{Adoption} Peace of God

This was my Facebook status earlier this week: I've never doubted we were blessed by our first two adoption processes. But as I'm researching and thinking and praying about how we'll pursue a third adoption, I'm reminded again how God blessed us with Cate and Ben's birthmoms. Peace comes knowing God was in those details and He's in the ones I don't know about now.

Peace is such a funny thing for a first-born perfectionist who likes to plan and organize. Adopting both our kids certainly was a faith journey for me, and my personality. I'm better for going through those processes. And now just because I get to be a momma to two kids who encourage me, challenge me, entertain me, and learn from me.

During Cate's adoption process I grasped hold of Philippians 4:6-7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Peace of God.

It's not even peace I can conjure up myself. It's His peace in my life.

And I've known it before, and I'm feeling it right now.

We've recently begun a third adoption process. And by "begun," I mean we are truly at the beginning. We met with an adoption attorney who quickly demonstrated why he's involved in such a relational legal work. My first impression: He knows God is in control, wants to help birthmoms who are searching for any kind of hope, and believes in family.

I'm ordering our profile books for potential birthmoms who wander in our attorney's office. This Snapfish book is 26 pages that summarizes our family. Who we are. What we do. What we like. And why we'd welcome a baby into our family. It could be a stressful process, thinking about what this picture and that picture say about us.

But God put this on my heart: I'm never going to be in the mind of a pregnant woman who, for whatever reason, wants a family to raise and love the baby she's growing and loving. Yes, loving. If she's choosing life for this baby she doesn't believe she should/could raise, then she's loving it. Wasting time over-analyzing which picture of my 4-year-old daughter and I smiling together is best is ... well, a waste of time. Trust me, people, this peaceful approach to something that could be life-changing is big for me.

I was just sitting at the computer, feeling good about finishing the book. While the book was saving, I clicked over to Facebook to read my News Feed, killing a few minutes, when I see a Snapfish coupon for buy 1 photo book, get 2 free. Seriously. It's the EXACT deal I hoped was out there when I started the book a couple nights ago. It wasn't out there then. But then it was. Just as I was saving my finished product. I had planned to order three copies anyway.

I'm telling you, God is in the details. He's in the obvious ones, and he's in the minor ones that are part of the bigger journey. He cares for us and knows the desires of our heart. Sometimes that's expressed in Snapfish coupons. And one day, I believe, it will be expressed in the birthmom of our third child.
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