Hey Readers,
Adam here. Thank you for taking the time to check out our
blog. We hope you’ll be blessed. While one purpose of this blog is to inform
you as to where we are in the adoption process, another is to give you a look
into our heads and hearts because you care enough to check in on us. So here we
go.
Last week, Lauren and I watched a documentary called Stuck. As part of our adoption, we’re
required to do training—read some books, go to seminars—that kind of thing.
It’s all about preparing us for the challenges we’ll face in parenting an
adopted child. As we watched, I was struck by how difficult it is to adopt from
overseas (which is not what we are doing this go around) and how great the need
is worldwide. My heart broke for the kids they showed in orphanages. Even if
the conditions were good, the film explains that kids fail to thrive unless
they have someone showing them affection and care. As simple as it sounds, kids
need human contact—skin to skin contact—in order to feel cared for. It is a non-verbal
love language that God has beautifully worked into the parent/child
relationship. Children’s brains actually fail to develop properly without this
care. It was amazing to hear how imperative it is for a kid to be held by someone. I found myself just
wanting to hold babies after watching.
As hard as it was to watch, the film made me excited to have
our own baby someday. My wife has such a huge capacity to nurture and care for
kids. It is something I love about her. And even when I was a teenager, I remember
thinking that it would be so great to be a parent, to have these little people
relying on you and looking to you everyday. It reminded of something I read in
the book of Ephesians recently. If you read the book, it quickly becomes
apparent that God’s father-like love is a main theme. In the first chapter Paul
writes, “In love, he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ…”
Paul goes on to explain the life of darkness that God has taken his people from
and the new life of hope and peace that he has brought them into through Jesus
Christ. And then he says, “be imitators of God, as beloved children,” or
another translation says, “…as dearly loved children.” I get the image of God,
as a father, holding his kids close because they need that close contact with
him in order to develop properly. It gives me another reason to be excited
about being a Dad—that I can imitate God’s love for his kids in the process.
This is a love Lauren and I will demonstrate to our child even before we get a
chance to explain it.
Thank you for reading.
Adam
Thank you for reading.
Adam