64: Natalie Maxwell | A Story of Special Needs Adoption

Natalie and I chat about her son's diagnosis and how that experience altered the their lives leading them to adopted 3 children with special needs. Natalie shares how her view of life became filtered through the question: Is this going to matter for eternity?

2:32 Will you go back to when you were pregnant with your first child and share with our listeners what it was like to find out he had a congenital heart defect in utero?

"There was kind of an added level of stress on us as a young, newly married couple, but we did have our faith.  I remember that first night after me and my husband had cried together and prayed and begged God to heal our baby, just knowing that whatever happened, we were going to give God glory through it, that we wanted our child's life to tell God's story, no matter what that may be, but then walking that out was extremely difficult."

"We went into that appointment having a plan of what our future was going to look like...Then everything was kind of ripped into the unknown. I didn't know who was going to deliver my baby and I didn't know if I was going to be able to hold him after he was born and I didn't know if he would make it through the labor and delivery.  So many unknowns and I think that was the hardest part of the pregnancy."

8:04What transpired after Landon was born?

9:50 Eventually, you were led to adopt 3 children who all have special needs/disabilities. I know I am asking you to condense your life into a few minutes, but can you share a little about that experience?

"God opened our eyes to how relentlessly short life is, and that it is more precious than we ever realized. Both me and my husband knew we were never going to be the same after this. We had a new perspective on life. It didn't matter where our children went to school or what clothes they wore, or what sports they played, we realized what really matters in life and that's connection.... We realize that all we can take with us into eternity are the lives that we touch. And so that's really the heart of what God led us to adopt. That's the filter that we based every decision after having Landon through: Is this gonna matter for eternity?"

SHOW NOTES cont. 

 

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