Mother's Day

Mother's Day was Sunday and it was a wonderful day of rest in our house.  I think I received the greatest gift the mother of a young toddler can receive- a nap!  A long, uninterrupted nap!  Mother's Day is a day that I always want to spend wrapped up in the arms of my family and reflecting on how much joy they bring to me.  I was a little surprised at how bittersweet it was for me this year.  As much as I loved having Baby Girl running around the house, I was surprised at how much more it made my heart ache for our Little One.  While I was rocking Baby Girl before her nap, I wondered if anyone would rock Little One to sleep.  I wondered if s/he even knew there was a mother longing for him/her to be home.  For me, Mother's Day is a day to spend rejoicing in the blessing of family, but ours didn't feel complete.  As much as I loved having Baby Girl and the Hubby around, I longed for our Little One to be a part of the day too.

It also made me ache for another mother half-way around the world whose baby was not with her on Mother's Day either.  Her arms were empty too and I'm sure the same child was on her mind.   Two families are missing a precious baby.  Two mothers are longing for the same child.  That is the mystery of adoption.

As thrilled as I am that God has called us to adopt, I am sad that adoption ever has to be the solution. In a perfect world, a mother would always have her baby in her arms.  I really believe that adoption is always God's Plan B.  I think that Plan A was to always have families remain together, but sin made its way into our world, and God's Plan A was marred.  Extreme poverty, addiction, infidelity, abandonment, abuse, death and a long list of other difficulties are now reality in our world as a result of the fall.  Without these things, families would remain together and adoption wouldn't even be a consideration.  If you think about it, even spiritual adoption was sort of a Plan B.  Without sin, Jesus would have never had to die and we wouldn't have had to be adopted into God's family.  Without sin, we would still live in perfect community with the Father.  

Because of sin, I will have to answer when he asks, "Why did my first family leave me?"  Or choke back the tears when she questions, "Why didn't anyone come for me?"   These questions should never haunt the mind of a child.  Of course Jesus knew from the beginning of time that this child would grow up in our home and would call us "Mommy and Daddy" but it still doesn't erase that His perfect plan is to leave families intact. 

Despite all of the emotions and the many facets of adoption, I am grateful that the holy Father is still on the throne.  He sees and understands it all.  As He holds my hand through this journey, He comforts another mother's heart.  The same hands that hold me, hold her.  I am overwhelmed at His goodness and His unfailing mercy.  My heart echos Hagar's words, "Surely You are the God who sees!"

At church on Mother's Day, the band played one of my favorite songs.  "Your Great Name" by Natalie Grant.  The lines that always grip my heart and reminds me to hold fast through this process are:
All the weak find their strength
At the sound of Your great Name
Hungry souls receive grace
At the sound of Your great Name
The fatherless THEY FIND THEIR REST
At the sound of Your great Name
The sick are healed and the dead are raised
At the sound of Your great Name
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuuLBPOYcI8
What an awesome, all-powerful God!

Here are some prayer requests for our adoption process:
- We are working through our training, readings and marriage surveys.  Pray that we can accomplish everything in a timely manner.
- I got an email from the Children's Home this week.  She can start our home study at the beginning of June! Pray that it is successful and that God would provide all of the funds in His way.