Sweet, sweet baby girl left our home this morning. The drop off went really well. Her Mom and Grandmother were there to receive her. I am at peace.
God really has done a number on my heart since adopting our son. He has shown me in so many ways that this has nothing to do with us. It is all about the children. Don't get me wrong, when you love and let go there will be some hurt. But God is bigger than our pain and is there for us to run to for comfort. We are just so blessed that He allowed us to be a part of Baby J's story.
Russell Moore had a great blog post this week here that really helped me keep a proper perspective. This doesn't just apply to adoption, but to foster care as well. He say's
"Love of any kind brings risk, and, in a fallen world, brings hurt. Simeon tells our Lord’s mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, that a sword would pierce her heart. That’s true, in some sense, for every mother, every father. Even beyond that, every adoption, every orphan, represents a tragedy."
So true. But LOVE is what we are called to do. I want to be honest with you all here. Fostering was a tragedy that we learned mightily through before we adopted our son. We thought we could save the world and that the only thing that mattered was love. We were naive and did not establish appropriate boundaries for ourselves. We truly overestimated our capabilities. But once we refocused and allowed ourselves to admit that we had limitations, we were free to love and be loved and to serve these children well. He talks about the commitment by saying:
"We need a battalion of Christians ready to adopt, foster, and minister to orphans. But that means we need Christians ready to care for real orphans, with all the brokenness and risk that comes with it. We need Christians who can reflect the adopting power of the gospel, which didn’t seek out a boutique nursery but a household of ex-orphans who were found wallowing in our own blood, with Satan’s genes in our bloodstreams."
So we move forward into the next chapter with eyes wide open and a heart tied to God's command to care for orphans.
Look at that pretty little head! <3
ReplyDeleteI LOVED that quote from the article. It's hard to think about and even harder to live out.
We are about to move on to our next chapter as well, and I have been fooling myself as well, just like you did. My wave didn't hit after the visit, though, but before. I have been trying to pretend like our Princess is soooo naughty that I'll be relieved when she is gone, but any foster parent knows the truth of it. It's hard to say goodbye, whether they are with us for weeks or months or years.
Praying for the child that is on his or her way to your home in the coming days!