Dear Son or Daughter

A few weeks ago we watched the movie October Baby.  We had been warned, but we still found ourselves  in our living room at midnight doing the "ugly cry" by the end of the movie. :)  Matt doesn't write much, but when he does, look out.  It'll knock your socks off.  At least, it always does mine.  He wrote a letter to our child after watching this movie, and I asked him if I could post it on the blog.

Dear Son or Daughter,

I haven't met you yet. I don't know when I will, and I have no idea what you will be like.  I don't know anything about you yet.  But I know this.  I love you as much as I have ever loved anything on this Earth.  I love you as much as your brother and your sister, who are more precious and dear to me than my own life.  I know with a certainty that I have only felt a few times in my life that God told me He had a very special baby for me and your mom, and that baby is you. All I have to do now is just wait for Him to bring us together. 

I have so many hopes and dreams for you.  Many of them are the same hopes and dreams I have for your brother and sister. I hope that you know and trust The Lord in a deeply intimate and personal way. I hope that you grow up to be happy and healthy and have a family of your own. I hope that you live a life that has meaning and purpose and has an impact on those around you. 

But I also hope that you know you belong. I am so scared that the world is going to tell you that you don't fit in.  It just isn't true and I pray that you never believe it.  I hope the fact that I want you is enough.  That doesn't mean that your birth parents don't want you. I don't know their story yet, but I know they do.  How could they not?  They'd be fools not to because you're perfect. 

It's part of every parent's nature to want to protect their kids from pain and hurt. This will be a very dated reference by the time you read this, and you won't have any idea what I'm talking about, but the movie Taken was so popular because every parent identifies with it. We all feel like we could tear apart an entire city just to protect our kids.  We do as much as we can, but eventually the hurt comes. I can't protect you from it.  That's the fear I'm facing now. The fear that the world is going to hurt you in a unique way that I am not equipped to deal with.  I can only close my eyes and pray and beg for God to protect you for me. To give you a confidence to know who you are. To know that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. To know that you are wanted, that you were sought out and bought with a price because you have value and worth. 

You see adoption isn't just God's plan for your life. It is his perfect plan. He sought me out, he bought me for a very hefty price, he adopted me into his family because as his creation, I have value and worth to Him.

I cannot wait to meet you.  I cannot wait to see you grow up, and to teach you so many new things.  I know you're going to teach me a bunch of things as well.  We're going to have a lot of fun together.  Your mommy is sweet and kind and your brother and sister are awesome and so excited to meet you.  So until we get to meet, we're here waiting for you. Wanting you.

Love,

Dad