The Call to Adopt
November is National Adoption Awareness Month. In celebration of National Adoption Awareness Month, we’re sharing adoption stories from different families at Redeemer.
The following blog is from Kati Berreth, a member of Redeemer, reflecting on her family's call to adopt.
Take a minute or two and listen to this song: http://stevencurtischapman.
"And from everything I've heard, it sounds like the greatest gift on earth would be a mom." This line gets me even now. It makes my heart flutter and the tears well up, just as it did all those years ago.
"All I Really Want" by Steven Curtis Chapman kept playing in my car the month after Owen was born and Rob, my husband, had felt called to adopt. Which, of course, was within minutes of holding his newborn son.
I had just given birth to Owen and Rob was holding him for the first time. Rob looked down into Owen's eyes and he then whispered in my ear, "I think we have room for one more. We have room for a child who doesn't have a mom or a dad." I looked at him as if he were crazy, and probably said something to that effect as well - that part isn't as clear to me.
But what is clear is that during the whole Christmas season following that November, this song made me cry in sadness and frustration...often causing me to change to the next song on the CD quickly. I had just had a baby, our second baby, and I had no plans to adopt.
But God did. After Rob's call, and a discussion that ended with me asking for time to adjust to life with Emma and Owen, a year past. It was time again for this song to begin playing in my car and I began to pray about this call to adopt that had been so clearly placed on Rob's heart. I will be honest, I was scared. This for me was probably the most intense test of my faith.
And yet, after a season of prayer and wrestling with giving up my plans for God's plans, we did decide to adopt a little girl from China. And what ensued over the next four years was a journey that not only led us to adopt a little girl from China, but first to adopt Judson, an eight-month-old from Ethiopia. And then we welcomed Lilli, a two and a half year old from China, into our home.'
So now as I listen to this song each Christmas, I still cry. I cry for the journey that God had me on. I cry over my struggle and how God changed my heart. I cry for joy over the two beautiful children that God so graciously brought into our family. I cry because I get to be their mom. And I cry for the kids who are still waiting. Waiting for a mom and a dad. Waiting for a family.
I am adopted into God's family because God chose me and because Christ graciously gave up his life on the cross for my freedom from the wrath of God for my sin. I did nothing to deserve this. And whether I had been obedient or not during this journey, my standing as a daughter of God would still have been secure. But because of this amazing and overwhelming love and grace, God did change my heart and I was given the opportunity to grow in faith, grow in obedience, and grow in love as I was given the gift of being the mom of Emma, Owen, Lilli and Judson.
How is the Gospel opening your eyes in terms of adoption this season?