Christmas 2009. Only 2 Christmases ago. I was a wreck. We were so close to being matched with our new child. I just knew it would be a few weeks after Christmas.
And, that meant that though I didn’t know who she was or where exactly she was, what she looked like or how old she was. I knew she was. I knew she was somewhere across the world, alone for Christmas, what was her first Christmas.
And, though I was anxious and wondering and thinking all the time about her, there was something that gave me great peace.
God was there.
Read Luke 2:6-20. Luke mentioned the manger three times. Why?
The manger was messy. It wasn’t what we picture–a wooden contraption with a sweet bed of hay. It was more like a box looking thing or basin made out of clay mixed with hay or stones and held together with mud. All kinds of food for animals were put in it, not just nice yellow hay. It was dirty, maybe moldy, smelly.
And, God was there.
As spunky and full of life as Lydia is now, it wasn’t that long ago that she was in a pretty messy place. I believe her orphanage was one of the better ones–her needs were met. There were windows with natural light in the room where she lived 24-7. In that room were 40 cribs, but there were also some toys. But, there were older children in that orphanage too, children we weren’t allowed to see. And, I wonder what their days were like.
I’ve heard a lot of stories–about adopted children who flinch when someone moves their direction in fear that they will be hit; children who were never held, children who have come to accept that no one wants to bring home a child their age, only babies; children who suffer consequences from not having the medical treatment they needed earlier.
God is not only not afraid to get his feet dirty; He is about getting His feet dirty.
Psalm 34:18 tells us He’s close to the brokenhearted. I can only imagine that He is very close indeed to brokenhearted children, whether they are aware of their brokenness or not. He’s there.
this is beautiful. it pains my heart so much to think of the children in orphanages all over, not feeling the affectionate love of a mother or father. i have three adopted nieces – from china, ethiopia, and haiti. seeing pictures of their living conditions there broke every piece of me. but, just as you say, God is there just as much as he is in our warm, cozy, affectionate, loving homes. it’s hard to understand. yet, just as you say… He makes unholy places, holy. amazing to think of it!
Oh, Kelly… how very true. This took me back to Christmas 2004 as we waited to travel to adopt the Tongginator. Staring at a picture, praying for her and those who cared for her. “He makes the unholy places holy.” That will stick with me for awhile.
I love this. When we adopted our second daughter, the wait was hard. We knew she needed extra love and attention and had no idea what she was getting. Fast forward one year and she tells me often, “Jesus holding me in China.” Gives me goosebumps because I know His arms were around her.
That is beautiful. I also love the comment about “Jesus holding me in China,” what a perfect way to describe that process. You can only imagine if the wait is this difficult for the adoptive families, it must be ten times harder for the children waiting to be scooped up and loved by their new families.