When I think about Christmas, I think about past years. Especially as a child, my family cherished the season. I can still sing you the songs that were played each year on a CD while setting up the tree... I can tell you the names of the nursing homes we visited... I can tell you the trips we took to see family... I can even remember a handful of the gifts I received. I remember my Grandma being there with us, how much she loved to open any gift that had a cardinal on them, I can still see her smile. I remember the years my Grandma Nancy was there, how her presence made the holiday even more special. I remember going to bed each night filled with excitement, and Christmas morning waking up to stockings full of gifts... loving every minute. This was my family. These are my memories. Some of these traditions I hope to pass on to my kids the older they get.
Today my heart is heavy thinking about all of the children, throughout the United States and beyond, who will not experience any of that. They are orphans, they are waiting for a forever family. Maybe they are your neighbors, who live in a broken and abusive home. They are innocent kids, all over the world, needing love. Needing a smile, craving a hug. They need a reminder of what Christmas is all about. Can you pause for a moment and try to even imagine what it would feel like to not have a family to celebrate with... isn't that half the beauty of Christmas?
Maybe it was my friend Grace's post that got me emotional. Her paragraph that said "Pray for all the orphans, that are waiting to be loved and part of something that they don't know, have not experienced, something that we take for granted...the love of a family!" -- it hit me a little too close to home.
I hear a lot of people talk about adoption, and Tyler and I have talked and began to pray about it as well. There's a startling statistic that talks about how 30% of people talk about adopting, and yet only 2% take the first steps in doing something about it. {source} My mood today is somber. Something needs to happen, I'm just not sure what it is yet.
I have no idea what this means for me or my family. Maybe my role is just to pray for orphans. Maybe my role is to support people in prayer and financially who are adopting. Maybe this is the Lord's way of asking us to sponsor a child. Maybe someday, we will add another member to our family through adoption.
I have no idea what is going on in my heart ... but I can't deny that it's something.
I hear you. Its a challenging time of year - one of joy and excited but with an undertone of sadness that not everyone is able to experience it like we are.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way, Megan. I would love to adopt a child and my heart has specifically been leaning toward adopting a child with special needs. But I know that with my mental history, no one would probably let me adopt a child. Even when I have so much love to give :(
ReplyDeleteThe Holy Spirit is definitely moving in the church calling people to "look after the widows and orphans". AMAZING and exciting to see. Even here in Hungary where people make and live on much less, believers are stepping up to the plate and putting flesh on these words. So convicting. Thanks for sharing your heart, Megan! Debbie P.
ReplyDeleteI love this post!!!! and I love that your heart is sensative to adoption! It's such an amazing journey. Praying that the Lord gives you clear direction and that when He does, you will be listening and obey! Thankful for you! Love you!
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