Ornaments for Adoption: 3 Beautiful Sides of Adoption

Thank you all for your continued support of Ornaments for Adoption.

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Jan is another member of the church where Lee and I attend and Lee is the youth pastor. She also happens to be Kristen's mom. I posted Kristen's story last week and this week, I want you to hear the story from another perspective. 

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When I was a little girl my greatest dream was to be married and have children.  Through God’s blessing that dream was fulfilled when I married a special guy and through adoption we received two wonderful children. 

After eight years of marriage and no pregnancy we were advised by our gynecologist to start the adoption procedures.  We had no clue the paperwork or process involved for adoption but we will be eternally grateful for the process and spiritual growth that we experience through it.  It was amazing to see God’s hand in bringing our children into our home.  After months of home studies and paper work we were approved for adoption in May 1975.  The caseworker told us that it may be years before an infant would be available and we needed to just wait patiently.  God had other plans.  On December 5, 1975 we received a call to meet with the caseworker on Monday, December 7 to meet our son.  I knew the moment he was placed in my arms that this was the child God had brought into this world for us.  He was a precious 5 ½ week old, blue eyed little boy.  Perfect in our eyes!   He became our son the moment we set eyes on him.   Words cannot explain the immediate bond with our son and the joy in our hearts. What a wonderful gift from God!   He became a reminder of the special gift God gave all of us on the first Christmas Day when our Savior was born in a manger.  God’s only Son – a gift for me – a gift for you!!!!  The blessing of being able to adopt a child is the first beautiful side of adoption.

I have to add that part of the home study included telling us to teach this child that it took more love for his birth mother to place a child for adoption than it would have taken for her to keep him.   It is a selfless act.  We do not use the term “give up” in connection with adoption because everyone knows that a child lives in the birth mother’s heart forever. A birth mother places a child for adoption.  What a sacrifice for the birth mother and WHAT a GIFT for us! 

After three years, we decided we would like to adopt a second child.  In the spring of 1979, adoption proceedings started for another child.  In June of that year we were blessed with a beautiful, curly, blond, 14-month old little girl.  Our joy was multiplied.  Our little girl’s transition to her new home was effortless because she loved and idolized her BIG brother from the beginning.  Once again we were the recipients of another birth mother’s selfless act.  We are eternally grateful.  Life at this point was pretty near perfect!!!

God was shaping and molding our family in a lot of ways during the years that our son and daughter were growing into young adults.  One of those experiences happened when our daughter came by our home one Sunday after church to tell us that she was pregnant out of wedlock.  WOW!  This could not be happening to us.  We turn to our Heavenly Father for love, support and direction for our child and for the child she carried.  At the age of 19 our daughter moved back home pregnant with our first grandchild.  We had such mixed feeling during this time.  Another sweet life created by God, being carried by our daughter.  God would once again make something beautiful in His timing.  My daughter and I bonded during this pregnancy in ways that could have only come from God.  I was able to experience pregnancy up close and personal.  It was very difficult when she decided to place her little girl for adoption but once again God’s love strengthened us for the journey.  That little girl still lives in our hearts.  This is the second blessing of adoption. 

Adoption brings its challenges that are diminished by the blessings.  Children are one of God’s greatest blessings on earth with the greatest responsibility.  Parenthood is a blessing, an opportunity to share a home and love that can make a difference in a child’s life, a home and love that can point a child to the Love of God and a relationship with Him.   

Our adoption experience was a blessing and a wonderful reminder of the blessing of our adoption by our Heavenly Father.  Ephesians 1:4-9 tells us “Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes.  God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ.  This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure.  So we praise God for the glorious grace He has poured out on us who belong to His dear Son.  He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins.  He has showered His kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.”  Our adoption by God is the third and most beautiful side of adoption. 

To GOD BE THE GLORY, GREAT THINGS HE HAS DONE!!