OUR HEART FOR ADOPTION


Lauren says:
Something that immediately drew me to Adam was his love for others, and not only others but children specifically. I loved that he genuinely enjoyed being around kids—all kids. Whether it was a drooling baby, wobbly toddler, hyper four-year old, or video game playing ten-year old, Adam loved to be around all of them. He always gets excited when he knows kids are going to be around and he is never too busy to kick around a soccer ball, wipe a dirty face, or participate in a friendly wrestling match. Countless people have told me how much he loved being around children and babies even from a young age, and it is hard to find a picture of him as a younger kid, not holding someone else’s child. His love for kids has always been genuine, and I know that nothing makes him more excited than the thought of having his own kids to be a dad to. Before Adam and I even got married he expressed time and time again just how important family was to him and how he could not wait to start our own family. We both loved the idea of adoption and discussed briefly the desire we both had to welcome a child into our home someday through adoption. However, we never dreamed it would be through hard circumstances that we would choose adoption first. Receiving news that it would be difficult for us to have children on our own was one of the hardest trials we have faced thus far. There were some very dark days where God seemed very far away and his plan seemed so unclear. However, one thing I love most about Adam is his heart for God’s Word and how he is constantly reminding me of God’s promises and faithfulness especially on the hardest days. He lead me back time and time again and reminded me of God’s goodness. I know that he is going to be an amazing dad someday, and I can honestly say that I hope our sons are just like him. For us, choosing adoption has truly been a ray of hope in the midst of cloudy confusion. It has been a source of joy and peace and we can say with confidence that the Lord has brought us to this place and it is through him that we have rest for our souls and hope for the future. One verse that captures Adam’s heart for adoption is Psalm 145:4 “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.”

Adam says:
If you've spent any time with my wife, you know she loves being surrounded by her friends and family, just laughing and having fun. This is one of the things I loved about her when we met—that and the fact that we both wanted a big family with lots of kids.  I pictured us together, surrounded by our kids, having lots of family game nights and lovingly picking on each other—all of them with her sarcastic sense of humor of course. So when we found out it would be difficult for us to get pregnant, it was hard news. It had already been a fear looming in my wife's mind for a long time, so when it became a reality it felt like the death of a dream. We mourned for days together. Another thing I love about my wife, however, is her strong confidence in God. After several difficult days and as we began to talk more about adoption, I saw the life start to flicker in her eyes again. To this point, the journey has not been easy but it has shaped us. We know its no accident that God put us together. Some might look at our situation and think God is cruel; with so many children being neglected and abused in this world, how could God give us this cross to bear? To be honest, we struggle with this thought at times, but we believe that this conflict we face is a small twist in plot in the grand revealing of God's great redemption story. We're honored and humbled to play our part. I look at the woman God gave me and think of all the children she has cared for already in life—family friends she used to babysit for, the boys in the Bolivian orphanage, countless children in daycare, and the kids she nannies now. When I think about them, I am excited to think that there some really lucky kids out there who are going to get to call her mom someday. One verse that capture’s Lauren’s heart for adoption is Ephesians 1:4-5, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—"

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