#23: Adoption & Identity (with Michelle Wuesthoff)
“The spirit of adoption is home. A place to belong. It’s a permanency that can’t be rattled or taken away. It also means full access and inheritance. It’s not just the keys to the Kingdom, it’s the means by which we receive the heartbreakingly lavish, reckless love of the Father.”
Michelle Wuesthoff is a life coach, author and mother of 5, of whom 4 came through international adoption. Michelle and I discussed our children’s stories, those narratives that help them fit into the world; reliance on God in the face of our inability to raise children in our own strength; and the God who stands outside our hearts waiting for the slightest crack to open up, to let his love in.
Resources:
Grafted In: Leading your Orphan Heart to the Spirit of Adoption, by Michelle Wuesthoff
Support the show at patreon.com/jonathanpuddle
This week, my guest is Melinda Estabrooks. Melinda is a Canadian television host, conference speaker and editor of the new book, “Always Know.” Melinda’s career in Canadian broadcast TV and radio spans over 20 years and while we had interacted at industry events in the past, this was the first time we really got to actually talk with one another. I asked her to share her story of being abandoned as a baby, then adopted by a Canadian family, experiencing racism growing up, depression and mental health difficulties, and even walking through a divorce while in public Christian ministry. If you’ve ever felt like God and everyone else doesn’t see you… then Melinda’s story is for you.