Adoption.
The laughter peeking through years of late night weeping.
The smiles forcing their way out of night terrors and a childhood lost.
The perseverance of parents wanting to love a child deeply, but finding the bricks built higher and higher in his fortress of protection.
The task is not just about loving a child. It's about allowing yourself to be abandoned. Allowing the words of the Lord speak for you when the end of yourself seems too far.
The time lost to poverty and sickness. God can redeem.
A word spoken in harshness to a child wrapped in hurt and confusion. God can restore.
A child afraid of being abandoned. Again. A parent longing for a hug from a child who sees a hug as threatening, not loving. God can remember.
The heart can seem lost and the days can seem surrendered to impatience. God can refresh.
God never promises us easy days. Quite the opposite actually. He understands having a son betrayed and mocked. He cares for His children who scream curses and walk away, turning their backs on Him.
But only for a time.
His redemption is sure.
His restoration is complete.
