But, but, but what about...?

Reading Radical and talking that September evening was just the beginning.  It was now time to put into action what had been placed on our hearts.  So many questions ran through our minds, "But, are we crazy?", "But, we already have 3 kids, won't adoption rob them of our time and attention?"  "But, how do we really know God is leading us?  Shouldn't we wait for a clear sign that this is the right thing for us to do?"  Not having talked to every adoptive parent who has walked this Earth I can't say for sure, BUT I'm pretty certain that almost all potential adoptive parents have had these kinds of thoughts running through their mind.  Let me walk you though these questions one by one.

 "Am I crazy?", absolutely. 

"We already have 3 kids, won't adoption rob them of our time and attention?", absolutely.  I rob my children every day of my time and attention.  I'm sure every parent does.  But I would challenge whether "rob" is correct term to use.  How does loving and attending to a child constitute "robbing" another child of time and attention?  A parent's job is always to balance the needs of their children with the time they've been given in each 24 hour day.  Robbing suggests taking something away from someone that was rightfully theirs.  Nikki and I won't be taking away love for our children by adoption, we will be giving the love that is RIGHTFULY due to all our children, including Finley. 

"How do we really know God is leading us?", Easy.  Is Adoption something that God has historically and repeatedly called on faithful Christians to do?  Christ himself was adopted by Joseph.  We are all adopted sons and daughters of God.  God has always been in the adotion business, in both ACTION and WORD since the creation of man.  So did Nikki and I need a clear sign from God?  No.  Did we get one?  Absolutely.  Whether from God's Word explicitly (I was divinely provided James 1:27 on the first night this question arose), from our September evening encounter, or from literally dozens of "affrimations" or "coincidences" from that day forward God gave us all the assurance we needed to know to keep walking on Finley's Journey.

I know this all sounds very philosophical. BUT, in reality, none of this thought process actually took place during this journey.  It is only now thinking back that it is clear to me how silly these objections really are.  The REALITY is that after that evening in September, my mind and body went into cruise control.  Most questions and doubt quickly faded away.  This is a big deal, because I have to be honest, I am a worrier.  I am an obsessive worrier.  Anxiety and worry are probably my greatest vices, so when  NONE of these questions had any lasting impact on me and our decision to adopt, that in and of itself is the only answer I really needed to hear.  It was go time!