This episode of A Good Pour with Elizabeth McGlathie was one of those conversations for me.
Maybe it was the honesty.
Maybe it was the tenderness.
Maybe it was the way she talks about motherhood, adoption, and faith with so much humility and wisdom.
Or maybe it was simply this: when someone is living with deep intention, you can feel it.
Elizabeth is raising three boys, homeschooling, caring for children with different needs, running a business in certain seasons, and continually learning how to honor the season she’s currently in instead of trying to live in five seasons at once.
And honestly? I think a lot of us needed this conversation.
A Calling That Started Early
For Elizabeth, adoption was never a backup plan.
It was plan A.
As a little girl, she remembers seeing something on TV about orphans and asking her mom what adoption meant. When she learned there were children who needed families, she knew immediately:
“I want to be a mommy to a child that needs a mom.”
That calling stayed with her into adulthood and into her marriage. Through a series of God stories, she and her husband eventually began the international adoption process through South Korea.
Today, all three of their sons are home from Korea.
And while adoption is beautiful, Elizabeth doesn’t shy away from the reality that it also begins with loss.
She shared something during our conversation that I haven’t stopped thinking about:
“Adoption doesn’t exist without first there being something broken.”
That sentence carries weight.
Because while adoption brings restoration and love and family, it also means a child has experienced separation, grief, transition, and change.
Her boys left behind foster families, language, food, routines, culture, and familiarity — all at two years old.
That perspective changes the way you see adoption.
It invites compassion.
It reminds us that love often asks us to hold both grief and gratitude at the same time.
Learning the Season You’re In
One of the things I admire most about Elizabeth is her awareness.
She knows the season she’s in.
And she’s honest about it.
If you follow her online, you’ve probably seen her openly share things like:
- “I can’t take on more work right now.”
- “This season is heavy.”
- “I need boundaries.”
- “I need to be available for my family.”
That kind of honesty takes courage.
Especially in a world that constantly tells us to do more.
Elizabeth shared that she learned this the hard way after seasons of overloading herself emotionally, mentally, and physically. Over time, she began paying attention to patterns, limits, anxiety, and the signals her body was giving her.
That awareness didn’t happen overnight.
It came through experience.
Through hard seasons.
Through learning.
And I think that’s important to hear because so many people feel guilty for slowing down or setting boundaries.
But sometimes wisdom looks like recognizing what matters most right now.
The Lifelong Journey of Adoption
One thing Elizabeth emphasized repeatedly is that adoption is not a one-time moment.
It’s lifelong.
There are celebrations and joyful milestones, but there are also ongoing conversations, questions, emotions, and layers that continue as children grow.
And honestly, that truth applies to all parenting.
Children continue becoming.
Parents continue learning.
Families continue growing.
She shared how support systems often show up strongly during the beginning — meal trains, gifts, encouragement — but that long-term support matters too.
Checking in years later matters.
Listening matters.
Learning matters.
She encouraged people who may not feel called to adopt themselves to still support vulnerable children and adoptive families in meaningful ways:
- Learn about adoption
- Listen to adoptees
- Support families long after the transition
- Show compassion to children carrying hard stories
- Be present
There are so many ways to care for people well.
Grieving What You Thought Life Would Look Like
Toward the end of the conversation, Elizabeth shared something incredibly thoughtful about infertility and adoption.
For many families, adoption comes after deep loss.
And she encouraged families to truly grieve that loss before stepping into adoption.
Not ignore it.
Not rush past it.
Not pretend it didn’t hurt.
Grieve it.
Because adoption should never place the weight of healing unmet expectations onto a child.
That perspective felt incredibly wise and compassionate to me.
She described it as a mindset shift:
moving from asking a child to fill something missing in you…
to becoming a family for a child who needs one.
That distinction matters.
A Different Form of Obedience
At one point in the episode, I told Elizabeth that every time I’m around her, I feel close to holy ground.
And I meant it.
Not because her life is perfect.
Not because it’s easy.
Not because she has everything figured out.
But because there is something deeply sacred about people who quietly give their lives away in service to others.
Especially when nobody is applauding.
Especially when it’s costly.
Especially when it asks them to continually surrender what they thought life would look like.
Near the end of our conversation, she said this:
“It’s a different form of obedience.”
I think that’s true for all of us.
Sometimes obedience looks like building a business.
Sometimes it looks like caring for your family.
Sometimes it looks like slowing down.
Sometimes it looks like opening your home.
Sometimes it looks like setting boundaries.
Sometimes it looks like simply staying faithful in the season you’re in.
And maybe that’s the reminder we all need:
You do not have to do everything to do good work.
Listen to the Full Episode
You can listen to this episode of A Good Pour wherever you stream podcasts.
And if you’re walking through adoption, infertility, parenting, caregiving, or simply a heavy season, I hope this conversation reminds you that you are not alone.
There is beauty in showing up.
There is purpose in caring for people well.
And there is grace for the season you’re in.