Tuesday, September 15, 2009

If Isaiah hadn't come


Isaiah is leaving the Andersen home today. It's bittersweet. We're super sad for us because he has become a part of our family. However, he's going to stay with family and be with his youngest siblings and we're excited for that. We've known for a couple of weeks that this day was coming and so we've done our best to prepare our hearts for it. I'm sure the days to come will show that this is easier said than done :) I've been thinking about how different our lives would be if Isaiah had never come to our house and so this is probably more therapeutic for me than interesting to you but either way, here it is.

If Isaiah hadn't come to our house:

I would not know what a low-cut haircut is or how to give one

Cadence would not have gotten a crash course in how to share - and learned the lesson well!

We would not have seen the book "wild at heart" played out in our lives on a daily basis because nothing is more fun to Isaiah than rescuing Princess Cadence

Our guest bathroom would not smell permanently like pee from little boys trying to get it in the potty (and missing more often than not)

We wouldn't know songs like "Victory is Mine" and "I got a praise"

I would still think that all kids like fruit

The lesson of a foster child who is away from his family and everything he knows and yet can bow his head at every meal and sing "Thank you for my blessings" would have been completely lost on me

Thank you, Father, for bringing Isaiah into our home. For teaching us that child-like faith and praise is the sweetest thing you ever created. May you continue to grow him into a mighty man of God who praises You in every situation that life throws at him. Guide him, protect him, and draw him to Yourself wherever he goes so that even if we never see him on this earth again, we'll all sing "I've got a praise and I've got to get it out" together again at Your feet In Jesus name, Amen


5 comments:

Chris and Christa said...

Oh I am so sad Isaiah is leaving. He is such a blessing and your blog brought tears to my eyes!!

The Lourceys said...

We will definitely miss him. I am praying for you guys today. Love you!

mama said...

I feel he brought a miracle into our lives when your dad saw past the color of his skin to the sweet little boy he is! He is precious and touched us all.......God has great plans for his life!

Elizabeth Bradley said...

Ashleigh... this is probably my favorite blog post ever. I love that you shared with us what you're processing through. With each email update you've sent, I've cried and prayed and cried and prayed some more. And with this post too.

I'm glad it was therapeutic for you, but know that it was most certainly interesting for all of us! I'm praying with you that Isaiah will always have a heart full of praise to God... and because I only knew Isaiah via skype, I'm looking forward to one day meeting him face-to-face in heaven. :)

We love you guys and are blessed by the way you have loved Isaiah!

relying on God said...

sounds like blessings were going both ways in your lives. What a story of God's awesomeness!