Crazy Guest Blogger – A Dad’s Adoption Story

I’m excited to be a part of the “blogger support group” for Kari as she is away. It’s the least I (we) can do for the immense support she gives all of us who are on the journey to adopt. We feel blessed to be involved in her efforts. Kari has continued to inspire my wife (Katie) and I in this journey of adoption. You see, Katie and I are newbies. We didn’t start off having a heart for adoption, We didn’t go on a mission trip and see the hurt and have a life-changing experience.

We just chose to listen to a still small voice.

It all started a couple of years ago when my wife wanted a fourth child…and I didn’t. Three kids was good for me. It’s a good number. I was done. I remember saying four words that I believed would never come true. I said that “I would rather adopt“, than have more kids. In my head this was a great manipulation technique. There was no way we would adopt. The barriers were far to big to overcome. It costs too much, it takes too long, we already have awesome kids, and the list goes on…

But the barriers were excuses. Excuses for my own selfish desires. You see, I had my life list. You know…the stuff I was going to do in life. For me it looked like this;

1. Find a job (a decent one w/good pay)
2. Find a spouse (may be combined with #1)
3. Get married
4. Buy a house (a fixer upper will work)
5. Have children (2 or 3 are good numbers)
6. Get the promotion (with better pay)
7. Add a pet (verdict is still out on this one)
8. Retire
9. Travel (destination: overseas)

Do you have a list like this? It was my guide. If I got disoriented I looked toward the list. It’s what grounded my actions. But what I’ve learned is that life is not a list to be accomplished. It’s a life to be lived. It’s ultimately for His use not ours. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting that the above list is not note-worthy. I’ve been immensely blessed with a great job, awesome wife, and incredible children. But the list was all about me.

So my list is getting reorganized and re-prioritized. As far as I’m concerned, it’s playing out to be more exciting and adventurous than any drama on TV. So what have I learned? Don’t be defined by your list. Do something amazing. So whether you are adopting or not, I’d like to challenge all of us to continue to step out in bold faith and make a statements with our lives that impact others. This is what I’m trying to do with mine.

When you get a minute, stop by our site (http://myfourwords.blogspot.com/) and say hello!