and now, the rest of the story...was I ready for God to answer my prayer? the first time we said no to an adoption opportunity...pt. 2

That telephone call was a shot across the bow. It was as if God was telling us that He could drop a baby off at our house at any time with no warning. This realization came to me as Kristen and I walked our dog around the block that night, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

I don’t think very many couples imagine they will be saying no when a call comes in that could lead to a baby being placed in their home. The circumstances were somewhat unusual in that the birth mother was not connected to our agency, but was a friend of a friend of a relative. Even so, it wasn’t supposed to happen like this. Our agency told us that on average it would take between 3 and 6 months after our home study was completed before being matched with a birth mother. We had been relying on that timetable and planning accordingly. 

As the saying goes, “If you want God to laugh, make plans.”

It was during this walk that Kristen and I recognized our trust had been on the wrong thing. We were focusing on the process, ticking the boxes, getting our ducks in their neat rows, and thinking that adoptions are well-oiled machines that are relatively predictable and happen in accordance with our own sense of timing. It seems so silly now, but we really didn’t consider that we might get a call like that before we were “ready.”

Our trust needed to be re-centered on God: His goodness, His plan, His timing. He had shown us how willing and able He was to ignore the ticked boxes and agency timetable and answer our prayers with a child whenever He pleased. But the question was, would we trust Him?

Our response was to obey God and get our house in order.

More calls would come…

-Chris

“You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.”  Proverbs 19:21