Adoptions, every single one of them in my experience, are hard faith work. It's no small thing for a child to be taken from a place of being fatherless to being placed in a family. It's a tangible, earthly example of the way God chooses each of us, not because of what we have to offer but simply because He longs to love us and show us how good He is. We have an enemy who will fight long and hard against the world seeing that kind of beauty. And yet, thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere, the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.
I have to be honest. I find it a bit hard to celebrate when I know how many children are still waiting for a mom and dad to love them...when I know how successful large organizations like UNICEF have been in recent years at stopping international adoptions. Yet, God calls us in everything to be thankful.
And there is much to be thankful for. Recently, I hung these photos in my office. They are photos of families who have brought their children home from Liberia in the past year. They are a good reminder to me daily that God is a god of miracles, that despite all of the loss and heartache, God is still moving and still redeeming lives.
One of the photos is of three children who are still waiting to come home. They are a good reminder, too. I have hugged these children and talked with them and carried notes back to the US for their family for them.
Would you celebrate with me even while we continue to pray for God to work miracles, to continue to show the world what a beautiful thing it is to be chosen and loved, not because of what we have to offer but because of the goodness of the one who loves?
