By Evan Page

My husband and I had been in the adoption process for more than a year when we found out I was pregnant with our third child. I don’t know why, but adoption was something we had always talked about. When we dated in high school, we both said we wanted to adopt one day. At that point, we knew very little of what that actually meant. I think my high school mindset thought of it as doing someone a favor: taking in a newborn that someone didn’t want or have the time/ability to provide for, and then calling the child my own.

It’s hard admitting that. It’s hard to look back and think that my idea of adoption was that limited. After actually starting the process and learning what adoption really was, it hit me hard. We, as a community, lack education about what adoption truly is. Some of the comments people said to us during our adoption process were very telling about our limited knowledge of adoption as a whole. Although the process looks different for everyone, I’ve continued to grow passionate about the topic, and I’ve decided that I wanted to help encourage change—change in mindset, change in knowledge and change in people’s involvement. 

For example, one of the things I remember hearing most in response to our possible adoption was, “I’m excited for you! I don’t know how you do it because adoption isn’t for me.” I think people genuinely meant that to be encouraging, and I appreciated their support. Maybe you are not open to adding a child into your home that isn’t biologically yours. And that’s okay. But, there are a ton of ways you can be supportive of adoption: prayer, financial support, educational support, giving time and food to those who are in the process of adoption or fostering. Being involved with adoption doesn’t mean you have to give a child your last name. 

Please don’t get me wrong. We had only just started our journey when our filed got closed after the birth of our daughter, so I by no means know everything about adoption. I have a lot more to learn. The one thing that I do know: Everyone has the potential to increase their understanding of adoption. I realize how limited my knowledge of adoption was when I was younger, and as I grow more passionate about the subject, I want to encourage others to grow too.

I just wanted to share this thought to end with. As a believer, that statement above always hit me hard: “Adoption just isn’t for me.” I totally see where you’re coming from. But if adoption wasn’t for you, then would you consider yourself a rightful son or daughter of the King? After all, we are all called adopted sons and daughters of the King when we claimed Jesus as our Savior:

“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.” – Galatians 4:4-5

(See also 2 Corinthians 6:18, John 1:12-13, Romans 8:14-17)

Evan Page lives in Hilton Head Island with her husband, Stephen, and their three children, Merrick, Wake and Wells. She is currently a stay-at-home mom and most of her days are filled trying to capture adventures with her children on camera.

Would you like to learn more about Evan’s journey through the adoption process?