For those you who have just recently found the blog-- hey there and welcome! This post was originally written August 2011.
I've been marinating on this post for a while. Knowing it could ruffle some feathers.
Adoption is not Plan B.
Not for us. Not for any family.
We have never looked at it this way, but in conversations with quite a few well-intentioned folks, I realize that the general population often views it that way.
"You know you'll get pregnant as soon as you finish your adoption."
"I know a lot of people "your age" who are looking toward adoption because they can't get pregnant."
"Do you want to have your own children?"
I've learned that adoption is often viewed by many (on the outside looking in) as the consolation prize.
Plan A didn't work. So you're settling for what is available.
I disagree and so would all the other adoptive parents I've ever met.
There is no Plan B.
The journey to adoption is NOT a surprise to God. He's wasn't caught off guard by the reasons or the path.
For some it's infertility or health reasons.
For others it is how God calls them to add to their family.
For us, it's because God is made it ABUNDANTLY clear that we are to adopt. Now.
Many people assume because we are adopting first that biological children are not an option for us. At this point, we have not heard otherwise, so we hope to welcome a freckled, type-A, northern/southern hybrid into our lives one day.
But whatever happens, it will be Plan A.
We are adopting now because there is a need and we have a call. In the DRC alone, there are five million orphaned children.
We could not get that figure out of our minds and hearts. There was no reason good enough to hold off on adopting until we had biological children. We couldn't stop talking about adoption. We needed to start the process.
We know it doesn't make sense to most of the world.
God made it clear, so we're just following.
Any child brought into our home, biological or adopted, will be real and be our own. We pray that others will come to understand that as well, but we also know that we have the privilege of telling the story of redemption and grace each time someone questions our family dynamic.
The story of Plan A for our family.
Adoption is not Plan B.
Not for us. Not for any family.
We have never looked at it this way, but in conversations with quite a few well-intentioned folks, I realize that the general population often views it that way.
"You know you'll get pregnant as soon as you finish your adoption."
"I know a lot of people "your age" who are looking toward adoption because they can't get pregnant."
"Do you want to have your own children?"
I've learned that adoption is often viewed by many (on the outside looking in) as the consolation prize.
Plan A didn't work. So you're settling for what is available.
I disagree and so would all the other adoptive parents I've ever met.
There is no Plan B.
The journey to adoption is NOT a surprise to God. He's wasn't caught off guard by the reasons or the path.
For some it's infertility or health reasons.
For others it is how God calls them to add to their family.
For us, it's because God is made it ABUNDANTLY clear that we are to adopt. Now.
Many people assume because we are adopting first that biological children are not an option for us. At this point, we have not heard otherwise, so we hope to welcome a freckled, type-A, northern/southern hybrid into our lives one day.
But whatever happens, it will be Plan A.
We are adopting now because there is a need and we have a call. In the DRC alone, there are five million orphaned children.
We could not get that figure out of our minds and hearts. There was no reason good enough to hold off on adopting until we had biological children. We couldn't stop talking about adoption. We needed to start the process.
We know it doesn't make sense to most of the world.
God made it clear, so we're just following.
Any child brought into our home, biological or adopted, will be real and be our own. We pray that others will come to understand that as well, but we also know that we have the privilege of telling the story of redemption and grace each time someone questions our family dynamic.
The story of Plan A for our family.
I have read this post before and I am happy to say that it still rings very true! I cannot even begin to count how many people have given us the "You know you will get pregnant as soon as you adopt" line. Even though they have all the best wishes for us, it is still one of my least favorite things to hear.
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