by Christy Hahn Carter

As a nurse, there are certain moments that stick with you forever. In those moments, there are memories that impact not only your nursing career, but your life as well. As a believer in Christ, I often say a prayer as I am going into work for God to use me and work through me. On one particular night at work, I received the blessing of experiencing a deeper understanding of the unconditional, undeniable love of God through witnessing an adoption story.

I have been a nurse for 12 years. The last four years, I have had the privilege of taking care of mothers and their newborns. It has absolutely been my favorite nursing job thus far. Each newborn is a blessing and a gift from God, and I am able to be a part of His miracles every time I go to work. While those little miracles do grow up and become the hardest job any parent has ever had, they are still God’s creations, uniquely designed and each one with a purpose. Every birth has a story and is nothing short of a miracle.

Becoming a parent brings on a whole new meaning of love. Experiencing the depth of love for your own children makes it difficult to fathom the magnitude of God’s love towards us all. It never gets old to hold one of God’s craftsmanship and to be able to see God in the miracle of the life of a newborn. I’m always amazed by the details of the little fingers, toes, eyes, and hair, and for the unseen inward being woven intricately together by God, with His intention of calling them His own.

Everyone has their own birth story that is significant and special, but when a birth story is also an adoption story, it brings on a whole new meaning for me. We all have probably seen videos of parents waiting to adopt and then seeing them see their child for the first time. Recently, I was able to witness an adoption story, and I walked away truly blessed and amazed by God. He moved through that adoption story and He moved me.

The birth mom and the baby were initially together in the same room but on a different unit from the one I work on. The decision was made to put the baby up for adoption. With that being the case, the baby was moved out of the birth mom’s room and became one of my patients. The nurse taking care of the baby up until that time brought the most beautiful baby girl, with the chunkiest cheeks and a head full of dark hair, to one of my rooms. As we were waiting for the adoptive parents to arrive, God revealed to me the similarities of an earthly adoption story to that of an individual’s heavenly adoption story into God’s family. 

I am not condescending or condemning the birth parents in any way. I don’t know their story. Sometimes adoption is the right and best choice for a child. I applaud those who realize that and make that decision. With that being said, I imagine at some point in that child’s life, she will probably feel like she was let down by her birth parents and wonder why she was “given away” or “not wanted.”

We all face those times. We will all be let down by the people we think should love us the most. We, ourselves, will also let those down we love the most. We’re all humans, all sinners. There are none that are righteous. Jesus is the only perfect human to ever walk the Earth, and that’s because He’s God. God is the only one that will never let us down. He’s always with us and will never forsake us.

The adoptive parents arrived, and it was no easy task for me to hold it all together. The mom’s eyes were wide in amazement and already full of love for her baby girl. Her first reaction was to pick up her baby girl and hold her in her arms. I can’t help but imagine the moment unbelievers surrender to the calling and drawing of our Heavenly Father. His first reaction is to pull us close to Himself and hold us in His arms.

The adoptive parents had been waiting for so long to finally be able to hold their little one. God, our Father, longs for you to be in His arms and to call you His own. These particular parents started the adoption process two years prior to that day. I’m sure once they made the decision to adopt, they couldn’t wait for the moment to hold and call a child their own. I imagine God longs for the moment one of His children finally surrenders their lives to His drawing. He wants you now. No matter your circumstances, how others see you, your background, or even what you think of yourself, He created you, He loves you, and He’s ready for you now.

This baby was born two hours away from the adoptive parents. When the parents got the call, with no hesitation, they jumped in their car and tried to get to their baby as soon as possible. They were willing and ready to meet her right where she was. God will meet you right where you are. You may be drowning in sin and at the point of no return, but He’s there waiting and ready for you.

In all honesty, we all are drowning in sin before meeting Christ. We can’t have hope, peace, or love without Christ. We cannot save ourselves. Like newborns, we all need to be fed, nurtured, and loved. We all need guidance and direction to grow and mature. The question is, who or what are you looking at to fulfill those longings and needs? The only One to deeply satisfy and provide what we truly need, when we need it, is our Heavenly Father. You can fill your life with so many things and so much “stuff,” but it will only pacify your true desires for only a short time. Only Jesus Christ can save you and give you a hope and a future.

A quote from Alisha Illian’s book, Chasing Perfect, came to mind. “We often say the three most powerful words in the English Language are ‘I love you.’ I don’t believe that is the case. I think the three most powerful words are ‘I choose you.’” (Illian 134)

In adoption, you are chosen. Being adopted into God’s family means He has chosen you. That is love. Handpicked, by God, for Himself.

The initial union of the adoptive parents and their baby brought many tears and much excitement. There was a sense of celebration. Can you imagine the celebration in Heaven when a new soul has surrendered and been adopted into God’s family? To watch these parents fall in love in a matter of seconds, doesn’t even come close to the kind of love God provides and freely gives. Even if you aren’t a believer, even before I was a believer in Christ, God’s love has always been there for us. But once you’re adopted into God’s family as a believer in Christ, fully surrendered and repentant, now you get to experience the overwhelming power of His love. And His love far surpasses any earthly love we could ever experience.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, ⁴ just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love ⁵ He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, ⁶ to the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He favored us in the Beloved.”   Ephesians 1:3-6 NASB