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I saw a video on social media the other day, and it really hit me in a difficult way. It was a comedian doing a bit on parenting. He was making jest at the fact that we need some type of certification to do just about anything in our world. For example, while things like driving a car, flying a plane, shooting a gun, or even just progressing in your career seem like things that obviously should require certification, there are other things that seem a little sillier such as home staging, active listening, floral design, pet grooming...the list goes on. The comedian then made a joke that the one thing we don't need certification for is taking a live human baby home from the hospital and raising it! The crowd broke out laughing...and why wouldn't they?

We need a certification to wash a dog, but we don't need a certification to give an actual human baby a bath?

Seems a little backwards, even funny, hence the comedy bit. But for me, it wasn't immediately funny. In fact, it actually sort of pierced my heart, hearing one more way that I am different from the majority of the world:

Tyler and I require certification to bring a baby home from the hospital to raise.

I guess I'm exposing a bit of my selfishness and pride, here's why:

I firmly believe that requiring certification for parenting is a very GOOD thing! These sweet babies are precious; they are oh so precious. Jesus loves the little children, and if for no other reason than that they DESERVE only the best of the best caring, nurturing, and raising them. So I'm not here to complain about our required educational courses and interviews; getting fingerprinted for background checks; handing over financial, medical, and emotional information; or even inviting a stranger into our home for them to decide whether or not it's suitable for a child to live.

But I'll tell you what, I don't love being different. I don't love being looked at, much less analyzed. And I certainly don't like being uncomfortable.

The first time we adopted, the home study process felt demoralizing. We felt like we would never meet the impossible standards placed on us. During that time, the Lord taught us that it only mattered what He said of us. We learned that we could rely on Him to be everything we needed.

Now, in these moments of awkwardness and discomfort, and amidst our feelings of this all being a bit unfair at times, God has met us here, too. It never ceases to amaze me how God uses absolutely EVERYTHING to teach us something about Himself if we will only open our eyes and ears to listen.

Just this morning as I was considering myself to be different (and sort of wallowing in it, if I'm being honest), I was imaging myself as being pushed aside or not picked for the team. And then God reminded me of all the times in Scripture that He chooses His beloved people and sets them apart. Now, what does this have to do with adoption or home studies? Absolutely nothing. There is no Biblical correlation. Yet experiencing this discomfort is something God used to remind me of something about Himself. And I think that's pretty. And I wanted to share this with you as a reminder that our God is the God who meets you where you are. He sees you, He knows you, and He loves you.

Would you be praying for us during this time as we work to complete our home study? We have had more road blocks and pit stops along the way this time around which has felt discouraging. Please pray for our endurance, for our eyes to stay fixed on our God who will meet us where we are and be everything that we need, for our little Haddon who is going through all of this with us this time around, and for the tiny peanut and his or her expectant mother that we believe are out there waiting for us to find them.