Sunday, April 4, 2010

Jumping In

Her toes clung tenaciously to the ledge of the pool. Her legs bent just slightly; her arms spread wide. Would the water be cold? What if Daddy didn't catch her? What if she went under the water? Her hesitancy and apprehension were evident in her tight lips and saucer-like eyes.

I am sure you can picture this scene or one similar to it. Maybe it reminds you of your own childhood, or maybe you have a reluctant child. Taking a leap into the unknown is scary.

I am not jumping into a pool anytime soon. However, our family is taking a leap into the unknown. The water may be cold, and there is a bit of apprehension, but we know who is there to catch us.

As we anticipated Julia's arrival, we were excited to be adding to our family. For reasons beyond my understanding this side of heaven, Julia is not here with us. Birthing another child is not the best choice for me, but we are convinced that God is not done with our family. Adoption is a wonderful option that God has placed in our path to consider.

It is no coincidence that we have a friend who works in the child welfare office of our state. We have watched God use her in helping many families in need. She has fostered many children in emergency situations and has been blessed to mother two daughters who have joined her family. In a conversation during one of the many soccer games our children are in, she shared with me the sad circumstances regarding a family with whom she has close contact. The little voice inside of me spoke softly at first and then knocked on my heart.

For years, we have had a tender heart for adoption. Until now, we have not felt that God wanted that for our family. We always knew that we would have many kids in our home: ours, friends, foster, youth group, whomever. Now seems the time to pursue what God has laid on our hearts years ago.

I spoke hypothetically with my friend at that soccer game; I spoke with a lot of what ifs. Our conversation prompted more prayer and many more conversations. One thing has led to another. Our paper work is completed to date. We have finished our foster/adopt classes in half the time. We have been fingerprinted. A meeting with our resource worker is scheduled soon. After a few more meetings, completion of our reference checks, and a home inspection from the state, we should have our foster/adopt license.

This is not a decision we have taken lightly. Our toes are clinging tenaciously, we are getting ready to jump, apprehension is probably on our faces, yet our arms are wide open. God's fingerprints have been all over our life. It is obvious that God is ready to catch us and help us swim in this pool of uncertainty.

We look forward to seeing God continue to work in our family. Keep posted to see what the days ahead hold.

We're jumping in.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Thank you for sharing Sandy. It seems such a wonderful story has yet to be written!

Alyson Schroll said...

Mom, I am really looking forward to it.

Jodi said...

Amazing post Sandy! I will be praying for you as you follow His lead! I'm so very excited for you and your family as you travel down this new path. Looking forward to seeing you and the kids on Friday:)

Megan and Company said...

I stumbled onto your blog via facebook somehow.

My parents fostering/adopting played a big part in who I became as an adult, mostly the good things. :)

I hope that it will be a similar experience for your family!

(Megan Kirschner-Scotti)