As a parent, have you ever looked at your child’s behavior while thinking, “What does THAT look like when she is sixteen?!?”
Fear about the future can plague all parents, but it carries a special worry for parents who come from hard places. Children who are processing loss and trauma can display fear based behaviors that are difficult for parents and children to work through.
When we adopt, we dream of happy endings and of lives filled with joy. And we should dream of happiness, because adoption is a very hopeful act. It is a journey filled with many blessings. However, not every part of the journey is joyful and some parts of the journey are downright scary.
We look at the child in the midst of a grocery store tantrum and think, “What does that look like when she’s sixteen?” We look at the child who finds it difficult to accept love from her mom, giving the librarian she just met a long hug and think, “What does that look like when she’s sixteen?”
It’s difficult to keep worries at bay when it feels like so much is at stake. It is hard to trust that the God who brought us to adoption is always there. He listens to our fervent prayers and loves our children more than we do. He can take our worries about the future and turn them into a deep and abiding love for today.
Cast your cares on Him and live in the present.
Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Matthew 6:34 (NIV)
