Adoption: How God Restores
According to the National Council for Adoption, and the National Adoption Center, November is National Adoption Month.
Each year at this time, I am reminded of the how great the restoration power of God is. You see, I am adopted. But to understand the restoration that occurred, you have to understand how the journey began.
In the 1960's, it was taboo to be pregnant and unmarried, and to be 16 and pregnant, and to drop out of high school because you were pregnant. Well, that was my mother. At 16 she found herself very pregnant and kicked out of her home.
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When she delivered it was well before the days of ultrasounds (and abortion I should add) and to her surprise there were two of us; yes twins! She had two little twin girls.
Well at the young age she was, she tried, but could not do all that needed to be done and ultimately gave us to our grandmother. Well, she also tried and was unable and ultimately delivered us to an orphanage at a very young age. In fact, my first real memory is screaming, pleading and begging for our granny to not leave us.
Before you think this is a sad story – just hold on – God does show up!
We spent several years in the orphanage as well as in and out of foster homes (foster parents-stay the course-YOU are a blessing!). Those days had their challenges as it is not fun to be known as the orphan girl at school, but there were also many good days.
I recall the day that our real mother showed up. She, and her husband, had had a radical conversion to Christ and were there to pick us up, take us home, and be a family. I remember asking "why did you come and get us" and the response was "we got saved". I did not understand that at the time, though I do now.
I wish I could encourage every orphan, foster child, adopted child – and for that matter every foster parent and adopted parent – that they will have the same restoration I did. But I cannot. But here is what I can guarantee. God is a great restorer! He can take the broken, lost, hidden and taken things and make them new, found, renewed, and restored. That is our GOD!
So, yes, I was an orphan, a foster child and an adopted child. I was also adopted by my real mother. In some ways, I see this as the lens to salvation – we are all in some ways orphaned, fostered and adopted, and we have a great big God who gave His all to restore us. We can all be adopted by our real Father – the very one who made us, created and designed us, and desires us.
