The Hope of Adoption

Have you ever dreamed of moving to a new city, state or country? I have, but I have never dreamed of doing that without any choice as to where I’d go or who I’d live with. I doubt many of your dreams include those uncertainties either.

That scenario has been on my mind lately; not because I want to move, but that is what our 8 year old son and a 10 year old daughter will do.

My future children are living in a country that they have known their entire lives, and speaking a language they have heard from birth. Their perceived comfort and love are the people and routines they consider normal. They know what society (whether good or bad) expects from them. Don’t we as humans find great comfort in consistency of the daily routines of life?

I am sure as they learn about their new family, they will have fear and anxiety about this adoption. It is likely that if they were given a choice, they would rather stay in the comfort of the known than to be adopted into a family of unknown. This is what makes this adoption hard.

Cindy and I have no illusions of arriving in China and having our son and daughter throw their arms around us and tell us that they love us. We don’t think they will be overjoyed by the idea of being adopted. No. Most likely, we will arrive to see them crying, full of fear. They will probably have to be pushed in our direction and might turn to a social worker or government official and cling to their arms and not ours. It will take weeks and months to build trust with our newest children. There will be plenty of crying, sleepless nights and moments of doubt throughout this process, both for them and for us.

We do not need them to understand just yet why we have adopted them. This may take years. We expect this be hard work, but to love is always hard work. This is something that Cindy and I are honored and joyful to do because we firmly believe in and serve a God who has done the same for us.

Adoption is woven throughout the story of redemption in scripture. Throughout history, God’s adopted children have over and over again wanted to return to a perceived comfort of the known instead of trusting Him as loving Father (Think Israelites. When hardship came, they wished they were still slaves in Egypt rather than facing the trials of the wilderness.) Lovingly, God continually reminds His children that He will never leave them.

That is our goal. No matter how hard this adoption is for us or our children, we want them to know that there is nothing they can do that will change our love for them. They might never accept us as parents, but our love as parents will never stop. Showing the unconditional love of our Father is our greatest desire. We pray for the strength to do this very thing.

So, come what may, joy, happiness, hurt or pain. We will always love them because He has taught us He has always loved us.