They Say It Takes a Village to Raise a Child...
I recently stumbled across a blog post written by a beautiful woman named Jen Hatmaker. The post was entitled, "How to be the Village," and it was intended to be an unofficial "field guide" for supporting adoptive families. In her post, Jen outlined what to do (and what NOT to do) when a friend or family member is in the process of adopting. As someone who has gone from "just beginning the process" to "completely and totally consumed and often overwhelmed by the process," this post was incredibly eye-opening for me as well. You can read Jen's full article here, but the excerpt below is what I really wanted to share with you.
"Here’s one last thing: As you watch us struggle and celebrate and cry and flail, we also want you to know that adoption is beautiful, and a thousand times we’ve looked at each other and said, “What if we would’ve said no?” God invited us into something monumental and lovely, and we would’ve missed endless moments of glory had we walked away. We need you during these difficult months of waiting and transitioning, but we also hope you see that we serve a faithful God who heals and actually sets the lonely in families, just like He said He would. And even through the tears and tantrums (ours), we [will] look at our children and marvel that God counted us worthy to raise them. We are humbled. We’ve been gifted with a very holy task, and when you help us rise to the occasion, you have an inheritance in their story; your name will be counted in their legacy."
Thank you for being a part of our village. We couldn't do it without you!
"Here’s one last thing: As you watch us struggle and celebrate and cry and flail, we also want you to know that adoption is beautiful, and a thousand times we’ve looked at each other and said, “What if we would’ve said no?” God invited us into something monumental and lovely, and we would’ve missed endless moments of glory had we walked away. We need you during these difficult months of waiting and transitioning, but we also hope you see that we serve a faithful God who heals and actually sets the lonely in families, just like He said He would. And even through the tears and tantrums (ours), we [will] look at our children and marvel that God counted us worthy to raise them. We are humbled. We’ve been gifted with a very holy task, and when you help us rise to the occasion, you have an inheritance in their story; your name will be counted in their legacy."
Thank you for being a part of our village. We couldn't do it without you!