It was a touching moment. Our last son decided to tie the knot. His fiancée is a fine woman, and we are happy to have her as an addition to our family, but it is a sign that both our sons and we are moving on. We thank the Lord for this evidence of maturity in their lives.

In one sense, we are like any other set of “empty nesters.” The phase of daily rearing children has now passed us. Our sons are no longer children, but have an adult relationship with us. And we are no longer the most important people in their lives.

The work that goes into adoption, however, makes this separation special. As we struggled alongside them to develop a sense of attachment, now we rejoice in seeing that attachment develop with their spouses and their own families. We have attempted to teach them how to communicate well with us, and now they must communicate with their wives. As God brings children into their lives, they will pass along what we have taught them to the next generation.

There is a special sense of pride in seeing their marriages as an accomplishment, since it was our goal from the start of their adoption. They have become two fine young men, and we believe that the Lord will bless them as they go on. This compensates for the loss that we feel with them no longer being in such close proximity to our lives. We view this as a culmination of God’s promise in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope.”

It is easy for adoptive parents to lose this hope in the midst of the battles of adoption. Poor choices and past hurts make it difficult for our children to respond to us. However, when we get to this point, it seems worth it all. We want them to savor their new families and relationships. We also realize that none of this could have come about except for the intervention of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Do you have a success story to encourage others along? Share it in the comment box below.