Did You Pick Me?

My precious girl turned around from looking at herself in the mirror this morning and spoke those words . . .

"Did you pick me?"

Whoa.

We were five minutes from heading out the door for school, in a bit of a last minute race . . . Ted had stopped in front of the full length mirror in my bedroom to do her daily "loose tooth check". And then she turned around . . .

Beautiful almond eyes turned upward, looking at her mama, waiting for an answer.

I repeated what I thought she'd said, while quickly fumbling though my morning rush brain, for an answer.

"Did I pick you?"

"Yes," she answered.

"God picked you for us." I told her. "We were waiting for you, and you were waiting for us-- and I'm so glad He made us a family."

I was not prepared for her question. I answered the best I could. I truly do believe that although we made the choice to ask for Teddi's information, God did the "picking" way ahead of time. He brought us together. Her story proves it again and again. He is the one who would confirm Teddi by name, every single time I prayed-- for eight long years. He is the one who gave me her name to begin with. Theadora: "Gift of God." He was the one who was smiling (I'm sure) on the day that we met our girl-- when she arrived not in the pink Chinese silks I was expecting, but in a ruffled pink skirt, and a tiny denim shirt with a teddy bear embroidered on the collar. God indeed "picked" Teddi, and He proved it that day. (Teddi's full story is linked from my sidebar.)

As I sit here tonight pondering Teddi's question, I have to put myself in her shoes . . . and the thought of that hurts. Teddi knows that she was in an orphanage in "her China". She knows that when she was three years old we came for her. She knows that she left with her family, and others stayed behind. I know for a fact that she also saw close friends leave ahead of her.

Can you imagine wondering if you were "picked"?

I can't get my arms around that thought.

You watch as others leave ahead of you--they've obviously been picked. Your big day finally comes, you meet your family-- you've been picked. Yet you leave friends behind, who sadly have not been picked.

How does a five year old put all of that together?

"Did you pick me?"

This isn't a game of kickball. It's real life.

Life in an orphanage.

Or life with a family . . .

because you got picked.

Life with the common sir name given to everyone in your orphanage.

Or life with a sir name that says you belong. A name that makes you a part of a bigger story, the story of a family . . .

because you got picked.

Yes, God picked Teddi. He puts the lonely in families.

Yet so many wait, and while they wait God is waiting.

He's waiting on us to say "Yes Lord. Pick one for me."

He's waiting on us to say, "Yes. I will support the orphans while they wait."

He's waiting on us to say, "Yes. I will cheerfully give to a family's fundraiser." As that family trusts with everything in them that He will provide the finances they need for their adoption.

He's waiting on us to pray for the orphans of this world.

He's waiting on us to pray for, and to help the 400,000 plus kids in foster care in our own country.

He's waiting on us to do something.

There are more than enough capable people in this world to solve the orphan crisis.

Oh that we would be His hands and feet . . .

That we would obey His command to look after the widows and orphans.

So many wait to be picked . . .

and this is not a kickball game.

It is real life.

Blessings from my nest ~

Tina