when god opens doors…. walk through
My husband and I have two amazing boys ages 8 and 11, both we were blessed with after 10 years and 8 rounds of IVF. About five years ago I was pregnant with our last two embryos, twins. I lost one of them at 10 weeks and the other at 12 weeks. After a year or so we started looking into adopting another child. We did some research on International adoptions and other adoption agencies and each time we just got scared and didn’t do it.
About three years had gone by and our church small group was doing a bible study on Mark Batterson’s book, Whisper, How to Hear the Voice of God. I always wondered how you know it is God speaking to you vs. just your own thoughts. One night after bible study I went to bed and prayed, God please help me understand how I know it is You speaking to me. A few nights later I had a reoccurring dream I have had for years. In the dream I am walking outside, and I see a plane crashing and run to the plane to save people from the crash, I always woke up before I got to the plane. Over the years I thought this dream was linked to flying and traveling for work. This night was different, I made it to the plane and ran through the wreckage to a little brow- haired, crying girl, I pulled her out of the plane and just held her. When I woke up, have never been so sure of anything in my life, God was telling me there was a little girl out there who needed me to save her. God was not whispering to me He was yelling to me!
That’s the day my husband and I started our journey to become foster parents with the hopes of adopting. We finally walked through the door, scared yes, but we knew this is what we were supposed to do. We started getting our foster license just as COVID started and so it took a lot longer, but after almost a year we finally got the call we were officially licensed in January of 2021. A few weeks later, on a Monday, after one of the busiest weeks of the year for work, we received a call from a case worker. They were looking for a placement for a 3-year-old girl temporarily, but they needed to move her that day. Again, we walked through the door and said yes. She came to us on Valentine’s Day of 2021. She was only supposed to be with us for a couple of weeks until they found a new home, where the parents were specially trained for kids with severe trauma and behavioral issues. After the first week we asked if we could get trained and let her stay with us, they came back and said yes.
In April, one week before her parent’s court date to terminate their rights, the case worker went and talked to both parents separately to see if they would voluntarily sign their rights over vs. going through the court. Both parents said they would not unless we agreed to adopt her. We had one night to decide, and again, we walked through that door. Her official adoption went through in July of 2021, just five months after she came to our house. The lawyer told us it was the fastest adoption she had ever witnessed.
I truly believe when God opens a door, especially one where you feel uncomfortable and scared, when you walk through, He will not let you down and will continue to open the doors along the way for you. God will speak to you in many ways, listen and walk through those doors. Remember how I said she had behavioral challenges? Well, she sure did and there are days still where I ask God, why me? Are you sure I can do this? My husband reminds me, God didn’t bring her to us for you, He brought her to us for her. On the days where she is having a complete meltdown, I keep praying, I know Lord, you got this with us.