“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. “Plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
This is Rachel Lehr’s life verse, and with good reason.
Rachel had a chance of not being born at all. Her birth mom became pregnant at age 18, and her boyfriend pressured her to have an abortion. Her aunt found out about the situation and offered Rachel’s birth mom help and a place to stay. Because of her aunt’s kindness, Rachel’s birth mom chose to carry Rachel and disregard the father’s pressure to have an abortion.
While living with her aunt, Rachel’s birth mom decided the best future for Rachel was to place her with an adoptive family, so she and her aunt started the process of looking for the right family. Her aunt called a Christian organization to find out if they knew of anyone interested in adopting. The organization didn’t typically organize that type of connection, but they said they would keep their ears open.
In another part of the country, a couple was searching for a baby to adopt. They called a Christian organization to see if they knew of any women who were interested in placing their babies for adoption.
It was the same organization at the perfect time. Rachel was born soon after, and the couple went to adopt her.
“It’s the biggest sacrifice a birth mom can make to place a baby they have carried for nine months,” Rachel said. “[She’s giving her baby] a chance at life and everything it has to bring, even if she can’t be the one to raise the child.”
Rachel says she doesn’t regret being adopted at all. She loves her parents and is grateful for the opportunities she has had. “It’s extremely courageous and the most sacrificial, loving thing if you realize that you’re in a situation where you can’t provide and you realize other people can, to give life and then place [the baby] in a family. It’s incredible.”
Rachel believes her adoption has greatly impacted her spiritual journey. She says she’s been adopted twice—once by her parents and once by God. Experiencing adoption in her family has given her confidence in her salvation and a special understanding of how God loves and cares for His children.
Rachel is now a center director at Life Centers and is passionate about helping women who are in similar situations to the one her birth-mother experienced. She shares her adoption story to give hope and help women understand what adoption is really like when they’re facing pregnancy decisions.
“There’s a difference between what we see on the news and what we see in the experiences of other people,” Rachel said. She wants people to understand that most adoption stories are wonderful. Moms get to choose the family they place their baby with, and the mother has the power to decide how much contact she has with the baby after that. It isn’t anything like foster care—legal adoption places the baby with a family forever. By sharing her story, Rachel hopes to help more people understand the beauty of adoption.
As National Adoption Month comes to a close with the end of November, Rachel’s story is a reminder not only of the power of adoption but also of the beauty of God’s faithfulness as He works out His plan in the lives of all of His children for good and not for evil. This Thanksgiving, may we give thanks for the work He does in us, and for the adoption we experience as recipients of salvation.