National Adoption Month

With November being National Adoption Month, I felt as if this would be a perfect time to share how my heart was moved, a long, long time ago, for the orphaned children of the world. So many friends and families have asked us over the past few years why we made the decision we did to bring our Maia home. Was it because we were never able to have another child? Was it because someone else in our family was adopted? Was it because we were touched by the words of a pastor at church?


I've searched my heart over and over the past few years, wondering these same questions. What was it that led us to adopt our Maia? Certainly we desired more children after our Peanut was born. And most definately we've been touched by the stories of other adoptive families. And time and again we've felt God whispering to us through the words of ministers to reach out to those in need.


So maybe it wasn't only one thing that brought us to our Maia, but many things. And ultimately, above and beyond anything else, it was surely Him who opened our eyes and hearts to the plan He had waiting for us across the oceans. Ultimately it was His calling. His voice asking us to follow His lead. To trust Him through the heartache of infertility. To believe that He truly can bring beauty from ashes. To know that there can be redemption in the midst of loss. Redmeption not only for us. But for her.


I believe He knew. He saw before we were born the road before us. Knew that we would face heartache. That for a time our arms would be empty. But He knew something else. That something even better was in store. And that there would also be healing. Miraculous healing and hope.


I felt that seed of adoption being placed in my heart even as a little girl. I can see how the seed was planted and how it grew, year after yea. But, it couldn't quite bloom without some careful pruning. The season of pruning came shortly after I married my Prince Charming. The season was painful and it nearly tore us apart. But under His gentle hand, that pruning brought us back together. United us in a way we would have never known had we not faced it. Opened our eyes to what His plans really held for us. Plans we could never have imagined.


This is how we came to adopt our Maia.


We were and will always be oddly ordinary people. We don't know why were chosen for Maia. We can't explain it apart from Him.


He spoke to us in so many ways.


And we're forever grateful that we listened.