Letting go and letting God ...

Our hope is that God would partner us with a birth mom and dad who believe their story is not finished and neither is ours!  We pray for hearts of compassion to see the grief it causes to let go and LET GOD take over.  

Take a moment now to consider the story of Hannah.  What a beautiful name she holds.  In Hebrew it means "God has favored me" or "grace".  Hannah has a unique but difficult story in the Bible that depicts both faith and strength.  I pray every parent pauses to read it - every birth parent, adoptive parent, and biological parent.

1 Samuel chapter 1 illustrated the dedication of Hannah’s first born son.  Have you ever read it through the lens of adoption?  Anyone would be struck by the pain Hannah experienced as a barren woman, taunted by family members for her infertility.  But what about the grief she endured as a birth mom who gave up her only son?  

As I dug deeper into this passage it dawned on me that Hannah’s dedication of Samuel was an adoption story from the viewpoint of a selfless birth parent.  This brave mama was willing to honor a vow she made before the Lord and release her baby boy (maybe 4 years of age) to the temple priest, Eli.  I am stunned by the courage and faith Hannah demonstrated in verses 24-28.  She said to Eli, “I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.  So now I give him to the Lord.  For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.”

Without second thought, Hannah knew little Samuel was God’s child first and that the best place for him to spend his days was not under her roof, but in the house of the Lord.  What sacrificial love to fulfill a promise to God and help secure a child’s destiny.  Hannah’s prayer and humble posture moved me to compassion and gave me an Adoption 101 mini lesson moment.  I initially understood only part of her motherly sorrow – the grief she endured waiting for her turn to raise a family.  But she must have carried a second round of sadness as she let go of the only child warm in her arms.  Yet here was a wise, rational woman with an undeniable courage - a strength clearly from above.  Hannah willingly made the decision to leave her only son at the temple under the care of a faithful priest because she loved her Heavenly Father and wanted what was best for her son!  

Hannah may have walked home teary-eyed and heartbroken toward her husband, but she also must have rejoiced in the Lord’s faithfulness and favor!  I believe Hannah wholeheartedly knew that the story God was writing wasn’t finished.  (If you continue reading, she went on to have an open-adoption with Samuel and then was blessed with not one more, but five more children!)

 Our prayer is that God will take over and write each detailed page of the unwritten adoption story soon to unfold.  We admire the birth parents who carry the courage to adopt.  May He match us with a beautiful family in His perfect timing where we can walk with them through their grief and point them to Hope!

We are certified and ready to adopt. Please share this blog site email (jerams@gmail.com) as you feel led.  Help fund us at www.adopttogether.org (search Gillette family).