Midweek: Lessons Learned in Adoption #2

As I mentioned last week, my husband and I embarked on this journey to form an adoptive family more than three years ago. We've learned some things along the way, and I'd like to share with you some of the lessons about adoption we were granted, lessons about spiritual adoption and that which we imitate here on earth. Last week, I focused on one, prayer. Today, there are a few. 

Adoption on earth takes time. There is paperwork --lots of it --and background checks, information disseminated, information received. You are asked to talk about your upbringing and some of your personal successes and failures. Having been parents prior to adoption, we were questioned about our past parenting methods and our relationships with our adult children. Why do you want to adopt? What do you know about adoption? What are your concerns about adoption? What types of special needs, if any, are you able to accommodate? (and there is a list --an extensive one!) In the midst of all of this, we had "life" to do. We were still caring for my mother, still working in and out of our home, still trying to lead our family. It seemed, every time we turned around, our agency wanted more. 

The Lesson: There are two. The first is, there doesn't get any "more" than the life of our Savior poured out for the sake of those God chooses to adopt. Despite His glory, despite our rebellion, despite all the other things He had to do, Jesus, King of kings came to earth to have His nose wiped, His feet dusty, and His body broken for us. He withheld nothing. The second goes hand-in-hand with it: level of commitment. For love and obedience, He faced not with ignorance, but with eyes wide open, the terror before Him, even praying there might be granted another way. For love and obedience, He allowed Himself to be publicly humiliated and punished. For love and obedience, He laid down His life. He was that committed, that He withheld nothing.  

Once the paperwork was done, once a family profile was completed, once a flyer had been designed --yes, they "advertise" perspective parents and children among different agencies at various events --once all of this was complete, it was time to attend some of those events. Our first and only, was almost two hours away. When it was over, the walk to the truck was marked by tears. What sort of child puts himself out there like that? What sort of child makes small talk with dozens of people in a day, hoping that one of those might be her new mother? How did we as a society get to this place? The hope and courage in each face I saw there moved me deeply. Somewhere, someone had instilled that in them; the hope that home exists and the boldness to move toward it, to leave all pretense and fear behind, and travel toward it.

The Lesson: But for the grace of God and the work of the Holy Spirit, there would be no one of us searching for a Heavenly Home or the Savior that made its availability possible. The Holy Spirit convicts us of truth and draws us toward our forever home. We are enabled not only to believe, but to act; not only to hear but to obey. We are vessels of His power, and according to His will, we can do things we would have thought impossible because we believe in those things we once thought impossible. I guess you could say this lesson is about level of commitment as well. 

As I mentioned, this was our first and last event. Before we had an opportunity to attend another, our agency "matched" us with a child. In other words, they had come across the flyer of a child they thought would thrive with us and connect to us. They made their recommendation to us, and we decided to meet him.

The Lesson: There is an invitation. How were you introduced to God? Did those who recommended Him speak truthfully, represent Him accurately? Did you accept or refuse the invitation? Have you continued to develop your relationship with Him, or did you meet Him, invite Him into your home, and forget all about Him? Unthinkable in terms of adopting a child or taking a spouse, right? What have you made of the invitation God has extended? Level of commitment again? Could be. Maybe there's a single lesson to be learned today after all.