A Miracle of Timing: Mike Marsden’s Story of Faith, Adoption, and Resiliency

Mike Marsden has shown an impressive amount of resilience throughout his life. 

In this episode, we trace the ups and downs of his story beginning with his adoption as an infant to when he was inspired by other adoptee stories on ADOPTION NOW to search for his birth mother.

Despite suffering emotionally devastating losses in his family, he has drawn strength from not only himself and his adoptive father–whom he calls his best friend to this day–but also from his faith in God. Mike believes there always was a positive hand guiding every aspect of his remarkable life story.

His Story is a testament to the power of adoption and reconnection, of maintaining faith despite tragedy, and how pushing forward in life and adoption is so important.

Mike shows how even if the outcome isn’t exactly what you had in mind, it’s the fact that you pushed through despite the uncertainty, despite the tragedy. There’s a lot of beauty in that. 

Maintaining Faith Through Tragedy

Mike’s faith has certainly been tested in his life. He expresses that he had doubts about his faith and that it wavered in response to the deaths in his life. 

But this isn’t where Mike chooses to dwell. He came to be a witness to the fact that despite the difficulties that we face, there is an overarching plan to our journey in life.

He saw tragedy as a way to actually strengthen his faith. He drew from it much more because he learned how essential it was to trust.

And so too this can be applied to the whole adoption process as well. That despite losses or the difficulties of waiting for a child–or even, as in Mike’s case, reconnecting with a birth mother–the outcome can be beautiful. 

Reconnection is Worth It!

Mike’s decision to search for his birth mother came after listening to other adoptees on ADOPTION NOW. 

His quest started with a 23andMe kit and the support of his adopted family. Carried by his faith and some serious persistence, it ended with hearing the words, “Hello, I’m your mom.”

When asked if the time and emotional energy spent on reconnecting with his biological mother was worth it, Mike wholeheartedly states that it was. 100%!

I mean, how would you describe meeting your birth mother after 35 years? It is a beautiful thing to think about. And for Mike, in particular, it brought some necessary closure and comfort that he had been searching for in his life.

When reflecting on meeting his mother before she tragically passed away, Mike thinks it was a miracle of timing that it worked out the way it did. He found her, met her in person and they embraced just days before she passed away. 

And as he shares for all of you who are considering or in the process of reconnecting with your biological parent(s), his advice is to not expect any one outcome. Openness towards any possible outcome is essential when reconnecting. 

Finally, he stresses that you may not get the outcome you want, but if you never reconnect, you might not experience the joys of just how important reconnection can be. It may not go as you planned but finding answers to your questions is worth the search.

You must remember that despite tragedy, there is a silver lining to balance out all aspects of your life.

Check Out the Episode!

Check out the episode for much, much more. And leave your favorite insights and moments in the comments. We would love to hear from you!