By Jodi Kratzer

Families today come in many different shapes and sizes, from a single parent raising her children alone to grandparents, parents, children, and more living together under one roof. In this article, Jodi Kratzer, a senior at Lutheran High North, St. Louis, reminds us that the way a family looks doesn’t matter, as long has God is at it’s heart. 

Many people say that my family is different, but I think that we are as normal as any average American family can be.  I was adopted from Seoul, South Korea when I was three months old and brought to America.  I have lived in St. Louis, Missouri my entire life.  People ask me what it feels like to be adopted, but I don’t think that it feels any different than if I had been born into my family.  Sometimes I wonder about my birth parents and their reasons for giving me up, but I thank them for sacrificing so that I could grow up in the family I have now.  I have grown up knowing my adoptive parents as my real parents.  They were the ones who raised me and brought me to faith in Christ.

My family and I don’t act any differently than a “normal” family would.  We have our disagreements just like any other family.  We also have fun together playing games or taking vacations. The most important thing we do together is attend church on Sundays.  God has immensely blessed me by putting me in a family who thought faith was so important that they made it a part of my daily life.  I have learned to trust God through everything because of my upbringing.

The only difference between my family and any other family is that we don’t look alike.  That doesn’t bother me at all, because, as the old saying goes, “after you live with people for a while, you start to act like them.”  It’s true.  My mom and I often finish each other’s sentences and people who call us often mistake my voice for hers.  It’s at times like these that I know I’m right here where God wants me to be, and I thank Him for blessing me with my family.

The only drawback about my adoption is that, since my parents never knew who my birth parents were, we have no idea what their health history was like.  I don’t know what diseases or illnesses I could possibly have in the future.  This is a time where I just have to trust God and know that no matter what happens to me, He put me in this family and will always take care of me.

My parents have always supported me in everything that I do.  Whether I am performing in a musical, playing the piano or flute, or leading Wednesday morning devotions, they have always been there for me.  They want the best for me, just like any parent would for their child.  My grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins also support me.  We all get along great together, and I can’t picture myself in any family other than the one I have now.  Sometimes, I think that being adopted is almost better than being born into a family. My family chose me. And God has blessed us in that choice more than we ever could have dreamed.

 

thESource is published on the Web by LCMS District & Congregational Services – Youth Ministry.  The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, 1333 South Kirkwood Road, St. Louis, MO 63122-7295; 800.248.1930; www.lcms.org  Editor: Gretchen M. Jameson; Assistant Editor: Dawn Cornelius-Gaunt; Layout: Gretchen M. Jameson.  VOL 1 NO. 2 December 2003