Christmas in NC 06
"It's Christmastime and you're not home. Your family's all together and you're somewhere else alone." These are the words of a new song by the group Third Day on their newest album Christmas Offerings. The song speaks of their child and sibling far away in China not able to be with them for yet another Christmas season.
When we started this journey, we did feel that Grace would be with us this Christmas. Now we're not even sure if she'll be with us for next Christmas. With that thought, she may not even be born yet, so technically, she's not waiting all alone, she's nestled safe and warm in her mother's womb. During the course of this year, however, this mother will have to face the agonizing decision to give her little girl up. China's one child policy, being so focused on providing sons, puts these women into dilemmas that no mother should have to face.
These are brave mothers, however, who hold on tightly to their pregnancies. Perhaps hoping for a son, or maybe even a way to face the fine of a year or two's wages, they sometimes hide their pregancies to the very end. If they are caught, these babies can be forcibly aborted and then mom receives an operation to ensure she has no more children. After giving birth they often struggle with the decision to allow someone else to raise their cherub. But eventually the hopelessness of their situation wins out and they know of nothing else to do but to take their little child (usually a girl) to a busy area of their province, and without being seen, leave her.
We've heard that they, like Moses' mother, will often hide and wait at a distance until their child is found. They will even follow the path of that child to the orphanage it ends up at. And stories have been told of birth mothers who get news of their child's placement day and watch from afar as their baby leaves the orphanage with their forever family. There is love.
Is this not the theme of Christmas? Sacrifice. Love. An undeserved gift.
So this Christmas, we think of the sacrifice that one young mother in China is going to have to endure. She will experience a New Year filled with such sadness. Meanwhile, far away, our family anticipates the joy of a New Year. We know that it will indeed be the year of our daughter's birth. We know that God has created her with us in mind to be her Mom and Dad. And we know that without the incredible sacrifice of a mother who protectively carried her for 9 months and lovingly placed her to be found, we would not be anticipating the joys of being her family.
So thank you dear birth mother and father for your sacrifice. We are so very grateful. We hope that God will help you treasure this last Christmas with your little girl and feel the hope of her Christmases to come.
Sharon
When we started this journey, we did feel that Grace would be with us this Christmas. Now we're not even sure if she'll be with us for next Christmas. With that thought, she may not even be born yet, so technically, she's not waiting all alone, she's nestled safe and warm in her mother's womb. During the course of this year, however, this mother will have to face the agonizing decision to give her little girl up. China's one child policy, being so focused on providing sons, puts these women into dilemmas that no mother should have to face.
These are brave mothers, however, who hold on tightly to their pregnancies. Perhaps hoping for a son, or maybe even a way to face the fine of a year or two's wages, they sometimes hide their pregancies to the very end. If they are caught, these babies can be forcibly aborted and then mom receives an operation to ensure she has no more children. After giving birth they often struggle with the decision to allow someone else to raise their cherub. But eventually the hopelessness of their situation wins out and they know of nothing else to do but to take their little child (usually a girl) to a busy area of their province, and without being seen, leave her.
We've heard that they, like Moses' mother, will often hide and wait at a distance until their child is found. They will even follow the path of that child to the orphanage it ends up at. And stories have been told of birth mothers who get news of their child's placement day and watch from afar as their baby leaves the orphanage with their forever family. There is love.
Is this not the theme of Christmas? Sacrifice. Love. An undeserved gift.
So this Christmas, we think of the sacrifice that one young mother in China is going to have to endure. She will experience a New Year filled with such sadness. Meanwhile, far away, our family anticipates the joy of a New Year. We know that it will indeed be the year of our daughter's birth. We know that God has created her with us in mind to be her Mom and Dad. And we know that without the incredible sacrifice of a mother who protectively carried her for 9 months and lovingly placed her to be found, we would not be anticipating the joys of being her family.
So thank you dear birth mother and father for your sacrifice. We are so very grateful. We hope that God will help you treasure this last Christmas with your little girl and feel the hope of her Christmases to come.
Sharon
