What Gets Me Fired Up #8 - Adoption

I recently read that if one out of every six Christian couples in the world were to adopt a child, there would be no orphans in the world.

When Janelle and I were presented with the thought of adoption, I was the hesitant one... so many preconceived notions and fears.  Lot's of questions...

1. Would I love the child the same way I would if I were to "have my own"?
2. What if the child is devastated when learning he/she is not "ours"?
3.  Am I giving up on the potential miracle of us getting pregnant if we take the route of adoption?

Thanks to the prompting of God's Spirit and an amazingly bold and compassionate wife, I was able to open up to taking the route of having a family through adoption.  From that point on, my questions were not answered.  Instead, I discovered they were completely the wrong questions.

1. I need not worry about loving the child as if she were my "own".  She is OUR child as much as any child could be OURS.  This means two things, any child is ultimately entrusted to our care.  We don't own any.  Yet, to the level at which she has taken on our name, joined our line, she is a Prenkert as much as any other Prenkert.
2. So I'm concerned she'll be devastated in learning she's not "ours"?  Read thoughts directly above.
3. Rather than giving up on miracles, I have experienced more moments where I've thought or said, "Only God could accomplish that" than any other situation I've faced in my life.  

Don't get me wrong, adoption is an amazing adventure filled with angst, uncertainty, expenses, and potential pitfalls. As we've been through it once and are going through it again, we know it will never work the same way twice.  Yet, a simple hug and a kiss from a little girl I call "Skippy" are enough to remind me that it is all worth it.  It's Skippy along with an update on our current adoption tomorrow that confirm adoption is what gets me fired up!