The Beauty of Adoption

 

February 2003: Playing with my babies at the Baby House in Russia--at this point we are waiting until our court date to finalize the adoption. We could only visit the kids each day--they couldn't come live with us in our hotel. We were sad about that, but we probably needed the rest--there wasn't much sleeping after they were officially ours.

 

In honor of today being Orphan Sunday, I thought I’d put a picture of my youngest two children during the time they were both legally still considered orphans. Although it’s been almost 10 years since then, it's still so clear in my mind how the act of stepping out in faith and in spite of our fears changed who we were. I trust God in a way I had never had before the adoption; my faith had not been tested so hard. I believe Him differently than I did before the adoption; He showed Himself worthy of putting my absolute belief in Him during that journey, even when it didn’t make sense. I love Him differently than I did before the adoption; once they put my children in my arms and I felt the love flow through me—the same, exact love I felt for my two biological children, I had a small idea of what God did for us when He called each one of us to be His very own—adopted heirs with His own biological Son, Jesus. Really, God? You love me like you love Jesus? How can that be? Ahhh, but I have an idea, because my love for my children is the same. The same! I’m so glad God allows us to participate with Him in His plans!