Pre-loved

So much has happened in the last few months already that I wish I had started an adoption blog back in April. Or March. Or maybe even last summer. The journey up to this point has been a bit bumpy, but there is a lot to tell, and it's clear that God has had His hand in it. I'll just have to catch you all up as we go.

The blog's title comes from a talk given by Ken Fong at Urbana 2000 (InterVarsity's national missions conference). It stuck with me as a beautiful illustration of God's plan for adoption. It is based on Ephesians chapter 1 where Paul says that God chose us and predestined us to be adopted as his sons. Ken discusses the legal understanding of adoption from a Hebrew, Greek and Roman perspective, and describes which perspective Paul was coming from. Throughout the talk he intersperses his own story of adopting his daughter.

To really catch the impact of this word "pre-loved", you need to watch Ken's talk. You can click here to get to Urbana's webpage with a link to the video of the talk. It is rather long (about 30 minutes), but if you fast forward and skip the first 12 minutes you'll get to the most relevant stuff. I wish I could find a transcript, but it is more powerful seeing the video--especially at the end when Ken's wife brings their daughter up on stage.

Mark and I know that God has a child for us. I could be wrong, and we're open to whatever, but I kind of think it will be a girl. She most likely hasn't been born yet, and quite possibly hasn't even been conceived. Friends and family have been praying with us for that child for months. She is pre-loved. We can't wait to meet her.