Bonus Child

Kyle & Maya at the Vision Forum Father Daughter Retreat last month

Maya is our bonus child. We set out to adopt one little boy, but then God opened our hearts to two boys. As it turned out, those two boys had an older sister. She's our bonus blessing. Truly God's gift to us.

Maya is the most patient person I know. When Julia was first born, we were given a pile of new clothes for her. I asked Maya to take the tags and stickers off them all and put them away. She sat down next to me while I nursed, and very slowly and patiently cut off every tag and every bit of plastic that held two-pieces together. I would have been ripping at it all to get it done quickly, so this amazed me.

Maya adores Julia. She wants to hold her anytime I'm not. But sometimes Julia throws a big fit. When she does, most of the kids rush to put a toy in her hands to quiet her down in a hurry. Not Maya. She talks soothingly and quietly to Julia, calming her down, not just trying to pacify her. This skill really impresses me.

A couple months ago, we were making granola bars to take the park. When I pulled them out of the oven, they didn't look firm enough to cut. I asked Maya, "Are you sure you set the timer for 25 minutes, not 20?" She said yes and we quickly grabbed and different snack and headed out the door.

That afternoon, she came up to me very upset. She admitted, through tears, that she lied to me. She had only set the time for 20 minutes. I was flabbergasted that she could be so broken over such a small lie (not small to Christ; only to me. She clearly understood this). Her heart is so genuine.

I have been praising the Lord for the fruit of repentance that we see in her, but this communion Sunday, she chose not to participate because she isn't sure she's a Christian yet. Her humility is precious to us.

SHE is precious to us.