A number of times in my life I gave up. I am not proud of any of them, but have to admit it happened. The most painful time was when I saw my military career end before I was ready. But, it had become unsalvagable because God had closed the door for me to continue in the military.

Who among us has not had times when we felt like giving up on our adopted children? It may be the most recent episode of defiant behavior. It may be the pattern of behavior for the last week. Or you may simply be exhausted from the journey not turning out to be like you expected. They just don’t seem to get it that you love them.

We struggled through hard times as well. We wondered if we could succeed. But we did not give up. What made the difference was the recognition that we were building a legacy in our children. And that gave us hope.

Looking to a legacy means that I recognize that my choices and decisions have implications far beyond the present. It gives us hope to continue the journey with our adopted children. We choose to live in light of the expectation that our children will turn out to be healthy, productive, and socially mature individuals.

There is no guarantee that our children will turn out alright, but neither is there an assurance that birth children will be perfect either. In either case, the relentless love we show them will help them come to their senses and emerge from the struggles of childhood and adolescence.

That, in turn, is what gives us hope today. It is nurtured by listening to the success stories of others who have gone through similar battles. It is our quiet faith in God that enables us to stand one more day. Sometimes, we just need to stop what we are doing and take a rest.

Feel like giving up right now? Don’t give in. Ask God to help you through one more day, today. Use this acronym to help you with your adopted child:

H – Hold

O – Onto

P – Pleasant

E – Expectations