Early Post: The Christmas Story (December, 2006)

Jeff's Note: This is a post from an initial blog we began in December of 2006, when the adoption journey became "official" for us. At this time, we had completed an exhaustive application and home study process that began in June, 2006. About a week prior to this posting, we had completed our formal adoption package (dossier) and sent it to China. The wait for Claire began ...

23 December 2006

The Christmas Story

Dear Little One:
Your story actually starts with another story ... the birth of Jesus Christ. It is the greatest adoption story ever told. I never thought about it that way until I started reading some stuff from Steven Curtis Chapman, a Christian music artist and himself an adoptive parent of three little girls from China. Chapman and his wife Mary Beth also have founded an organization called Shohannah's Hope, which is named after one of his three Asian daughters and focused on mobilizing the body of Christ to care for orphans around the world.

Adoption, Chapman writes, is the perfect picture of what God has done for each of us in making us His children through Christ. Check out what the Bible says in Luke, Chapter 2, Verse 10: But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in a town of David a savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

Jesus, the son of God, came down from heaven to earth on Christmas. He cast aside His divine being and took on human form so that He could become a God who walked and talked face-to-face with the people He loved so much. Jesus became the light and hope of a world who desperately needed it. In His short 33 years on earth touched hearts, changed lives and produced miracles. Christ changed water to wine. He talked with the poorest of the poor, while others treated them as outcasts. He healed the sick. He fed the masses. He walked on water. He calmed stormy seas. He challenged false authority. He gave sight to the blind. He raised Lazarus from the dead. He washed the feet of His disciples. He taught us about forgiveness, grace, compassion, mercy, humility, hope, joy and love. He was literally heaven on earth.

Jesus kept it pretty simple for us (He knows us well). In order to follow Him and glorify God in our lives, we need only remember two things:
1. Love God
2. Love each other

"For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."- John 3:16

The life of Jesus Christ is not as much about Him coming TO us, as it is about Him coming FOR us. Jesus' time on earth was temporary. So is ours. God's true design for us is to live an eternal life with Him in Heaven ... a place so glorious that none of us could possibly imagine it. We are all treasured children of the most high God. I think about it this way: Jesus Christ is the world's greatest adoption agency. It doesn't get any better than a home Heaven, and Jesus is the one who takes us there. If we sign up with Him, believe in Him, profess Him to be the leader of our lives, and model our lives as best we can after His ... we will have eternal life in God's forever family.

For Helena and I ... Jesus Christ is the leader of our lives, our marriage and our family. We stumble and misstep everyday. But Jesus gives us unconditional love. We get back up, ask Him to show us the way and start fresh. Love Each Other.

Helena and I also believe that building our family through adoption is one way we can glorify God with our lives here on earth. As Steven Curtis Chapman points out, God calls after His children to care for widows and orphans in the book of James (1:27).

On Christmas morning this year, all of us will be blessed with presents to open, family to gather with, warm homes, and unconditional love. Meanwhile, for millions of orphaned children in the United States and across the world, Christmas only highlights for them what they don't have and so desperately want and need: a family. Despite the abundance in our lives, our hearts will be a little empty this Christmas morning.

Our deepest desire is to be parents. We realize that one --- maybe two --- Christmases will pass by before we celebrate the glory and majesty of Christmas with a little child in our home. But Christmas is about believing. Christmas is about hope. Christmas is about miracles. We believe our miracle will come ... Some Day.

And the funny thing is, just like Jesus ... you won't be coming TO us. you'll be coming FOR us. We pray that you'll believe this Christmas. We do.

Welcome to your story.

Love,
Mom & Dad ... waiting patiently