Foundation

I had a dream last night. We were at church and there was a video playing, highlighting a group of young African children that we'd be supporting this holiday season. As I was walking out of the sanctuary, I noticed one of these children was hanging onto my arm. A little boy about four years old. I was swinging him along, playfully, as we walked through the atrium. He was wearing blue shorts and a green V-neck sweater...what most school children in Kenya wear. He was telling me a little bit about his life. He said he lived at Foundation Children's Center (or was it Foundation Children's Home?). I just know he called it Foundation. I remember my heart being pulled so strongly to him, knowing that I could love him as my own...that I wanted to love him as my own. And at one point I bent over to look at him and asked enthusiastically, "do you want to be adopted?!" I don't remember exactly what he said. But I know there was a smile. And I know that that's exactly what he wanted. To be adopted. And I knew I could do that.

I don't know what this dream means. Probably nothing. But it's been haunting me since I woke up this morning. I even Googled Foundation Children's Center. It turned up a lot of Children's Foundations and "such-and-such" Foundation for Children, etc. But nothing that quite fit. It's silly, I know. But he was so sweet. And it seemed so right. I guess I'm just longing to be a parent. And more than that, to make a difference in a child's life. I felt like I could make a difference in his. And for the brief moments I spent with him in my dream, the world made sense and my heart was full.

Since my dream, the word "foundation" keeps repeating in my head. Probably a hangover of sorts from my Google searches this morning. But then I came across the verse, below, in a fellow blogger's post (thanks, Jacob!). It's John 17:24. In the verse before it, we read that the Father has loved us, just as He has loved Jesus. And if this is true, then according to verse 24 we were loved before the foundation of the world...before it was ever even created. Before we were thrown into this seemingly chaotic thing called life. It's today's reminder that the God of the universe loves me. That He knows and cares how our adoption story will turn out. Because he crafted it before we ever came to be.

"Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world."
-John 17:24 ESV