Birth Mom

Somewhere out there is a woman who will give birth to our child.
She probably isn't pregnant yet.
We have no idea who she is, where she lives, what her home life is.

But she will be our baby's home for the first 40 weeks or so of his/her life.

And eventually she will make the most heart-wrenching decision of her life. She will pick our scrapbook out of a pile, she will read a letter from us, and we will find blessing and joy in the midst of her pain. She will walk into the hospital pregnant and will be wheeled out with empty arms.

I don't take that lightly.

I hope you don't either.

So now that we are telling people about our plan to adopt, we often are asked what the next step is. For us, our journey to our child is continuing with what we've been doing for years: praying. It's just that our prayers have changed. Instead of praying for ourselves we are praying for our baby's birth mother.

Of course, we are researching adoption agencies, getting educated, creating wish lists on-line, talking with friends. But the most important thing we can do right now is to bring our concerns, questions, and hopes and lay them at the feet of Jesus.

And for me, those prayers start with our birth mom.

Will you join me in praying for her?

My dear friends who are mothers often talk of how hard it is to learn to let go as their child grows. I think I'm just learning those lessons a little earlier. I can't control the circumstances of my child's creation. Can't monitor the nutrition, stress level, prenatal care, or relationships surrounding our baby's development. But I can pray.

And pray I do. I pray for our birth mother's life, her heart, her family, her choices. I pray she has support and peace. And I pray we will be a blessing to her, as her gift will change and bless all of us.