Scott and I have what I consider to be three sets of children. I had my children in my twenties. As I recently began going over some of my journals from those early days of motherhood, I see what appears to be the boundless energy I had at the time. My children benefited from all of that get-up-and-go which today seems to have got-up-and-went. I met Scott's children when I was in my forties, two decades (!) after I'd had my two. Scott and I cared for them together. They benefited from the remaining energy we had and the wisdom we gained from years of trial and error in our own lives. Enter, almost two decades later, our youngest. Hers, his, and ours, right? And I often marvel at what we have to offer him, even at this later stage.
Adoption was not something that was on my radar when my husband suggested it. In fact, years before, we'd watched a movie based on an adoption story. Scott enjoyed the film but didn't seem to embrace the idea as something we could or should do. I began praying for God to change his heart and did so for years. As time passed, our lives became full of our children's activities and the joy of grandchildren; I stopped asking God to move us toward adoption. Then the words came, Do you think we should adopt? Let me just say, this could be one of those stories where God fills an empty space with things other than what I'd originally hoped and then, just when I was ready to kick back, enjoy all I'd received, He gave me my original request. What joy! What love lavished on His daughter! This could be that story. But when my husband posed that question, my response was a resounding NO! I was done with the adoption dream. I'd retired. I was A-OK teaching and writing and doing all those things I'd been looking forward to doing. Besides, what could two old fogies offer a young child? Did he really want to go on his class trip pointing out to his friends the two senior citizens who were his parents?
BUT GOD. He doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called, right? God made it happen. In His time. Two decades or three, it wouldn't have mattered. When I look at our calendar and see just about every day earmarked with some activity --his or ours or both --I see the grace of God. God at work in our life doing what we cannot do on our own. (Willard) The progress this child has made, the peace that has come to be in our home, the wisdom with which we have handled some difficult situations, the trust this precious boy has for us and the trust we have that God will provide, the energy to say Yes when our child is seeking to be a child, and the love that has developed among people who, less than three years ago, were complete strangers --God. He is worthy of all the glory! And when I hear our youngest say things like You've got more trucks than Carter has pills! --well, that's me. I take full responsibility.
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