Dec. 31st..."Who is the 'lucky one'"?

     Standing in the check-out line with John strapped to my body, an older Asian looking woman noticed him.  In trying to get his attention, she got mine instead and I told her a 2-sentence synopsis of John’s story.  She cooed at him a few times and after paying for her purchase, she approached us again.  This time she came close to my ear and said, “he is lucky”; with tears in my eyes, I replied, “we are the “lucky ones”!  

     I had been thinking about this for several weeks – pondering God’s grace to Ron and I by entrusting to us this young Chinese boy.   On the surface it is easy to see how John is “better off” being here with us, getting medical help, nutrition, education, love, nurture, learning about Jesus, etc.    But honestly, I know that Ron and I are also “better off” having this opportunity to be parents to John.    He will teach us much about putting others first, about living as a cross-cultural family, about trusting God for a past we cannot change but a future we can influence.  

     Truth be told, I already love Jesus more because of John…not because He gave me what I wanted (i.e. a child) but more because he has given me this gift in John that I didn’t deserve.   I looked at John napping one day and in tears said out loud…”there is nothing I have done or will do to deserve to be your mother”.    My guess is that every parent feels this to some degree – perhaps I experience the intensity of it due to the fact that I did not physically give birth to John.  

     Another reason that I love Jesus more is that I know that He is going to be the only one who can truly heal John of his wounds of abandonment.   My dear sister-in-law was an abandoned baby in Columbia and adopted at 9 months.  She has bravely walked through with Jesus layers of healing due to her loss of birth parents.   Every person processes the grief and loss of their adoption differently.   However, Jesus knows what John needs and I trust that John will turn to Him for comfort and support when his needs surface.  

     Bottom line is this…what I want the world to know is that we are the “lucky ones” too!