“Courage isn’t having the strength to go on – it is going on when you don’t have strength,” said Napolean Bonaparte. His willingness to lay everything on the line was admirable, even if the cause for which he fought was flawed. There are many illustrations of courage in the Bible, but the most significant was when Jesus humbly submitted to death on the cross.

Adoption takes a lot of courage for both parents and children. Both need to be willing to let go of their previous lives to forge a new one. Furthermore, adoption involves forming relationships which were not present at birth. Many times, relocation is required. One sacrifices the comfort of things that were common to him, and charts a new path.

We did not think of ourselves as courageous when we stepped into the world of adoption. We were willing to make the sacrifices for our children that any parent would make, natural or adopted. What did give us pause was the number of adoptions that were “disrupted,” usually because the adopted child could not emotionally or psychologically attach to the parents.

There were many sleepless nights as we questioned ourselves concerning how our children were progressing. We prayed that they would learn from some wrong choices they made. We sacrificed financially to place one in a residential care program, but that was less difficult than the emotional price of separation from our teenage son. We all cried at the separation, but prayed that God would help him in this difficult time. Happily, he developed the courage (and will) to change, an answer to our many prayers for him.

Now that both of our children are married with children, we have the joy of seeing them mature into adulthood with its challenges and joys. Each day requires the same courage by them to live up to their new responsibilities in a manner glorifying God. This courage requires their saying “no” to a number of things in pursuit of God’s best for their families and finances.

Was there a time in your adoption journey when you had to show particular courage? Please fill free to share your moment in the comment box.