My adoption story--A Guest Post

I was adopted at a moderate age for 1968 I was 4 months old.  Due to chronic illness that followed me through into early adulthood I was not released immediately as a newborn.  I was the child bore of a relationship that was between a 15yr old girl and an 18yr old boy.  I don’t know much more than that and probably never will.  I was chronically ill as a child and had 17 documented hospitalizations between the ages of 1-4 due to pneumonia and or croup.  I think my birth mother was not overjoyed about her young pregnancy and did not care well for herself as a result.  I was adopted by a Christian couple who raised me in a Lutheran Church.  I am their 2^nd child their only birth child is a boy who is 10 years older than me so in a sense we both were like only children and our family experiences were completely different as well.  My brother had our father until he was 11.  I had him only until 2 weeks past my 1^st birthday when he died. 

I tell this so you can understand where we are today.  I am a conservative Christian woman.  I do not believe that teens should engage in relations prior to marriage but when I was asked to write this I thought  if you erase me then you erase my children all 5 of them.  They are precious to God and each has a purpose as do I.  God ordained the family that was to receive me.  He knew my father would pass.  He watched over and protected my mother until I was 17 and graduated at which time she passed.  He put me exactly where and when I needed to be. 

God’s intervention started when I was young.  I remember being in the hospital in oxygen tents crying because I wanted to go home.  I remember clearly feeling the presence of God.  .  You see my mother never treated me differently from my brother.  It was equal billing all the way.  I did not get a special out because I was adopted and I did not get it harder either.  God in his loving grace forgives all of us.  If we ask he forgives and not disproportionally.  It is equal.  My sin may be greater but our forgiveness is the same.  He forgives  us all equally. His grace and divine intervention is for all his children and in his home we are all adopted.  When salvation comes to us we are accepted into a great big family.  Maybe we would not choose all the members but God chose them.  He chased after their heart and wooed them until they became his.   Just like my mom and dad and brother chose me literally.  Back when I was adopted my family went to the home and walked down rows of babies and picked one out. They picked me.  God picked me.  He picked me to be raised by a single Christian mother.  He picked me to be the wife of my husband of 22 years .  He picked me to be the mother of 5 children.  He picked me to be the mother of a daughter who only lived 26 days but needed me for those 26 days. 

 

Being adopted can be easy or hard.  Many people think it is hard because they feel rejection.   I say Thank You God for guiding every step for putting me where I need to be.  I am very level headed about this and I cannot tell you exactly what my mother may or may not have done to make me feel this way.  But God has obviously given me peace and contentment about my situation.  He makes me feel whole and complete.  I don’t feel like I was rejected by my parents as much as I feel accepted by a family who poured all their love into me like they did all my cousins as well.  I think that is what being a Christian is like as well you are adopted by God , you are forgiven, reprimanded when needed with loads of grace and infinite love.  There are times my earthly brother and I disagree and times I disagree with the Christian brothers and sisters as well.  In the end we all were chosen and we must view each other from Gods viewpoint and not our human one.  He loves us with a never ending love even when we do wrong just like my mother did right up until the day she died.

 

I can do nothing short of praise and Thank God for the opportunities afforded to me.  Adoption is a wonderful thing.  It should be considered not only in the realm of infant adoption but older children as well.  Many kids are languishing in a broken system because everyone would understandably like a baby.  Pray, meditate, fast and consider has God placed adoption of any kind on your heart, if he has be obedient.  He will provide everything needed and so much more, even when it seems difficult.  You are making an impact that you will never realize on someone’s life. Someone like me who needed a family to call their very own. Know up front the road with your adopted child may not be easy.  My parents did not know when they brought me home in March that in November my father would be called home to be with the Lord.  It is far from what my mother thought she was getting into without a doubt. Are you called?  Are you ready?  Can you be obedient in this tough, exciting, thrilling and blessed journey?  I bet you can.  Because as you know all things are possible through Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Jennifer Chrispell is a SAHM who home schools her children.  She has been blessed to be a help-mate to Michael Chrispell for 22 years.  Ever learning and seeking.  She runs a home business called Sew Cute Doll Clothes (www.sewcutedollclothes.com) and does a large variety of activities from working on their 5 acres to provide a portion of their food needs to being blessed enough to have landed some contracts to professionally tweet for some large companies.