He ran into my arms one year ago...

It's another family day for the Harding team! One year ago, a little boy that we had been matched with for over a year, was sitting in a director's office in Shijiazhuang China. He was playing quietly on the floor, dressed in literally everything he owned. His lamb pajamas, a pair of jeans, a brand new jean jacket, and his shoes. Shoes that were at least two sizes two small, with no laces, and the left one ripped which made it fall off with most every step. I pushed away two giant pieces of plastic that covered the door, and I saw him. The orphanage director stood him up, and in an instant he ran into my arms with a glorious "MAMA!" It was a gotcha day like I was never expecting. It broke me into a million pieces. It still breaks me each time I watch the video. He had waited so so long, until we one day were there.

Writing about my Asa is so so beautiful, that I am crying thinking about it right now. In the adoption world, Todd and I literally hit the JACKPOT with this little guy. How he came to be a Harding is only the work of The Most High, and reflecting upon it brings me to my breaking point, in a thankful, and humble way. Asa's file was never supposed to come to us. We had not checked his special need on our "accepted needs list." But OUR plans NEVER THWART the King of King's. His file was was for a little boy with Cerebral Palsy, and Microcephaly. Todd and I remember mulling this over, and over. Could we handle this? What would his medical care look like? How severe were the needs? These things were real issues to us, and they were scary. That was until I got a clear, and undeniable word in the Scripture that he was in fact OUR SON. Regardless of his needs, God made himself abundantly clear to Todd and I that we were to go get him. So we said yes, knowing that whatever came with him, we could adapt and overcome. I do have to say, our fear fled in the instant we said yes. I mean not one ounce of fear. We just knew.  We had to change our special needs form to show that we would indeed accept a child with his diagnosis. Now, fast forward through the one whole year he has been home....

My Asa Josiah, has been an absolute DREAM since he has been home with us. He is literally a child FILLED with joy. All day, every second. Nothing, and I do mean nothing steals it away. Even when I had thought in my heart of hearts I had stolen it. Several times. We wake up to smiles and squeals of joy, every.single.day. We get "HI MOMMY!!" and "HEY DADDY!!", a boy who hugs and kisses, leaps with joy, snuggles with brothers and sisters. He is so gentle, kind, obedient. He makes everyone who meets him smile. Everyone. I'm not even exaggerating. He is so so smart. He has just seized each and every day he has been with his family. Oh how God knew what we needed. Throughout the two years we waited to get both Asa and Selah, the one verse I clung to and had plastered throughout my house was Psalm 27:13-14 "I BELIEVE that I shall look upon the GOODNESS of The Lord in the land of the living! Wait for The Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for The Lord!" 
And, I wish that I could stress enough that He is so faithful, and so so good! I watched His goodness unfold right before our eyes with Asa.

He has a completely unknown past. We will never know what his birth parents named him. We will never know what day, or what time he was born. We will never know how much he weighed, or how tall he was. We will never know why he was abandoned. We will never know where he was found. Only our Abba Father knows. Only He knows while Asa was being knit together in the womb, what great and mighty things a little boy so full of joy will accomplish for His Name and His Renown! On October 19th, 2014 Asa became a son, a brother, a cherished child, and he was named forever. This not so little 4 year old boy has completely wrecked me on the inside. Asa has shown me the dark side of my sinful heart like nothing else on this earth has. He has brought me to my knees in crying tears, begging for forgiveness for my dark, selfish, soul. And I am GRATEFUL. Do you hear me. Grateful. Nothing has grown me and challenged me more this year as Christ follower, than walking out His Gospel, every single morning as Asa & Selah's Mommy. I feel so privileged that God has allowed me to be the one to experience joy upon joy from this little one. I think to myself what I will tell him one day when he begins to question his most vague past. I don't really get sad about the story anymore, because the true story is that even though it started out not so great, The Great I AM knew him and made a way for him. But in some weird way, I think Asa already gets that. The heart of The Father is already beating in that little one's body. I really just get to stand back and watch it unfold. What a beautiful seat I have!! I pray that one day his birth Momma will know what an incredible treasure he really, truly is! She won't ever know this side of Heaven, but what a party we could have if she knows Jesus Christ!

To close out this little update on our beautiful boy, the cherry on top of the whole thing is our boy has no special needs. He is a perfectly healthy, normal, little guy. He doesn't have anything that his file stated he did, which truly never mattered to us anyhow. When we gave God our yes, it came with no conditions.  Asa's true and only special need, was a family.