The Lucky Ones

We were at a restaurant last week when a lady saw us with Abraham and asked if he was adopted. We told her he was and so she asked, "where from?" We told her, "Ethiopia". After that, she got pretty weepy-eyed as she extolled our decision to adopt him and how lucky he was that he was given the chance at a better life. She really went on and on about how lucky Abraham was that we had "rescued" him. It began to make us feel uncomfortable, but we just politely nodded our heads at her until she finished and left.

Later, Scott and I were talking about this encounter and we felt the same way about it; that WE are the lucky ones and that we don't ever want Abraham to feel beholden to us for "rescuing" him. I am very much aware of the life that "could have been" for Abraham as I got the chance to see some of it first-hand. But there are also lives that "could have been" if we didn't now have him in our family. What joys we would be missing out on!

Though Abraham entered our family differently than Caitlyn and Jacob, I am just as privileged to be Abraham's mother as I am to be Caitlyn's and Jacob's mother. I don't think God added Abraham to our family just to "rescue" him, but to bless our family and to give us a chance to witness God's providence, strength and glory in ways we hadn't before. We had to rely soley on Him to provide patience during the waiting process, peace as doubts entered our minds and finances as we certainly didn't have the money to bring Abraham home. And now, I have the privilege of teaching Abraham about Jesus, praying for his salvation, and seeing what great things God has in store for him...and for us!

In the final hour before we went to get Abraham from the orphanage, the orphanage director at Hannah's Hope, Almaz, said something I will never forget. She said she wished adoption wasn't a necessary thing. Her prayer is that these "jewels of Ethiopia" might someday not need to be adopted and taken away, but can stay and be a light to their home country. Wouldn't that be wonderful! Again, it reminds me of our own adoption into God's family. There was a time when adoption wasn't necessary; when God and man walked side by side in the garden. Then came the fall so God had to make a way to redeem us and adopt us into his heavenly family again.

Making this journey into adoption has taught me so many things about God's faithfulness to us when we are following His heart's desires and not our own. We talk about what a mighty God we serve and how He is our provider and our Rock, but until recently, I hadn't really given God the chance to be those things; choosing to rely on my own strength and resources. God has truly shown me that, when we follow Him, there is NOTHING He can't do. EVERYTHING on earth and in heaven is His. God's heart is with the orphans and He will move mountains to bring them to their earthly homes. I pray that more Christians will take a step of faith and adopt; knowing that God WILL provide the strength and the resources.


Goofing around.