Celebrating differences

I posted a few weeks back about my son's giving heart and how he helped his sister buy a doll at Target.  What I didn't mention in that post was that the doll is not an ordinary baby doll.  Angel saw it months back and was instantly attracted to it.  Despite the multiple dolls she already has, she knew that this one had to be hers because it's different.  She is beautiful and adorned with colorful clothing and pretty jewelry.  She has henna tattoos, long dark hair and gorgeous dark skin.  Her name is Nahji and she is Indian ... and just as pretty as can be.  She is one of Angel's most-favorite dolls.  Angel likes to take her everywhere we go.  She has also become totally intrigued with Indian culture and wants to know as much about India as she can.  She wants to visit India.  She even told me at one point that she wished she was Indian.

I think of this story as a metaphor for her feelings about people.  It so clearly shows that Angel doesn't see differences in people as a bad thing.  She sees people as people, and loves that God creates all of us differently.  To her, differences are beautiful and natural, just as God intended them be.  Instead of wanting a doll that looks like her, Angel happily celebrates Nahji's physical differences and her Indian heritage.

I can't help but wonder how much international adoption has played a role in the development of her feelings.  I'm sure that she would feel this way regardless, but I truly believe that her heart has been opened to the beauty of our differences even more because we have welcomed Chinese culture into our family through adoption.  Although adoption is hard, it has had such a positive impact on our family in so many ways ... ways I didn't know would be impacted.  I am proud to be a multi-racial family and love watching my children grow in their celebration of all God's people.

(If you are interested in snagging a doll like Nahji for your daughter, please visit the Hearts 4 Hearts website and browse through the dolls they have available from several different countries.  A portion of the doll purchases are donated to World Vision to help girls in the countries that the dolls represent.)