I’m serious guys. I was talking with an adoptive mom tonight that hasn’t brought her little one home. She is pouring over files, doctors, lists upon lists, and comparing notes. It occurred to me that she’s not home yet. She doesn’t know the beautiful secret that is hiding in the “after”. 

Before you adopt you look at adoptive parents and think, “wow those are great people, I wish I could do that!”. And then someday you decide you can. Then you get to know more adoptive parents and you think they are these exceptional people. God made them extra caring, capable, brave. These are people that are just special. They’re adopting kids that are blind, have cp, have multiple needs, may never live on their own.

I’m here to bust up the secret though. They’re not special. They don’t have some special relationship on a higher ground with God. They fear the future. Medical files scare them. They cry and mourn the things their kids will miss. They question if they can handle it all.  

They do, however, say yes. In that yes a story was woven together. A story of horrible pain and trauma, and a story of redemptive power. THEY got to be the parents. In that yes when you truly accept this child born to another with needs you never dreamed of, a power is born in you. An instinct to protect. A desire to learn, advocate, be BRAVE! In your yes a whole new person begins to appear. A person who has other’s respect. A person that is knowledgeable, because your kid needed you to be. A free spirit who unschools, because your kid needed you to do that. A strict routine follower, because your kid needed you to be. Someone who learned to Braille, because your kid needed it to read. Someone who knows sign lanaguge, because your kid communicated better that way. A parent to YOUR kid.  And when you truly let that wash over you, you will be proud and astounded at the person you can be for your child. 

We spend so much time talking about trauma, grace, and redemption for our children, that we’ve forgotten to tell you this beautiful thing. You are a new person in adoption. You are brave. You are fierce. You are beautiful. You are smart. You are connected. You are LOVE. When you wait and you question, don’t ever forget that. You are their parent and you are enough. You will be uniquely and perfectly equipped for YOUR child when you get them home. Don’t ever forget that. You’ve got this, and your are more than ENOUGH. Your “yes” was a promise that will always be enough.