Almost four years ago, Jamie and I sat together in a open domestic adoption class. Our pursuit of the fatherless had shifted from an international Ugandan adoption, to an open domestic adoption, with the longing to pursue a birthfamily, as well as a child.
As adoptive family after adoptive family shared, we both began to feel something stir deep within.
We were jealous for these families' stories.
It was almost three years ago that we sat in our final GPS class, listening to a panel share their various experiences of foster care. Our now precious friends the Hueys shared what their life was like at the time with five under five. We drilled with questions and have stalked them every since :)
But as we left that night, we voiced it again; we were jealous for their story.
Across the country, God is deeply implanting the aspect of His character that pursues the fatherless and the victims of injustice, within His people in a humbling way. I've been considering this a great deal as we prepare for Summit 9 this week in Nashville.
On the Birmingham front, there is an explosion of adoptive families, foster families, agencies, ministries and churches, setting their hearts to long for the things our Father's heart longs for. Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?
Yet, I've been reminded this week how in an instant, we can become jealous for one another's stories ~ the story of that adoptive family, the tale of their fostering journey, that ministry's foundation, or that church's booming orphan care ministry.
One of our precious fostering friends is a single mom, and she is preparing to cross the bridge into an adoptive mom with her almost three-year placement. As we talked recently, she shared how she sometimes feels guilty that her story is so different than ours.
Jamie replied, Your story is not our story. God's story in you was to for Him to go after those two precious kiddos in a way that only He can through you.
I thought about this as I sat in the resource area at the Birmingham foster care Walk Me Home event today. There are so many resources: state, religious and private. The thought naturally crosses your mind whether we need another ministry, another church, another foundation. Yet to me, the beautiful thing today was that agendas were set aside. Together we joined for the thing our hearts long for, to seek justice for these children, and to hope where hope has been forgotten.
Our stories merged. And in that, the weaving of what each member brought to the table was inspiring, of what could be as together we stand in the gap, rather than standing as individuals.
And as together we watch as His story is woven through us, rather than striving to write our own.
I'm humbled to walk with these people in this journey.
Because of the One who is writing our stories,
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