Adoption is...growth

I believe adoption has helped me to grow in ways I never even imagined.

When we started this process we were rather comfortable with our lives. We were in our mid-thirties, had 2 teens, 2 cars, a nice house, good jobs, went to church. We were ....comfortable.

From that first night at the SCC concert when God showed us adoption, we changed.

Who knew we would set out to take on the General Assembly in our state? I have never aspired to be political...ever... and I sure wasn't sure how to 'talk the talk'. I just knew that we were supposed to do it, so we did. The day before I was to go to Richmond to testify we found that I was to go alone, D couldn't come. Can I just tell you I was petrified! I cried like a little girl thinking about driving to Richmond alone and testifying before the general assembly...alone! ALONE???!!! hhhmmmm

Growth point # 1. Nothing we do, is done alone. God showed up big, he put someone in place that I knew in Richmond who worked the 'process'. She got me in doors, introduced me to people, showed me around, sat with me. I was not alone.

We got our referral, got to Ethiopia and met N. He cried. He didn't like us. He didn't want to have anything to do with us. He was spirited and strong willed. He was beautiful, but didn't think we were.

Growth point #2. Things don't always go as we imagine. In retrospect we realized that he was/IS one smart cookie. He knew we were there to change his life again. He had only been there for 2 months. He had settled in, knew his way around, had friends, was a favorite...he had seen his friends leave. Of course he didn't like us. It's not as we imagined, but showed us so much of the personality that we would come to both love and be challenged by, daily.

Ethiopia is a place that gets into your heart. Gets into your soul. We had travelled before. Been to Europe. Thought we were well travelled. Nothing prepared us for Ethiopia.

Growth point #3. Life is so much bigger than we are. We have been shown how spoiled we are. The thing about this point is that when you get back here to the states, this point becomes less clear. We are surrounded by "stuff". So much stuff. We forget about those 5 yr old children we saw herding cattle and carrying water. Those children with no shoes...and tiny ones with no pants. Why IS that?! He's been showing me this concept right here in my back yard recently.

Choosing to adopt E has been growth in ways we are still learning.

These 3 points have lead me to the most important growth point...

Growth point # 4. We can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us. There is almost nothing I can't do any more when I involve God in it. I can co-lead a mission trip, I can run a 10k race, I can change g-tubes, I can give IV's, I can live through humiliation when I am told my child has to leave a daycare, I can love with the heart of Christ, I can stand before the general assembly... I can take on this new job if I am given the opportunity...because I am not alone, things don't always go like I plan them, and life is so much more than ever thought it was.

The funny thing is that "I" can't do any of it without Him.

Adoption is His plan, it's His heart... whatever He saw in me that gave him the idea to let me join Him in this plan, I will never know, I am however eternally grateful!

Life is better than good!