Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Shining The Light

You all know, I have a string of celebrity crushes that tickle my fancy. And by now, you all know I have a couple bloggy heroes who give me a little thrill. When they show up in my comment box, I get all a'twitter. Today, I read a post that totally summarizes how I've been feeling about some huge issues I've encountered lately. And you guessed it, it was written by my adoptive mom blogging hero, Stefanie. I swear, if I ever got to meet this woman in person, I think I'd pass out from the excitement. Or pee myself. Or something equally embarrassing or disturbing. She's that amazing to me. But I digress. . . and embarrass myself even now. . . .

This post of hers is well-balanced (something I strive for daily as a really black and white personality type!), Biblical in its foundations, and very eloquent. It's addressing a current trend in the adoption community that has been very disheartening for a newbie like me. Let me try to explain . . .

I've been working very hard to learn as much as I can about parenting this precious gift called Li'l Empress. The premise is that sometimes, parenting an adopted child HAS to look different and be executed differently than parenting our biological children. I don't disagree with that premise, and because of that, I have felt pressed to begin seeking a good plan for our family. To educate myself about the issues and the stories of those who have been through the journey, from all sides of the triad (as it's known in adoption lingo - adoptees, birth parents, adoptive parents).

The questions and concerns I've encountered have far outweighed the answers I've found. Some of it has been downright dark and difficult to process. I want to know all sides of the issue before I formulate my own plan. I'm like that with many of the big decisions or issues I experience in my life. So I'm not BY ANY MEANS shying away from the hard conversations. Nor do I want to. I'm just dismayed by the lack of balance that I've found. And by NO MEANS am I saying that I've been exhaustive enough in my research to say that the balance doesn't exist. It does. It's out there. I'm just having a harder time finding Biblical perspectives that balance the darkness ON THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE. It's out there, I know it is. I'm just starting to scratch the surface of the godly balance that I know is there. Again, I know it's there.

And today's post by Stefanie (sigh) is a shining light on that path of discovery. Be sure to follow the link she highlights at the bottom of her post. It, too, is a fabulously eloquent summary of the heart of God for parenting these precious gifts we've been loaned. I'll be digesting it and it's related issues for a while. I'm so thankful for the path these two posts have opened up to me in my research.

Even if you aren't part of the adoptive community, the issues raised in both of the posts I've highlighted probably affect you, even if you don't know it. We all have a part to play, in the Body of Christ, in working together to bring the healing light of the love of Jesus to the world in which we live. These couple posts just focus in on adoption. The Biblical truths apply to whatever issue you are facing. They stand the test of time. That's a light that will never lead me astray. It shines forever.

2 comments:

trina said...

Hi! It's amazing to see how God gives words to one and they bless another. I love it. Hugs.
trina

Stefanie said...

You are so funny...
I am glad my post (and especially Justin's post!) helped you work through your thoughts on this topic, indeed, it's a whopper as a parent of an adopted child.
Thanks for your comment over on NHBO, I really LOVED what you had to say :)