Anyone who comes to our house and looks around can tell just how much I love stars. There is a star on the outside of our house, stars in the bathrooms, stars on the walls, stars on our candle holders, stars on our furniture.
And it doesn't stop there... a star hangs from the rearview mirror in my car, and I can be seen frequently wearing star necklaces or earrings.
I love stars.
And not only the decorative kind, the real ones, too. One of my favorite memories of Camp Luther where I spent time during the summers as a teen is stargazing. And now, there's nothing better than going out into the country on a clear night and looking up at the beautiful sparkling sky. It's pretty incredible to think about how many people have followed stars in their journeys. The Wise Men followed the star to baby Jesus, and thousands of slaves followed the North Star on their journey to freedom. Many times in the Old Testament, God promises to "make your descendants as numerous as the stars." When I taught fifth grade, one of my favorite Bible verses to post was Philippians 2:14-15: "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe."
I love stars.
When we received our referral, we were sent quite a bit of information about our son and his background. We read that Joel's birthmother named him Hwan, and that the name Hwan means shine. So? some might say. It's just a coincidence.
But we don't believe in coincidences. We believe in God. And this was just another affirmation of our belief that Hwan was chosen for our family.
Stars are beautiful, shining, miraculous. They lead and point people in the right direction. They show God's glory and power. They bring people joy and they challenge people to look beyond the ordinary. And we hope and pray that our son will shine like the stars to those around him.
3 comments:
He is precious! I love his name and what is means to you. Totally a God thing!
What a beautiful post! We have had so many of those moments where we just knew God was directing us on this path. I loved reading about your stars and his name, that had to be such a perfect moment when you read that in his referral information!
Hi Christine - so fun to meet you last night & see the photos of your little Joel, so precious! I love your story about stars .... my husband & I decided on Liana's name about 4 months before we traveled. Lian is actually Chinese and translates to mean 'graceful willow.' A year later, after she was home, I was doing some web research on her orphanage city and discovered that it was nicknamed 'City of Willows,' and there is a huge lake there where people vacation called 'Willow Tree Lake.' Not just a coincidence, but a sweet sign. Best of luck with your final preparations - keep us posted & hope to see you again soon!
Carol O'Rourke
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