We have had several people ask about our adoption lately, so
here is an update and my attempt to answer the FAQ.
**If you have any more questions about our adoption or
adoption in general, we are always happy to talk about it! We love talking adoption. And we have lots we could talk about, so just
be ready if you ask.**
Do you have a little
girl yet?
NOPE. We are around
#13 on the “waiting list.”
When do you think you
will bring her home?
I HAVE NO IDEA.
Really, I don’t. From the time of
referral (when you are matched with your child) to homecoming it is typically
about 8 months, but anything can change at any time. And, we don’t even have a referral. So, I have no idea.
How old will she be?
I HAVE NO IDEAish. We
have asked for a girl between the ages of 10 months and 4 years. It could be anywhere in that window.
Isn’t it really
expensive?
Well, YES. YES, IT
IS.
Do you have the money?
NOPE. But, praise the
Lord that we are almost 2/3 of the way to our estimated expenses! We still have a little over $10,000 left to
meet our goal. Thank you to all of you
who have given! We cannot say that
enough!
Are you excited to
have a little girl, finally?!
YES!!! but TERRIFIED would probably be a better word! Ha! We
have no idea what we will do with a girl.
But, God led us this way so He must have a plan to teach us. I am excited to learn.
Are the boys excited?
YES. They pray for
her, talk about her, draw pictures of her, and want to buy her things in the
store with Mommy and Daddy’s money.
Is the wait hard?
WANT THE HONEST, HONEST TRUTH?
Let me just camp out here for a minute or ten…
I can in absolute honesty say right now “no.” There are a couple of reasons for this, but
the primary reason right now is the LORD.
I feel as though the last few months God has overwhelmed me with His
sovereignty. My own personal study, the
lessons I have taught my small group, the discussions I have facilitated with
my Precepts class—in all of it He has a megaphone to my heart saying, “I know
and I’ve got this!” (I could talk your
arm off about this and show you verse after verse after verse.)
I have basked in His absolute authority over
EVERY.SINGLE.THING. in all of creation.
This has brought such comfort to me in the adoption
process. Yes, I am excited to have our
daughter home, but more than that, I am excited for what God is going to
do. And He is certainly working just as
much now as He will then. I know that
His plan is the best and He holds everything in His hands. He knows the exact right time and there is
nothing that anyone can do to thwart His plan.
After all, the Israelites waited hundreds of years for their Messiah,
yet God did not send Him “until the fullness of time.” And it was “at the right time” that Christ
died for the ungodly.
Beloved, He knows the right time because He invented
time. “My times are in His hands” (Psalm
31:15). He “holds my lot” (Psalm
16:5). “Does not he see my ways and
number all my steps?” (Job 31:4). He
knows. My heavenly Father knows (Matthew
6:8, 32).
God has shown me that He controls all things and He ordains
my steps. He promises that for those who
love Him, all things work together for our good, to conform us into the image
of Christ (Romans 8:28-29). I can trust
Him with the timing and the financial aspects of this adoption because He is
sovereign over all of it and He promises that He will work it together for my
good and His glory. What more could I
ask for? As Job said, “Who can contend with
the Almighty?”!
This is what He encouraged me with yesterday as I studied:
As a follower of Christ I know that God has control of every
circumstance (Daniel 4:35) and He has promised that He works ALL of them
together for my good (Romans 8:28). Therefore,
I should have no trouble being thankful in every circumstance (I Thessalonians
5:18) because God will use it for my good.
I can be joyful for the trial because it is perfecting my faith (James
1:2-4) and making me more like Christ (Romans 8:29).
I am so thankful that God’s Word is living and active! I am thankful that He speaks to me. I am thankful that He comforts me with His
promises and that I can rest in His sovereignty. This is no way makes everything in life
“easy” but there is joy despite circumstance.
Like I said, His sovereignty is the primary reason. There is also just downright practical. We have four boys that keep us busy. I am enjoying this time with them because I
know that when she comes home, our lives will be in absolute upheaval for an
unknown amount of time. And I do mean
upheaval. Having gone through this once
before, we know what we are getting into.
The first year home from Aiden and Asa was the toughest year of my
life. And trust me when I say that I am
not running to go back there. We know
that this time will be different, but we know that there are going to be many
sleepless nights, tantrums, absolute melt-downs, communication frustrations and
just plain ole adjustment. And there are
7 people who will be adjusting. It’s
messy and it gets ugly. In the spirit of
honesty, I am not “excited” about the ugly part. Adoption is hard. Beautiful and hard and absolutely worth it.
*****Disclaimer: There is a lot more pain in the waiting when
you have a referral. When you are the
legal parents of a child who is across the world and you cannot get to him or
her, it is much harder. Your heart aches
because a piece of it is in another country and you cannot do anything about
it. Your family is “missing” a
member. This does not nullify the
sovereignty of God. There are times
when you know something to be true, but just don’t “feel” it, and that is when
you have to lead your feelings in truth and try to reign in the crazy. There is cause for deeper trust in His timing and relying on His comfort
while you rest in His absolute goodness no.matter.what.
