Our baby was coming! After praying about our family for several years, my husband and I had been approved as adoptive parents and matched with a baby from Korea. The picture of the tiny boy in the ornate high chair seldom left our hands, and we thought about him constantly—rejoicing in the love, innocence, purity, and joy he had already brought to our lives, even though we hadn't met him yet.
Only one hurdle remained. In order for our son to come to the United States, the US Immigration and Naturalization Service needed to issue him a green card. We dutifully submitted the re quired paperwork and waited. Weeks passed, and then months. The nursery was ready. The tiny outfits hung in the closet. But as the days went by and the crib remained empty, I found myself overwhelmed by sadness. I even began to wonder: Is this really going to happen, or is it just something I imagined? I dreaded the sound of the telephone ringing, as it always seemed to be some well–meaning friend asking, "When's that baby coming?"
My husband and I had prayed diligently to let God guide every step of the adoption process. We'd leaned on this promise from Science and Health: "Spirit, God, gathers unformed thoughts into their proper channels, and unfolds these thoughts, even as He opens the petals of a holy purpose in order that the purpose may appear." Science and Health, p. 506. Now it was time for us to trust this promise even more deeply. I prayed to know that this holy purpose—our union with that little boy—couldn't unfold one minute too soon or one second too late.
