

“But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.” Matthew 10: 30

“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” Luke 12:25