It was just another day in our lives, until we tried to open our garage door. As it turned out, one of the wires to the opener broke/fell off, and not only were we unable to open the door electrically but we were unable to disengage the door from the tractor and open it manually. That meant that our cars were trapped inside with no way of getting them out.

How many things in adoption are like this—unexpected,  frustrating, and inconvenient? Probably more than we would like to admit. Attitudes and behaviors we thought were fixed now popping up again. The family becomes dysfunctional because of a problem created by one person. You start looking for an “easy” fix, but nothing works.

At that point, I had to admit that I am unable to repair the malfunction by myself. I had to call the garage door mechanic. Not only am I unable to make a correct diagnosis of the problem, but I don’t have the tools or parts to fix it. I am stuck with a broken garage door!

In our adoptive families, we similarly must rely on the body of Christ to help us through these crisis times. That is one reason for the relationships in our local fellowship of believers (Hebrews 10:24-25). Nothing seems easy, and yet we have the backing of those who love the Lord to help us get through it. However, it takes a lot of humility to admit that we need help. We need wise people to give us a “course correction” to get us back on the right track in our relationships.

Are you stuck at some point in your relationship with your adopted child(ren)? It may be time to call in “outside help” to get you pointed back on the right track. It could make all the difference between switching from dysfunctional to functional relationships again. Please feel free to comment on how you have helped by this in the past.