Adoption is more than just an alternative to abortion. For my family and me, it is personal.

Anne and I are the proud grandparents of three of the greatest blessings God has ever given us. One of our grandchildren is adopted, and because January is Sanctity of Human Life emphasis, I want to share some things about him.

Our grandson is all boy. His entrance into our daughter’s and son-in-law’s lives as a newborn baby was nothing short of miraculous. My daughter, like her dad, is sure about her convictions. To say we are pro-life would be an understatement. She volunteers at a crisis pregnancy center and is a strong advocate for the unborn and for adoption. Her husband likewise is a staunch supporter of life and adoption. He is currently serving on the board of a crisis pregnancy center.

But our grandson is a special gift from God. Early in his life, some people said, “My goodness! He looks like his papa!” I found myself filling up with what I hope was sanctified pride. I hope and pray that God gives me the opportunity to see him grow up, trust Christ as his Savior and experience the great adoption that every child of God shares.

He could have easily been aborted, and that would have been a tragedy. He is alive and active today because his birth mother chose life. His parents are thankful every day for that decision.

My grandson and I are buddies. One day I called him “Hotshot.” After telling me that we don’t use that word, he later told me to call him Hotshot and even told other people (including his parents) to call him Hotshot. A couple of weeks later, he asked me to call him Hotshot Lightyear (after Buzz Lightyear).

I love to ask him, “Whose boy are you?” When he replies, “Papa’s,” I swell up with that sanctified pride. I ask all my grandkids the same question, and they all answer, “Papa’s.” By the way, their parents don’t mind. Neither does my wife, because she asks them, “Whose sweet boy (or girl) are you?” and they reply, “Mimi’s.”

In a Baptist Press article from last January, Pat Ennis, who was adopted as an infant, wrote that she “looked like the perfect blend of my mother and father. As others commented on the likeness, my parents smiled inwardly knowing that it was their heavenly Father who had chosen the custom matching of their adopted daughter.”

What a wonderful thought!

Abortion has been a blight on the moral fabric of this nation. So many lives are damaged through abortion, while so many lives are blessed through adoption.

The sanctity of human life is dear to the heart of our family. It is not just a moral decision, a political position, or some abstract principle. He is a little boy, and we dearly love him. Adoption is not just an alternative to abortion, it is a life-saving experience full of blessings.