Five Years

Today we celebrate five years of Kai in our family. We celebrate how special he is. We remember how God provided through every step of our journey. We praise God for His redemptive plan. We praise Him for the gift of adoption.⁣

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But we don’t do that without recognizing and remembering the brokenness that brought us here. That wouldn’t tell the whole story.⁣

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Look into these tear filled eyes for a moment. These eyes showed the grief, sadness and fear that filled his heart. This day five years ago, he was taken by strangers away from all he has ever known.⁣

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In that moment his life changed. Yes some of the changes were good things. But some of the changes were sad and scary and hard and losses that he will carry for life. ⁣

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This isn’t how things are meant to be. This isn’t how families are supposed to grow. But God, in His redemptive love and goodness has made a way for broken and beautiful to coexist.⁣

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We are learning to embrace the broken and be thankful for the beautiful. It isn’t always easy. Joy and sorrow can coexist. Loss and gain can coexist. Pain and healing can coexist. ⁣

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We live in the midst of two realities. We live in a broken world yet have the reality of complete healing with eternity in the world the way God intended it to be. Part of life on this side of Heaven is holding both in view. ⁣

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It’s good to embrace the joy and the sorrow together. One does not undo the other. ⁣#hopewins