One look at my family and it should be pretty obvious that this topic is near to my heart. So dear, in fact, that we don't really need November to remind us...we celebrate adoption daily.
But it never hurts to stop and share a few thoughts...so here are a few that have been floating around in my head.
First, "orphan" is not my favorite word to use in adoption. Yes, there are a LOT of orphans and many of them are adopted into homes but not all adoptees are "orphans" exactly. That implies a lack of parents. My son never lacked in parents. In fact, he has an abundance! He went from one set of loving parents to another through an amazing act of love. My point:
- A young man walked up to my husband and me, shook our hands, and expressed his appreciation and gratitude for the journey we were about to take to raise his son.
- A young woman with tears in her eyes transferred a tiny little baby into my arms, said "I will always love him", and turned away so she wouldn't have to watch us leave with her son in our arms.
That boy was loved by parents from his first moment. He isn't an orphan. Ok, that was sort of my soap box moment.
Moving on.
Second, sitting in church on "Orphan Sunday", I wondered if it gets at more Christians to use that wording because of the whole idea of orphans adopted by God? I don't really know. What I would have liked to have said to our church family, and I may well ask to say at some point, is that you don't have to adopt to care for the orphans (silly idea...but you don't have to marry to care for a widow, so there). We needed (still need? may always need?) a huge amount of support to adopt. There were many places our church family at the time stepped in...financially, physically (fundraising is WORK, people!), and emotionally. In my mind these people were very involved in adoption even if they didn't take the child home (and a few probably would have!). I think a lot of Christians don't feel like they are in a position to take in a child so they do nothing but those are the extremes...just find an adopted or foster family and come alongside us. We all need it. Trust me.
Third, it isn't really possible to describe how I felt the day Isaac's adoption was finalized and he was forever a member of our family and I was forever his mom. I just can't wrap words around the impact of the judge asking if we were swearing to be this child's parents forever and then issuing the final "forever" verdict. Yet this is also what God did for us in adopting us into his family. Honestly, before I stood before the judge on finalization day I don't think I fully grasped the implications of adoption by God. Maybe it was just me, I don't know, but I almost think there isn't any way to fully grasp the adoptive love of God without adopting a child. I know that is most likely an oversimplification, and not everyone is going to adopt, but, man, if you are considering adoption....just know that it will have some crazy profound impacts like this one that you never even considered.
People say we changed Isaac's life, true enough, but no one gives quite enough credit to how much Isaac' changed our lives.
