Reflecting

Have you ever noticed how events happen in our lives that greatly influence who we are and then as time goes by, the memory and the reality of those things become less and less a part of our daily existence? Then, every once in a while, something will happen that brings that event to the forefront of our minds and for a moment we reflect on the magnitude of the event again. I had one of those moments this week while we were in DC and I haven’t been able to shake it.

We were in the McDonald’s food court at the National Air and Space Museum. I wasn’t looking for a reflective moment, just a quick and easy way to get everyone fed. We jumped into the first available line and began to order our food. About two items into our order, I noticed that the cashier, though attentive to my order, was staring at Abe. She couldn’t take her eyes off him and finally Ryan, who was holding Abe in his arms, asked her, “Are you from Ethiopia?” To which she replied that she was. He said, “So is he,” as he pointed to Abe.

She nodded and said, “I know,” as she gestured toward his face. Ryan asked her where she was from and we exchanged a few more pleasantries about her homeland. We found out that her parents were from the same region as Abe. Then we continued with our order.

I looked away to ask Abe if he wanted apples or french fries with his Happy Meal. He told me that he wanted french fries with ketchup. Then I looked back up and saw that the cashier was crying. Like, really crying. We paused for a moment and Ryan asked her if her tears were happy. She responded with a smile that they were. Then she reached for Abe, hugged him, and finished taking our order. She began crying again and Ryan reached across the register counter, hugged her, and whispered to her that we love her homeland and that we pray for the people of Ethiopia. She smiled and we walked away, exchanging looks which began our own rush of tears.

Abe’s adoption was such a life changing event for me in so many ways. In a very practical way, it made me a mother of five. It added to my physical responsibilities and demands, but also expanded my heart in a way that I hadn’t known before. The process stretched my faith and made me more confident than ever that God is sovereign and He cares about the details of my life. It gave me a passion for adoption and a desire to encourage anyone who feels compelled to go there. Traveling to Africa gave me an overwhelming burden for both the physical and spiritual needs of the people. A burden that, 8 short months later, would have me filling out the initial paperwork for our missions application process. It has forever changed me.

I couldn’t help but think about how God uses those events in our lives to remind us of who we are and what He’s done for us. In Old Testament times, He would sometimes have people institute a ceremony, place a stone, or implement some other remembrance of a key event. Abe’s adoption and all of the details of it are such an amazing part of my testimony. The application process that we’ve just completed has also been riddled with details that only God could write. Yet, as time goes by, those details will become less “daily” to me because God will be doing a new thing and I will be seeing Him work in other amazing ways as I walk with Him. I am so thankful for His ever-present hand and His creativity and personal love as He writes the story of my life!