I can't even count how many times I've thought about our kids' birth days. I wonder what those 2 days have been/will be like. Overwhelming. Prayers extend to Ethiopia for our little ones...
Today, I stumbled across this friend of friends' blog. I thought this post was poignant and inspiring. Enjoy...
Happy Birthday, Son
[my 'life' tattoo from John 10:10
This week has been a fairly reflective Passion Week, following a rather uneventful Lenten season. Today, something about the resurrection struck me differently than it has any other Easter Sunday: the end justifies the means. The resurrection made the cross worth it. Jesus defeating death made the suffering of the cross worth bearing. The victory of the empty tomb healed his wounds. Joy. It was a horrible way to get there, but Jesus did it.
Today I was praying, surrendering again our adoption journey...the suffocating time line, the list of unknowns, the years of having an empty baby room, the confusion of these months on the wait list, the wonder of "gotchya day". And once again, in a way only the gentleness and power of Jesus can do, I was struck by how the end will be worth it. And not just the end of our "gotchya day" when our 2 little Ethiopian kiddos will become Diaz's, but the end of this life. In a moment, I got crystal clarity again about the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth through our adoption process. Once again, the means to having a family became worth it...oooh, embraced even.
Thank you, Jesus, for the power of the cross and what it accomplished. But thank you that you were able to defeat death. Otherwise, the means would have never been worth it. You are good to unpack the resurrection in a thousand different ways to your children.
I've had a few conversations recently about the value of telling the whole story, not just the happy-ending, final product part of the story. Our story in starting a family is a long story. Dramatic. Painful. Multi-layered. Providential. Scary. Hopeful. Devastating. Years of story. How sad it would be to only tell a part of the story.
Our babies will also have a long story. Their story will mainly include Brian and me as their parents, but will also include a chapter of abandonment, loss, grief, new country and language. The months and years of their story that leads up to them becoming Diaz's matters, too.
In the wise words of a few friends, your WHOLE life story is valuable because God's written all of it. He has never once left them or abandoned them. He's been a part of their story since conception, and will continue to be even in our home.
I promise to say "yes" to the whole story - theirs and mine.
GENERAL DISCLAIMER: The views expressed on this site are April's alone and do not represent the views of any ministries or organizations in which she is affiliated. (I'm told this is important to say.)
Coaching and training leader to their fullest potential. Author of a youth worker book. Available for speaking to teenagers, youth workers, women, and churches.
