I'm not going to tell you that adoption is easy. It isn't. The process is long, and in many ways is much harder than being pregnant. There is so much uncertainty and waiting. It doesn't get easier when you bring your child home. There are hard days, more so in the beginning. And then somewhere, a couple of months down the road, you begin to see rays of light breaking through the darkness. One day you look around, and you realize the sad, sullen child you brought home with you has been completely replaced, renewed. Your family has changed, for the better.
Today I was thinking about Liesel's birth mother and father. I prayed for them. I haven't though much of them during the entire process, but God is changing my heart toward those people half a world away. My heart has been hard, so hard toward them. How could they abandon such a beautiful child? It's so easy for me to sit here under my umbrella of freedom and comfort and judge the decision they made almost five years ago. But having borne a child of my own, I know that the decision to abandon that child was one that was far from easy. God spoke to my heart today; He softened it with a simple thought. While I was thinking of this mother, I realized she must have really loved Liesel. How do I know this? Because although she abandoned Liesel, she left her at a hospital. She left her at the one place she knew her daughter would be cared for in ways that she couldn't. She left her in a place where she'd be found, treated, and protected. There are countless ways to dispose of an unwanted baby, but Liesel was left in a place where she'd have a chance, and I don't believe that was by accident. No, her mother loved her. She loved Liesel so much that she realized Liesel had needs far greater than she could provide for. She made the most loving choice she could, and chose to give Liesel away, knowing she'd never again behold that precious face. And that's exactly what I'm going to tell my sweet daughter, one day...when she's ready.
Adoption is all about hard choices and second chances. It's about unconditional love and sacrifice. When I think of adoption, I think of things that are good and just and pure. Families with open arms and open hearts, willing to go the distance to be Jesus to the least of these. I hope that in this season of giving thanks, you'll consider your place in helping the fatherless in our world. The truth is that we have been blessed with so much more than most people in the world. I hope you'll consider how to use the gifts you've been given to bless those whose one wish is simply this: a family. After all, this is the face of adoption.
beautifully written and love the photo.
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