Adoption
"Before I ever met him I knew I loved him."
- Erin
Ron and Erin wanted to adopt a child, but little did they know it was going to be a difficult journey with many roadblocks along the way. Several years into the process they received a devastating call from the president of their adoption agency telling them that they were shutting down the program for Korea. This news came as a shock and meant they would have to start all over again. To them, it felt like there wasn’t going to be an end.
They had a breakthrough from their new agency when they got a referral. Erin was at the zoo with her older son when she received a call telling her, “You have a little boy.” Everything started falling into place, and finally, the long wait came to an end!
The good news doesn’t end there; they went on to adopt another little boy a year later, through a much easier process.
Words to Live By:
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” James 1:27(NIV).
“Learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphans, plead for the widow” Isa. 1:17 (NIV).
Dr. Ron’s Perspective:
Can you imagine the excitement of a child when they find out they have a “forever” home? When adoptive parents and child unite, it’s a heartwarming moment. To adopt a child and give them a safe, protective, and nurturing family is a gift to humanity. There are so many children in this world who need to feel loved and cared for.
The adoptive parent is often inspired and convicted to engage in this act of kindness. An adopted child can be loved just as intimately as a biological child. The bond can be strong.
Raising a child in today’s world is challenging. Having faith and trusting God to raise a family is paramount to raising healthy children and equipping them to cope with an unhealthy world. Adoptive children often struggle with trying to understand why their biological parents did not want them or could not care for them. It can be hard for them to understand God’s plan for them and where they fit in. Helping them understand that God was a part of the adoption process is vitally important, so they can feel valued and wanted. Adoptive children need to know that God loves them. If they can believe in God’s love, this will go a long way toward helping them feel secure, not only in their adoptive family but as a special child of God, in general.
Grace Notes by Philip Yancey
“We will never know in this life, the full significance of our actions here, for much takes place invisible to us” (112).
Recommended Resources:
Twenty things every adoptive parent should know -Sherri Eldridge
The Connected Child -David Cross, Karyn Purvis and Wendy Sunshine
Before you were Mine -Carissa Woodwyk and Susan TeBos
Woven By Love- Adoptive Moms Retreat
Real People, Real Stories, Real God®
