Upon bringing me home, my parents began a routine. They introduced me to a church family every week. My first visitors were L.D. and Ivslee Richardson, a young deacon in Dad’s church. L.D and my father had grown up together as boys in rural east Tennessee and had remained friends. Ivalee would be my church preschool teacher from bed babies and followed me until I went to “big church.” There was no children’s church in that day. Children’s church consisted of your parent’s laps or going through my mom’s purse. Miss Ivalee was a tremendous influence, and God was so good that both my children, Ric and Erin, were cared for by her in our church home. Isn’t God good? I felt safe entrusting their care to her.
Years later, I was co-teaching with our pastor, Dwight Clark, in a January bible study. A man in the church asked the pastor why a woman was teaching, and Miss Ivalee nearby heard the remark and spoke up and said, “Because she was chosen to.” Her and L.D. remained a fortress in my life and ministry; Both were affirming and not afraid to offer a rebuke when I needed it. They are both in heaven now, and I look forward to seeing them again.
The other part of the routine was at bedtime; my folks would take turns from the first day until many years later, recounting how I came to be in their home. It went like this.” “First, we prayed, then you were born to a mom who loved you so much she wanted you to have a better life than she could give you. And God, like little Moses, hid you in the bulrushes until your home with us was ready.” I didn’t know at the beginning what or where bulrushes were, but I felt it must be some secret hiding place that only God knew about.
These words were so deeply etched into my sense of identity and memory, and I can’t ever remember not knowing this story. It was like I was born with this information.
Years later(more about this later), I would discover the time I was waiting in the “bulrushes” was a period of time when my birth mother was bargaining with my biological father to get him to leave his wife and his other two daughters. He adamantly said he would not leave his wife until his youngest daughter finished her education; accepting this, my birth mother signed the papers for surrender. Ultimately she waited for him for five years, and he left his wife as he promised and married her. They stayed married for 25 years until his death at the age of 81. I learned later that Peter (my biological father) tried to place me with relatives in his homeland of Greece. But upon learning that I was only half greek, the relatives declined. My birth mother and her family were from Finland. When we were told this information, my folks and I laughed over the explanation of olive skin and blond hair. My own parents, Ed and Beulah, had no knowledge of any of this information as I was part of a closed adoption. Legally, I know what the term “closed” means, but I believe God closed the door because He had already selected me to be chosen. What a grace gift! I truly believe I would not have nor could not have reached my maximum potential for all God would purpose me for if He had not hid me in the bulrushes of foster care and ultimately to my adoptive home. I do not believe my birth parents were bad or villainous folks, but I do know they were simply not in the position to launch me out into the life God was calling me to; the will of God led me where the grace of God kept me.
So far, I know this series has been more personal than my other pursuits in writing, but this is one of the first projects I did when I finally responded to God’s prompting to write. Although most have not lived through physical adoption, all of us who have decided to follow Christ into a personal relationship has been spiritually adopted. This is written in scripture that we have been given the spirit of adoption and been made joint-heirs with Christ. God has chosen all of us because He loves us. My heart’s desire is that the words He places on my heart will serve to lift up and encourage folks that God does have His eye on us all through time and has a purpose just for us. Further, His lovingkindness is manifested in His providential care for working out all the details to move us toward the bright future He has for us all. If I were to get caught up in the drama of the circumstances of my birth and adoption. If I were to look at it through the eyes of the world, it would rob me of the peace of mind God so faithfully worked to provide me with. It would not honor Him with the Glory and praise He deserves for performing such a task in all of the lives of my family. God be praised as His mercies are new every day and no purpose He has ordained can be withheld from His hand.
Next time in the vineyard, the 5 o’clock worker will share about Names and Faces.
5oclockworker.com 