Real Conversations: Adoption & Parenting a Complex Child (featuring Shawna)
waiting on God
There are many different challenges that require waiting on God, and endurance in long-suffering. In this week’s interview I chat with my friend Shawna who, with her husband Jordan, has added to their family through adoption this last year. After 3 years of waiting with all the uncertainties and highs and lows, their daughter finally came home. However, she also has complex medical needs which have come with their own challenges. Each day they face the unpredictability, exhaustion, and endless ups and downs of caring for a special needs child.
Despite the challenges, Shawna shares the ways that God provided for her in the waiting, equipped her to deal with her doubt and fears openly and honestly with her husband, and has been using her practice of going deeply in the Word with inductive Bible studies to help her in her everyday.
I invite you to watch and listen in to our conversations below, and then continue reading for some of my thoughts and reflections on our conversation and additional resources from Shawna.
adoption & parenting a complex child
The following are some of the key points Shawna and I talked about during our time together:
Our narratives about God affect our experiences of waiting.
Bringing our doubts and fears to the forefront helps build connection with others while we wait.
Making the most of waiting seasons and seeing the gifts in them.
Documenting your small, daily wins.
Doing the things that fuel your mind and body to take care of yourself for the long-haul such as: devotional habits like walking, breathing prayers, inductive bible studies, and intentional podcast listening.
Self talk matters. Showing grace to ourselves in our thought life matters. Practicing that dialogue in our minds will also affect how we parent and how we demonstrate to our children growth mind-sets and resiliency.
wading through a season of waiting
If you find yourself walking through a similar journey of waiting, here are some questions (or journal prompts) that I hope may bring some guidance and encouragement in this season.
Do you have doubts that you are equipped to deal with whatever you are facing right now?
How have those doubts pushed you away from community?
How might you share those fears with your spouse or significant other?
What are you doing right now to fuel your mind and body and take care of yourself for the long-haul?
What are some steps you can take to connect with God even in this time?
What thoughts are ruling your mind right now? How are you talking to yourself?
Recommended Resources
Some of the incredible resources Shawna shared that have helped her as she parents her 4 kids:
Connected Families podcast and ministries
