What a blessing it is to look back and reflect on this first year as a family. Boy, what a year! It’s been a year filled with many firsts, many struggles, and so much joy and love. It’s a blessing to look back as parents and reflect on how much God has grown and shaped us into these two special roles for Brooks. And, it’s a blessing to reflect on how God brought us together and how the three of us have grown closer together as a family.
Our lives are not perfect. Parenthood is not perfect. (Hellooo! It’s hard and we fail a lot.) Adoption is not perfect. We know nothing about this life is perfect. We know that grief does not follow a straight line and that it takes a lot of work to be the best we can be for each other. Because of what Jesus did and through God’s grace, we know that loss and our imperfections do not define us. He defines us. He holds our world in his hands. He guided Brooks’ birth mother, he guided his foster family, and he guides us now.
It’s the greatest honor to step into Brooks’ story. What a joy it is to share with Brooks that he was purposefully and wonderfully made by our Creator God and how deeply loved he is.
“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3: 14-19).
1 year of Brooks
