Color..blind?

I read a blog today. It is written by a mama that I do not know. She had to write it because her little four year old girl, who she adopted, was uninvited from a family member's birthday celebration. I wanted to cry. She was uninvited, because she is HIV positive. A life sentence that she will serve from no fault of her own. My first thought was, what brave people to adopt her. She could have very easily spent her life in an orphanage because no one was willing to be educated on her disease. Her new parents decided to share her condition in order to help educate others, and I guess now are feeling the negative reactions from their news.

And it hurt me. It hurt me for the mama of the beautiful little girl. It her me that her baby will grow up treated differently.


I guess part of the reason it hurt me is because it made me think of my own family. I have prayed many prayers that God would soften the hearts of those who know and love us and allow them to totally accept us as a family. Different colors and all. And for the most part, that is exactly what has happened. But I know there will come a day that someone (I envision a mean little kid on the playground) will point out to Andrew that he is a different color than his mom. And I hope at that the moment, the years of deep down love that he has felt from us totally over takes him and he is able to brush it off. But I worry that it will hurt him. And that he will feel different. And that brings tears to my eyes.

I know so many families that have recently adopted children of different races. The Godwins and The Phillips both adopted beautiful brown little girls about the time we adopted Andrew. And I thank God that more and more people are expanding the much too narrow definition of family. Heaven will be as colorful as a rainbow, so I am glad that earthly families are reflecting this as well.


Everyday I am reminded that family is not a group of people bound by blood. It is a group of people bound by love. My family far exceeds those who simply share my bloodline. It is filled with sweet friends, in laws, church family, and because of the beauty of adoption it includes two precious cousins that have held my heart since the first night I met them. And my son. My sweet boy who I would not have the priviledge of raising if it were not for family meaning so much more than just being born into a group.

I want you to join me in an effort to acknowledge families beautiful differences. We can't pretend we are all pasty white! Differences are something I think should be celebrated! And encourage. I know encouragement is something I long for somedays. And I hope that you will encourage my son and daughter as they grow. I know that Cates too will probably at some point have to endure that playground bully, and it will be just fine with me if she knocks them out :)

Let's all be more tolerant of difference whether opinions or physical traits. Let's all love each other more. And let's all let each other know it every chance we get!



I also want to ask your continued prayers for my sweet college friend Lena and her baby boy James. He is undergoing very difficult surgery. Tim and I have prayed and begged. And I know, I really do know, that God will provide for this precious family. His ways are so much more than we can begin to understand. Pray, pray, pray.