Hopes and Dreams

I had a conversation with two of my cousins last year that has stuck with me. We talked about our hopes and dreams for our kids, and how we want more for our kids.

I don't think that's unusual--most parents wants their kids to go further and be more successful than they have been. But my cousins and I were not talking about material success. We were talking about the desire to see our children have a greater faith in God than we do. To love Jesus more than we do. To be more diligent in prayer, steadfast in love, and saturated in grace.

When I think about the children that Ken and I are adopting, I think about the dramatic change in course their lives will take in a few months. They don't know it yet, but they will be given the chance to go further and do more than their biological parents. They won't worry about whether there will be enough food to fill their growling tummies. They won't die of malnutrition or treatable disease. Water will be clean and safe to drink. They will get an education that rivals the best in the world. And they will have a family who never gives up on them, loves them forever and ever, no matter what may come.

But will they think about the years they lost in the orphanage? Will they wonder if God forgot them?

It would be great if they are on the honor roll, excel in sports, get a scholarship to university, meet and marry a wonderful person, live in a comfortable house, and have a high-paying job.

But ultimately none of that matters to me. I want them to know God. I want them to believe without a doubt that He was always there, always watching, always loving--even when their future looked bleak. I want them to experience God's goodness, His kindness, His favor.

Of course I want this for Jackson as well, but it's my special prayer for these three children who have faced so much hardship in their young lives.

This song gives me chills every time I hear it. It's been true in my life, and I pray it's true for my children as well.