In a perfect world, one before the fall, there wouldn’t be adoption. In the very beginning in the Garden of Eden, it was just the Father and His children, walking together in the cool of the day. Perfect intimacy. Deep friendship. Just a Dad and His kids.
Photo by Sophie Brendle Photography
And then the kids wondered if He was really all they needed. We know the rest of the story, Eve ate the fruit, and the relationship between the Father and His children was broken.
Adoption starts from brokenness.
My brokenness. That looked like an empty womb. Month after month, year after painful year, of seeing negative pregnancy tests. It was failed infertility treatments and a really broken heart and tired body.
Her brokenness. Seeing a positive pregnancy test without the capacity to give her baby what she knew was best.
But, what the enemy steals from us because of the fall, the Father always restores. He always wins. Every single time. Adoption is at the very heart of the gospel. Strangers, far away from the heart of the Father, brought near into His family as sons. Orphans without hope or future, now sons with inheritance and a new last name.
You should know, adoption is when brokenness and hope collide. When redemption rain begins to fall in the desert of pain. It’s when beauty rises up from the ashes of each of our stories. And a little baby that begins as a stranger becomes my very heartbeat.
You should know adoption is messy.
It isn’t all rainbows and butterflies. It’s getting stares in the grocery store because my family doesn’t look like yours. Or that time the little boy at the park asked my son why his mommy didn’t have skin like his. It gets messy when I try to explain to my three year old, once again, that she didn’t grow in my belly.
But adoption is really beautiful when I got to watch my son’s face light up when he told the little boy at the park that families don’t have to look like each other to be families, they are only built by love. It’s so beautiful when my three year old sees a pregnant belly and reminds me that although she didn’t grow in my belly, she grew in my heart.
You should know adoption is hard.
I’m so honored to be over at The Nashville Mom today. You can continue reading here…