The Adoption Community

I recently listened to a message on "Community" by David Jeremiah, and it made me think a lot about the Adoption Community. Over the past almost two years I have seen God use the community of adoptive and pre-adoptive parents as an amazing vessel of His love for us. The encouraging, the listening, the sharing, the weeping, and the rejoicing that go on for one another is the essence of community.

It is so easy to go through our days and not really get close to other people. Not really know them...or what's going on in their lives...or their hearts. Afterall, it's enough work just keeping our own lives on track. Then God allows pain in our life and suddenly our eyes are opened to the pain that others are experiencing. Suddenly we seem to care more because we understand better. A verse from a song by Kendall Payne says "May your heart break enough that compassion enters in." When God's compassion enters our hearts, it is with such abundance that it also flows back out to others...leading us to lift them on our shoulders when they can't walk themselves. Unfortunately, it can often take going through a trial of our own before this happens.


Perhaps today you had yet another negative read on a pregnancy test, or yet another delay in your adoption homestudy, or yet another month going by without the referral of your baby. Your heart may ache for peace. Your arms may ache for your child. Or maybe your pain today is not related to your child but is borne from a broken relationship, financial difficulties, or, like us, the illnesses of two very dear family members. Be encouraged that there are others who understand from experience the brokenness of your heart. They are people through whom God wants to show you His love for you.

And if you are reading this as one who has previously experienced brokenness yourself, be reminded that the compassion you received is not yours to keep but to share with a hurting world. Know that your story may be just the encouragement that another person needs to hear.

"Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." Philippians 2:4