Watching God do incredible things through CJ and Andrea's adoption back in 2014 when they were in the adoption process was an amazing privilege. They are family who deeply loves God, deeply loves one another, and deeply loves adoption. I asked Andrea if she would share some reflections on adoption for the blog today and I'm so glad she was eager to do so. Enjoy!
My husband and I never planned on adoption. Some people are born knowing. Some people know at a young age. Some people know early in their family planning that adoption will be a part of it. This was not us. We had one child. Then two. Then three. And they were perfect and wonderful and beautiful, and they completed our family.
But God thought not. God whispered in my ear within a few months of #3 making her grand entrance. And after I ignored that whisper, he yelled it loudly. So my husband and I prayed. For over two years, we prayed. And through many lame excuses and a whole lot of doubt, God pursued us relentlessly until we gave him our yes.
In the adoption process, there can be a lot of fear; so many unknowns. And so much that was out of our control. So we wanted to control what we could, and that meant a closed adoption. Neat and tidy. I think God face-palmed in that moment and sighed. What an amazing opportunity to pour out the love of Christ, and we rejected it. But He worked on us and in us, and by the time we were filling out the paperwork, we were on board with whatever situation God sent our way. And He gave us Levi and his beautiful birth mama.
We have a semi-open adoption. We have met her once, but once was enough for us to love her. We communicate only via the agency. And I think it is crazy that we ever thought we wanted a closed adoption because our hearts long for more. What a gift she placed in our arms. And, with a few years of parenting under her belt, she knew how her heart would break. When we walked away with Levi, my heart broke for hers. In those moments, my emotion was not wrapped up in the sweet child God had given us, but in the sweet sacrifice that she had made. I was filled to overflowing with a love for her, basically a stranger, who was now and will forever be entangled in our lives.
When I think about our adoption, I do not see our perfect little family blessing a baby in need, but rather a strong, courageous woman blessing a family in need. Because, though we didn't see it at the time, we needed Levi. We have learned more from him than he will likely ever learn from us. And for that, we are eternally grateful.
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