Tonight I found myself cooking dinner and weeping, so full of emotion after this day. I had just gotten off the phone with my brother-in-law. He and my sister are currently in Louisiana adopting a beautiful little girl, Alana Michelle. As with all adoptions, this one is bittersweet. Alana's mother did not give her up because she was unwanted. She gave her up in order to give her a better life. And so, Paul and Michelle are experiencing the joy of welcoming a precious child into their home, while at the same time, Alana's birth mom experiences empty arms, loving her daughter beyond her own life.
On this very same day that Paul and Michelle welcome Alana in, my dear friends who got a new son last week had to say good-bye to him. Again, it's bittersweet. The birth mom in this case realized the she could not live with giving him up. And as a result, he will be able to grow up knowing his mother, grandparents, siblings. This is a wonderful thing! But it's also a heart break for my friends, who love this baby as their own son.
As I have pondered these things, I have again marveled at how God is able to make beauty from the mess we make of life. Yes, there is sorrow and pain, but those things never come without joy and gladness. He truly takes our sorrow and mourning and turns them into dancing and joy, no matter what the circumstance. He is bigger and he is faithful. And he has greater plans than we can even imagine!
2 comments:
I'm pretty much speechless... I also am stunned by the pain and love of these events. It's hard to imagine the impact of these kinds of choices, and yet it's now so close to home.
I'm glad God is so much more capable than I am!
In seeing the pictures in hearing the story, my heart broke and I could not stop crying, pain and love so inextricably woven together and the courage of a mother. I have never felt these emotions when welcoming a new little one into our family. I don't think I will ever fully understand all that I am feeling. This experience will teach me a part of God's love and character that I have never fully known.
And as I pray for my granddaughter Alana, I will be praying for another child God loves, Jennifer.
One more thing...as I pray for the unborn, both the mother and the child, will have a face.
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