Adoption Story Page 2

I always knew I wanted to be a mother. Like many young ladies I daydreamed of a future with a husband and as many children as could fill our house. After Justin and I were married, we wanted to start our family right away. I thought I could see clearly what our family would look like. We would have at least three kids, all born close together so that they would grow up tight knit. I never thought about a career for myself because I would stay home with the babies. I was overjoyed at the thought of this idea. After all I wanted to be a young wife and young mother. I had always dreamed about a little house with a husband and kids. I would be a great mom and raise children who were both individual (like me) and thoughtful (like their dad). They would have quirky names and be artistic. They would share in our passion for God. They would be a perfect mix of the both of us. Our love personified, all wrapped up with a big pink or blue bow. After we had our children we wanted to adopt. We wanted to share our family’s love with children who had not been so lucky. Adoption was an afterthought. Isn’t it funny how we make such grandiose plans without seeking God? We prayed that God would guide us, that God would bless our family. But we never consulted God on a timeline. In those days the future could be anything and everything. We never asked God if it was the right time for our family to begin. But of course, God had a plan. I did not know that while I was making plans for our future, so was God. I did not know that when I prayed "Lord use me, I will go, whatever it is" the He would use me and He would take me there. I did not know that the seeds of a heart for adoption were taking root. You see even though there were some things I had not consulted God on, there were a lot of things I had. I knew that God had a testimony for me. I prayed a lot of "you fill in the blank, God" prayers. I didnt know that when I prayed those prayers, I was praying for the things that I had not thought about.  God did fill in the blanks with His grace, His plans and His love. He didn't do it in a way that I would have picked at the time, but I wouldn't trade it now. Writing this and looking back hasn't been the easiest thing, but it has been necessary. I want people to know that our story did not happen over night. It is a story that took years to make and is continuing to be written.