Chapman Pt. 3 - And More Thoughts

Here's the third part of the interview.

I (Leslie) mentioned a few days ago that we went to an adoption seminar with our agency where they gave a video presentation that included the Chapmans discussing their adoption story. The conclusion of that presentation was the video for the Steven Curtis Chapman song "When Love Takes You In," a song that he wrote about adoption. It is a touching song and a beautiful video, featuring Steven playing his piano on a beach while an adorable Chinese girl (is that redundant?) plays in the sand, but I had steeled myself for a moment like this and was willfully unmoved. In fact, I almost resented this emotional blackmail. I thought people shouldn't decide to adopt children because of a beautiful picture or a compelling lyric. They should come to terms with the reality that raising kids is about so much more than a sweet idea. Then decide if they can handle it. Rationally. Wide-eyed and without any sentimentality.

Now we are nearly a year and a half away from that day and I have been forced to capitulate a bit on my former position that the decision to adopt can't be at all an emotional one. Because even though I thought I had been softened up just by having Faith and having faith, I had no idea how the decision to adopt would tenderize the rest of my heart. And we haven't even met our kids yet! As private as I like to be about my emotions, they have been overflowing all over the place since this miracle started in our lives. Sometimes inappropriately. There's a very nice man who was kind enough to speak to me about his adoption story when David and I were manning the T-shirt table at the Chapman concert in March, and when he was telling me about how he explained to his adopted son that he WAS his real dad I burst into tears and completely lost my composure. He patted me on the shoulder and then ran away.
The hymns have been getting to me a lot more, too. Everywhere I look and listen and see and hear grace - Amazing Grace. As another hymn says - I scarce can take it in.

So while there is a lot to read about adoption. And think about. And think about. And think about. There is so much to feel, too. That can't be articulated. Of course you can't make a decision to adopt based on some kind of romanticized ideals. But at bottom you are making a choice to love. And love can't be totally logical.

Anyway, I was thinking of this when I listened to the broadcast today and heard Steven Curtis Chapman sing "Cinderella" on the Dobson program. That is another song that I thought tugged too hard at the heart with its oh-let's-get-sentimental-over-our-kids-growing-up-and-away-from-us story. (It seems too mean to write that now. But it is how I used to feel about that song.) But Faith was a fan of the song from the first time she heard it. And it grew on me, too. It helps to keep in mind that the children do grow up fast. We do only have today to celebrate their childhood and these dare-I-say-precious moments with them. And then after Maria died I wondered how he could still sing it without accessing all that grief and being overwhelmed by it. I love that he is still singing it. And I love the explanation that he gave of it in the interview, putting the eternal perspective on the "seize the day" message.
I'm totally amazed by the story he told of the testimony he gave in the ER. Wow.
You can hear "When Love Takes You In" by clicking on it on our player below.