"Is he yours?"

Yes, I have already been asked this question. I was putting Abraham and his car seat in a grocery cart when one of the grocery store employees came over to offer me some help. Clearly, I haven't finagled a car seat into a shopping cart in quite some time, so I appreciated her help. When we were finished, she looked at Abraham and asked, "Is he yours?" I said, "Yes. Thanks for your help, " and walked away.

I've known for some time that people are going to ask questions and have been through training and preparation for how to respond, but it still threw me off. Later, I thought of all the sarcastic responses I could have given. "No, is he yours?" "Why, what have you heard?" And so on. I also began to wonder if she thought I stole someone's baby. Should I start carrying his birth certificate around everywhere so I can PROVE to others he is mine?

But if the positions were reversed, I would probably wonder the same thing, or just assume he was adopted or that he was being baby-sat. The difference is that I wouldn't open my mouth and ask a complete stranger if the baby with them was "theirs". Do some people just lack the gatekeeper that prevents odd thoughts in their brain from popping out of their mouth?

Initially, I didn't think such questions or comments would bother me, but that was when Abraham was my son in theory. Now he's here and he really is my son. Not just in theory or on paper, but in my heart. So, to be asked, "Is he yours?" was, well, hurtful and insulting, even if was just an ignorant question.

So, all this also got me thinking about my relationship with God as His adopted child. "Am I yours?" How often do I question my worth and value as God's child? I know Abraham and I will always be faced with the question of "Is he yours?", but I pray that he never questions that for himself. That he always knows He is first, God's and second, mine.