How difficult is adoption?

I think for all us families waiting for our children in Haiti we would say it's very very difficult. Speaking for myself it has been one of the hardest things (and also a source of some of the greatest joy) I've ever endured. However, As I was packing some of our things I came across something that gave me so much encouragement and some really great perspective on the fact that what is being asked of us is NOTHING in comparison to another adoption story, the most beautiful and important adoption story ever:

God amazes me how he plants things in our lives for us to come across just when we need it. Several months ago my Dad (who is a pastor and very gifted biblical teacher) shared a message about our adoption into God's family. I had printed off a written copy of his message and for some unknown reason put it in a drawer that held nothing else but CD's. I decided to pack up the Cd's and this is when I found the papers with this message. I sat down at that moment and read every last word on those papers. It's just what I needed to read, right when I needed it. God's so totally faithful!!! My Dad shared about our precious Jacques and how much our family wants him to be a member of our family and how much joy it brings us to get emails that Jacques excitedly calls us Mom and Dad in. It brings us GREAT joy to hear from him and to be called that by him. The message reminds us of how much God, our Father, loves it when we cry out to him and call Him our Father. It talks about our adoption into the family of God and the price it came at and the great desire God had to make us members of his family.

This got me thinking about what I would be willing to do to make Jacques, Stephanie, Jude, and Lovenie members of our family. Without any doubt I love them as much as I love the children born to us. Just as I would willingly lay down my life for my children at home, I believe I would also willingly lay down my life for the children adopted into our family. I think any parent can understand this concept of loving our children that much. Now, put yourself in these shoes.... Pick one of your children and imagine someone just told you that in order for you to have all of your children together you would have to have that child beaten and tortured beyond anything imaginable. Could you do it? Sure you would willingly pay the price yourself but would you allow it to happen to one of your other children to benefit the well being of all of your children? Is that not totally unimaginable? Even if you knew that your child would once again be well and that child was willing to make this sacrifice for your family... Could you watch it happen and not prevent it?

Is this not exactly what God did for us? In order for God to gather up all of His children in His family He had to allow the greatest torture to ever happen happen to His child. He could prevent it but allowed it to happen because there was no other way to bring us to Him justly- this was the cost. Our Father in Heaven loved us this much and wanted us this much. Jesus loved us enough to go through it to allow for us to be brought into the family as well. How could we ever turn our backs to that kind of love? Can you imagine doing all this for the child you are adopting only to have them refuse to have anything to do with you, or even to curse you?

In perspective of the greatest price paid so that we can be adopted into Gods family.... How hard are our adoptions really? A breeze!

Have you accepted the God that has paid the greatest price to make YOU His child? Have you accepted the offer to be a member of God's family? If you have... Have you thanked Him today for the kind of love that He has given us and the great cost it came at to make us His child? With a thankful heart and ready to dive back into our easy adoption process..... Angela