June 11th is a special day in our family. A banner day, actually. It is the anniversary of the adoption hearing that finalized the placement of our first child into our family. As I’m sure you realize, this was only a formality. She was our child from the moment we laid eyes on her, and truly even before that.
Today is the fifth anniversary of that finalization, and we recently celebrated the fourth “adoption day” of our son, Evan. How precious these days are to me! As I was thinking back today, I remembered something that I wrote just a few short weeks after Halle’s adoption day, and I want to share it with you.
Adoption is such a beautiful thing. I am grateful beyond words for the children that God has placed into my heart and home. I pray that they will always know how deeply loved they are, and that their story is not only wonderful in itself, but that it is a lovely and precious reflection of the love of their heavenly Father.
Below are the thoughts I wrote about that special day five years ago….
“I have been wanting to sit and write my thoughts ever since Halle’s adoption was finalized. What a precious day that was! June 11 will always be a momentous day in our family history. There is really not time to write all the details of Halle’s story….the way the Lord brought her to us, the way He provided each need we had along the way, the seeming roadblocks in the process to finalization, and finally the fulfillment of the legal aspect of our adoption journey 19 months after we began.
We chose Halle’s name because one of the meanings is “unexpected gift.” Her coming to us happened so quickly, at least we only knew about her for a few weeks before her arrival. But the wait before that seemed very long….11 years of waiting, praying, wondering, questioning. The roller coaster of hope and disappointment is hard to describe to those who have never been there. But God was so faithful to us and so patient with us through each day. God had a plan all along. I often think of the verse, “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick, but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.”
Halle’s adoption hearing was such a special time. Brian’s family was able to come – his mom and dad, four aunts, an uncle, and his cousin and his family. It was so sweet of them to take off work and make the trip to Pittsburgh to share in our special day. My family all lives too far away, but we know that they were with us in heart.
Our attorney was a Christian, and what a blessing that was. He had told us that each of us (Brian and I) would be asked to take the stand and testify. He said that he would ask us questions regarding the permanence of the adoption and our understanding of that, and of our responsibilities as Halle’s parents.
Brian went first. I sat there, holding Halle, looking at Brian, then at our family sitting behind us, then at Halle, and was just amazed at the goodness of God in placing such a precious gift in our family. Then it was my turn to take the stand. The attorney began to ask his questions, and as I answered, I began to feel overwhelmed, not just by the emotion of finalizing Halle’s place in our family, but at the beautiful picture of how God placed me in His family. I do not have the attorney’s questions word for word, but I am going to try to remember them the best I can and share them with you. If you know the Lord, I hope that you will be just as moved as I was as you are reminded of what God has done for you.
The attorney asked,
“Do you realize that by consenting to this adoption, you are acknowledging that you have chosen this child to be your own?”
“Do you realize that according to law, that means she is your child permanently, and that this decree is irrevocable?”
“Do you understand that irrevocable means that this cannot be changed?”
“Do you understand that Halle is being removed from the bloodline of her natural family, and is being placed into the bloodline of your family?”
“Do you understand that this means that she is your legal heir, and is entitled to all the rights of that position?”
“Do you understand that you are responsible for her care and keeping?”
I know that there were more questions, but these particular questions and my answers kept resounding in my mind. I learned that, legally, the bond with an adopted child is stronger even than that of a biological child because you have deliberately chosen this child. You cannot just “change your mind.”
What a joy it is to us to have Halle! She is my daughter, born of and in my heart. The certainty and joy I felt in answering each of these questions “yes” cannot be described.
How much more is it a wondrous thing that God has chosen me to be His child! I have been removed from my “natural” bloodline, and have placed into the family of God by the blood of His Son. I am an heir of God, and joint-heir with Christ. He is responsible for my care, and He will never leave me nor forsake me. His commitment to me is not based on my love for Him, or obedience to Him, but on His choice to obligate Himself to me. My placement into His family is irrevocable. How beautiful! How precious! How humbling! I praise Him for His love for me in placing me in His family, and I thank and praise Him for placing Halle in our family.
I am so grateful to every person who has prayed for us so faithfully. You have a huge part in our rejoicing. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. It seems that God may add to our family again by adoption. Please pray for the Lord’s will regarding this, and that He will work out the details for His glory.”
To update our story, just a few short weeks after I penned this in 2009, God answered our prayers, and our precious Evan Michael was born.
His name, Evan, means, “God is gracious, or gift of God”. How fitting for our little man!
In March of 2010, with 22 members of our family, we celebrated his adoption day.
And although we take the time to make this anniversary special for our children, in our hearts, my husband and I celebrate the gifts of our children every day. I am so thankful that God has chosen to place me into His family, and that He has chosen to place Halle and Evan into our family.
If you have never been born again into the family of God, He has already chosen you, and would love to receive you. John 1:12 says, “But as many as received him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” If you would like to know more about becoming a child of God, you can read all about God’s simple plan of salvation here: http://www.godssimpleplan.org/gsps-english.html. Feel free to contact me if you have questions. If you choose to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and become a part of God’s family, I would love to hear from you!
