Radical Thoughts

Being a part of a community of faith involves being exposed to the life of Christ in others. Just as we are identified with Christ and his church in baptism, we now share life in Christ with one another. So to whom can you deliberately, intentionally, and sacrificially show the life of Christ this way?
David Platt; Radical page 98

We are in Orlando for our two-day adoption orientation.  As I write this I am in my hotel room snuggled up in bed with my laptop and my copy of Radical that I’ve been trying to finish for longer than I’d care to admit right now.  Not because it isn’t a good book…but rather because it is.  Radical  is a book that speaks truths that take me out of my comfort zone. There, I’ve said it.  Or, well written it.  You know what I mean—-and because I seem to make everything about adoption these days, let me tell you how this reminds me about adoption.

Adoption is uncomfortable at times. It completely takes me out of my comfort zone and forces me to face myself, my beliefs, my prejudices, my inadequacies, my inability to control everything and everyone, and it flat out forces me to move forward with faith into situations and circumstances that any sane person would frankly avoid.

 Who else would fill out mountains of paperwork while navigating nonsensical bureaucratic red tape in the hopes (not a guarantee, but a hope) of it ending with them raising a child? Who looks at a profile questionnaire and checks yes or “will consider” when asked if you are comfortable accepting placement with a child that may  have been exposed to drugs, alcohol, or tobacco? 

The more I look at our adoption journey the more I see that it is really a spiritual journey I am on.   I have no doubt that it is through adoption that I will deliberately, intentionally and sacrificially model Christ. 

My heart is already growing to love someone I don’t even know. Someone whose everyday life and present circumstances may be completely different from the world I live in with my Christian husband and children. Someone who will give me, a total stranger, the most amazing gift and awesome responsibility imaginable. Wow.

  I cannot even wrap my brain around what it must be like to give another woman your child.  I cannot even wrap my brain around what I will feel like when I look her in the eyes and walk away with her baby, only I’ll be the one the baby calls Mama.

Sometimes I don’t know what to think about adoption.  It seems so unfair that something that is born out of such tremendous love (loving a child enough to give them life and raising and loving a child unconditionally) can be paired with such grief and pain. I suppose it is true that God takes things and turns them to good.

I pray that my heart will be prepared to minister lovingly and faithfully not only to the child we are blessed to raise, but to the people who brought that child into the world.

I hope I get an opportunity to faithfully,  deliberately, intentionally, and yes, even sacrificially, model Christ through this adoption.

I pray that I will do it well for His glory. 


To whom could you model Christ?

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