(Taken at Chinese New Year Celebration 2009)
This came to me via my hometown newspaper and I really felt like I needed to share this with every one that likes to check in on our blog from time to time. It rang true to me and most of the people that are in our lives. How could anyone not want a child? Then I have to think back to Mary Beth's bio mother. I wonder what it took for her to have to give Mary Beth up. She was a brave soul for doing so. For her to have to give up such a special child and for us to granted by our Lord and Savior this precious child to be in our lives. It is one of the greatest gifts that we have ever been given. So we pray for her bio mother and father. We do not know if they were together or if they were apart, but we must pray for them, because this was one of the hardest decisions that they had to make in their life, however we forever will be grateful to them for making that decision on that cold November night/day. Thank you Lord for giving them the courage to do this and please forgive them for what they did, but you knew what they were doing and you turned it around and blessed us with this amazing, wonderful, beautiful, joyous child!
Here is the piece from the paper:
from Reflections of Faith by Roger Campbell
Every child has the right to be wanted.
But why would any parent not want a child?
Should a child be unwanted because the parents fear changes in their lifestyle?
Should a child be unwanted because the arrival of another person in the home will throw the family budget out of balance?
Should a child be unwanted because a birth now will violate some preset timetable?
Should a child be unwanted because, like Abraham Lincoln, he or she will have to be raise in poverty?
Should a child be unwanted because of some possible physical handicap?
Should a child be unwanted because this birth will reveal wrong conduct by the parents and shame looms larger than life?
How can any parent not want a child who is yet unseen?
How can a child be unwanted who has not yet had the opportunity to give love or receive it...whose cry has never been heard...whose arms still wait to give their first hug?
Is it fair to deny birth to a child thought to be unwanted when that child has never had a chance to convince the parent of his or her worth?
And who is this unwanted one?
One who bears the image of both parents.
But more than that, one who reaches back through generations combining all family roots in one special person.
Very Special.
One so unique that this child can never be replaced.
No other person will have the same appearance.
No other person will have the same temperament.
No other person will have the same ability to solve problems that trouble us all.
No other person will have this child’s voice.
No other eyes will carry the same expressions as these.
No one will be the same mix of past and present.
So if this child is not allowed to live, we lose more than a statistic.
We lose a part of the past that is intended to be shared by this family.
We lose a family historian.
We lose one who seems to step out of old family portraits to walk among us.
We lose Grandma’s beauty and Grandpa’s gift to build. We lose Great-Grandma’s sense of humor and Great-Grandpa’s ability to produce a bumper crop.
When a child is denied birth a family loses part of its heritage and we all lose the reward of that person’s presence in the world.
The Psalmist said it well: "Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is His reward" (Psalms 127:3)
