Why special needs?

Over the last several weeks I have shared a little about our adoption process so far. I've shared why we are adopting in the first place and why we chose Korea. One element of our process that seems most confusing to others is that we are a part of program for "waiting children," those who have mild to moderate special needs.

Waiting. Special. Needs. Not perfect - perhaps not even healthy. All scary and risky sounding, true. So why did we choose this path? Do we have a special calling or burden for special needs children? We do now, I guess you could say. In reality, we chose special needs adoption because we chose Korea and we chose our particular agency; because our agency does not have an office in our state of residence, the only option was to do so as a part of the waiting child program. And we are okay with it.

Unknowns are scary to me, but my heart is at rest. As we have thought and prayed over the days and years ahead, we trust that God has knit together a little one for us and that whatever labels he or she might wear are given by a wise and loving Creator. We also trust that He knows what our limits are and what is wise for us in regard to the severity of the need. We have specified certain things that we will consider and others that we do not feel comfortable with for now, and will wait to see who comes our way. Once our agency calls we will have full discretion to say yes or no. It is an odd place to be but we are here by God's grace.

The range of needs the waiting children could have are from totally insignificant to overwhelming. Today we attended a picnic where at least seven or eight former Korean orphans (ages 18 months to six or seven years) ran and played, all healthy and vibrant, precious and loved children with moms and dads who were willing to take the risk on loving them.

God loves the orphan. He loves the least of these. He loves the blind, the deaf, the "not perfect." Aren't we all "waiting children"? Flawed beyond hope and desperately in need of a Savior to fix our bodies, our minds, or souls? He is redeeming what is broken - in me, in you, in the orphan with labels.

Please pray for us - for wisdom, for freedom from anxiety and fear, that we would wait well. Pray that we would serve the Lord who creates blind eyes for His glory and opens them too (see John 9).