I started writing this several days ago and planned to post
it yesterday. But life, as we all know
happens around us and the best laid plans are sometimes waylaid by the demands
of the moment right in front of you.
On August 5th, 2015, 2 little boys walked through
our door and joined their sister who had already been in our home for almost 2
weeks. You see, the day we got Virginia,
we witnessed a scene that we now know was very familiar to our kids—familiar
but painful beyond measure. They were
being separated from each other. Taken
to different homes, and not knowing when or if they would see each other
again. Sadly, there were two more
sisters that had gone to a different home and contact had been lost. The tears that July day were sharp and painful. They begged for the adults in this situation
to not put them through this again. Separate them again. Tear them apart from each other. Nothing is in their control and they knew
that better than anyone.
Norm and I had plans.
Those plans did not include adopting 3 more kids. But God, in His wisdom redirected our path,
tugged at our hearts, and took us to the deepest of oceans, the barren place in
the desert, a place where we realized our life was not in our control but in Gods. I would be lying to say it was easy. It was not.
We had already adopted 2 children and raised the 4 born to us, so some
would say we should have been prepared, wise, and confident. The exact opposite is the truth. Any parent of more than one child will attest
to the fact that all children are different—so much so that sometimes it feels
like with each new one we get totally different creatures!
So today I reflect back on the last year. We have had times of triumph, days of agony,
moments of doubt, seasons of success, pain, hurt, heartache, compassion, trust,
fun, tears, joy, laughter, and finally love.
That love birthed a family—there was already a family in this place but
with each child, we entered a deeper dimension, a fortified faith, and a powerful
promise.
For me, anniversaries are the perfect time to take a step
out of the whirlwind of life that I am living and really reflect and evaluate progress
and growth. What a year! The change in all of the children in our home
is remarkable—drastic even. What have we
done in the last year?
Worked hard
Played harder
Built trust
Introduced them to God
Taken multiple family trips
Attended camps
Watched old movies
Tried new foods
Established routines, boundaries, and rules
Experienced failures that spurred us to success
We adopted them and they adopted us.
We have had 365 days together. They had 2434 in in the foster care
system. We can never erase those first
years of their life. But working
together, we can change the story. Their
story started sad and got worse and worse over the years—but today, their story
is changing. We can never go back and
erase any of our stories but there is something about adoption mirrors our
relationship with God. With every birth,
there is promise but at some point someone’s sin enters our story—it may be our
own or that of others and it takes us away from the promise. With adoption, the promise is restored, hope
returns, and relationship is transformed.
Change is rarely easy—even the good ones. For me, fear of change is the
paralyzing factor that keeps me from the finest rewards that God may have for
me.
Ephesians says:
“For this reason I kneel before the
Father, from whom every family in
heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with
power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your
hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may
have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and
long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to
know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure
of all the fullness of God. Now
to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,
according to his power that is at work within us, to him
be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever
and ever! “
Each one of us on our own or even together
cannot accomplish the full measure of what God can accomplish when we turn it
all over to him. He has given me
immeasurably more than I can ask or imagine—when I walk by faith, step into
promise, and seek to do His will. I
never imagined that I would parent 9 kids but God had it planned and He has
ordered my steps. So when I struggle and
feel overwhelmed and without the energy to keep up with my life, I hope I can
look back on this year and recognize the hand of God and remember it is not me
that brought me to this place, but Him.
And I will continue to step by faith into deep waters and unknown
forests without a map or a lifeboat and resolutely grasp how wide, long, high,
and deep is His love for me and it is all for His glory! Because I see it in the faces of my children.
