My grip on his shoulder was rapidly turning from “directive” and “connecting” to let me remind you how furious I am right now. I let go immediately and he moved ten feet away from me. It was dark outside, but the moon was full and bright so his posture of fear and detachment was perfectly clear. Oh, Lord, my heart started praying, I wasn’t going to get here again. I wasn’t going to let him … [Read more...] about Grace Can Be Found No Matter Where You Are
Adoption
How to Measure Your Success in Life
The moment I became an adoptive parent, I was already questioning myself. And every little while I would just stumble into full-blown panic. What if we weren't successful as parents? What if our children didn't follow the Lord? What if they grew up and rejected everything we taught them? What if they never overcame their past? What if they never accepted us as family? What if we screw … [Read more...] about How to Measure Your Success in Life
How to Topple Giants and Reclaim Nations
My children represent nations. Isn’t that crazy to think about? Everyone’s child represents a nation of people, but when you adopt in other cultures and people groups, suddenly you have nations growing up in your home. And one thing I’ve learned about God is this: His heart is for the nations to know Him. It’s the heartbeat of the Old Testament that pumps out into the New—spilling … [Read more...] about How to Topple Giants and Reclaim Nations
We all have R.A.D.
Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) is a condition found in children who did not form a healthy emotional attachment to their primary caregivers during specific developmental stages in growth. If you've dipped your toes in the adoptive world, you probably sensed that it's a bit of a controversy over who exactly should be given this diagnosis-- but if you happen upon a family that has a child … [Read more...] about We all have R.A.D.
Growing the Gift of Mothering
We were standing in Tractor Supply looking at the totes of baby chicks when my husband said it. “You can get chickens if you want.” I looked at him in disbelief. Before we were married he had talked of his abhorrence of chickens. “They’re dirty and carry disease and they cost more than they save,” he told me. It was always simple in my mind. We had a farm but we didn’t have chickens. I … [Read more...] about Growing the Gift of Mothering
Failed Adoption, Four Years Later
H e said your name wrong. Many people do and so many times I have corrected them. I want them all to say it right because it is so beautiful and so exclusively you. But today someone said it and I didn't correct him. I opened my mouth, started to speak, and then shut it quietly. It's been years since you were in our home. Four long years since you danced through the front yard and played … [Read more...] about Failed Adoption, Four Years Later