When I was growing up, I loved to hear the story of my adoption.
The details. The emotions.
Honestly, the miracle of it all.
My parents lived in America and had no connection to Romania.
They had no adoption agency guiding them through the process.
The complications they faced in order to leave for Romania stopped many families from being able to complete adoptions.
Yet for some reason, they were moved by compassion to leave for a country halfway around the world and were able to get all the needed documentation to get on that plane?
I was born in Post-Communist Romania right after the revolution. Born to a gypsy mother who could only use an X and a fingerprint to sign her name because she never learned how to write. I was left at a hospital in a small village as a newborn infant, waiting for an ambulance driver to take me to a nearby orphanage where I would surely die due to being so sick.
Yet for some reason, instead of being abandoned at any random place, I was taken to a hospital and this ambulance driver had compassion on me and chose not to take me to the orphanage?
This ambulance driver told a doctor at the hospital about me because he knew that she was working with Westerners trying to save as many children as she could.
And for some reason, my parents were in country at this time and somehow found out about this doctor who then told them about me?
They were married for 15 years without kids. After traveling halfway around the world to a country that just had a violent revolution, flying through the airspace of another Eastern European country in the middle of a civil war, being confronted by soldiers with machine guns...you would think they would say "no" to a baby who wasn't expected to live.
But for some reason, they said "yes" without even seeing an inch of me?
After spending a month in Romania, my parents brought us home to America. Within two weeks of us getting home, adoptions in Romania were halted...effectively locking 80,000 children in with no chance of being adopted for 5 years.
And for some reason, my process was completed, and I made it out before this happened?
Because of my parents unconditional and unstoppable pursuing love and the selfless and sacrificial help of compassionate strangers - I was saved.
There was a lot of moving parts.
And God directed every single step.
Opening doors. Opening eyes. Opening hearts.
Weaving layers and layers of protection.
As I grew up hearing these stories and these intricate details...a single question always seemed to find its way to the forefront of my mind. It's question I asked myself as a young child and it's a question I still ask myself today:
My adoption is nothing less than a miracle.
God did A LOT to get me here...He must have a reason for that.
What was I saved for?
There were a lot of details that had to line up.
A lot of people whose hearts had to be moved with compassion and had the courage to take action.
My life isn't just mine.
I'm here for a bigger reason than just me.
I don't want to waste my life.
I don't want to miss the opportunities that God has given me.
I was saved for a purpose and I want to walk through life, eyes wide-open, heart softened, and ears intently listening to the Lord's plan for me.
The thing is though...this isn't just a question and thought process for someone like me.
If you are a Christian, you too have experienced this life changing miracle of being adopted and redeemed.
God did a lot to get you where you are today.
He sent His Son to face the brokenness of this world. The King of Heaven became human. Despite it making sense to say "no" to our utter nothingness we had to offer, He looked on us with compassion and said "yes". He took on our death, brought us healing, made us His own and gave us new life.
Christ saved each one of us...for a purpose.
Our lives aren't just ours.
We are here for a bigger reason than just us.
If today you find yourself discouraged, take heart.
The Lord is working.
You were saved for a purpose and God is using you in the intricate details of something infinitely more majestic than you might see and understand in the moment.
If today you find yourself anxious, take heart.
The Lord is working.
You were saved for a purpose and God is in the business of doing the seemingly impossible, giving peace that surpasses understanding.
If today you are about to take that first step of the next part of the journey, take heart.
The Lord is working.
You were saved for a purpose and God will continue to guide you, making your path straight.
If today you need a reminder...
You were saved for a purpose - the Lord is working.
God did a lot to get you where you are today.
Walk through life, eyes wide-open, heart softened, and ears intently listening to the Lord's plan for you.
Let your heart be moved with compassion.
Speak truth boldly.
Take courageous action.
Encourage others in their journey.
Point others to Christ.
Thank the Lord for all He has done and continues to do for you.
After all, you were saved for a purpose.