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I am so thankful to be a mother. I love my girls so much. I would count it a blessing to have more children.
I honestly can't think of a good reason for my husband and I NOT to adopt.
I read an article yesterday that said Christians look very favorably upon those who adopt; they think someone should do something about all the children who are in foster care in the U.S. or are orphaned around the world. YET, very of those people will even consider to adopt themselves.
I keep thinking today of the verse (someone please tell me where it is found) that talks about how when we know the good we should do and do not do it that is sin.
**Thanks to my friend Joyce the verse is:
"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."
James 4:17
I came across the following at:Christian advocates for adoption
"...Why should Christians support adoption and consider doing so themselves? Because God has adopted us and He care passionately about these helpless ones. When Christians adopt and make clear that doing so is a Kingdom activity, we will provide a strong witness to the world and bring praise to our Heavenly Father."
Click on the link above to read the entire article including a compiled list of verses on adoption.
James 1:27, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”
This is something I am praying about! Will you consider doing so too?
MommaJo
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I will definitely be praying for you. I've always had a heart for adoption, since I was a little girl. My husband does too, but he wasn't as eager to adopt as I am. Since we are convicted about birth control that also makes things interesting.
ReplyDeleteBut something clicked and he is now on the same page as me. His heart beats for the orphans in the world who have no home, who wake up to another parentless dawn wondering if someone will love them enough to take them home.
The statistics burden me. If only 7% of Christian's adopted, there would be no more orphans. Period. I don't want to be part of the 92%. Jesus said the way is narrow that leads to life. It may not be the most comfortable at all times, it may not be the most endearing to the world, but it is a road after His heart. That's where I want to be.
So we are on the road toward adopting. We really don't know where it will take us. I know that we won't stop with one though. And you know, if you pursue adoption at some point, look into the foster system... those kids are "free" and yet still parentless. I wonder what that speaks to their hearts.
There are so many other things to do to support adoption even if adopting is not right for your family right now. I have found myself inundated with things to do. I know you will too.
I love your heart! I will be praying for this as adoption is obviously something I care about.
I too feel like I have a heart for a big family, but we have two and can't have any more. We are almost done with our foster care license. I don't know where that will lead us, but God has always layed it on my heart to help those who don't have homes, so I think this is where we are supposed to be.
ReplyDeleteKeep in mind though, that with foster care, it is very rare to get babies, and if you do, they usually have medical issues. The majority of the children in the foster care system are teenagers. This doesn't really work for us because my girls are 7 & 8, so we have decided not to bring in any children that are older than they are, in order to protect them.
Put some time into research and prayer, and of course, discussion with your husband. God will lead you. :)
Heather
We have often thought about adopting as well. We always said we wouldn't do it unless the entire family is on board. Our oldest has been very much against it until recently. She came to us and said she thought it would be a wonderful gift to another child and to our family. We are praying about it and want to be obedient to the Lord.
ReplyDeleteIn the meantime, we hooked up with World Vision and have sponsored a little boy. The website is www.worldvision.org and they are doing wonderful things in the lives of children.
There are so many different ways & avenues to get involved whether adopting, sponsoring, serving, etc. How different our world would look if we took a moment and cared for those around us.
We are praying right along beside you in this adventure.
I would like to add that adoption should be something the Spirit is leading you to do as well. We too have a heart for adoption and have young biological children at home. We just do not have the money for a foreign adoption, so if He provides I am sure we will. It will have to be something He lays harder on my husband and provides the money for us because we cannot do it in the flesh. Another thing we have to consider, unfortunately, is my husbands family. They are not christians and they do not seem really open to adoption. When we have mentioned adopting from china before my SIL said "WHY?" like it was just as horrible as considering chopping off one of my limbs for the fun of it. So, I guess for me, that's why I say we have to follow the Spirit. There are alot of good things we'd like to do, but are we doing them out of our flesh or because we are being led by the Spirit to do so. Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right, why not adoption. I understand to a certain extent why some people say "this really needs to be something the Lord lays on your heart" but I also don't fully embrace it. The bible says care for widows and orphans. I know there are many ways to care for orphans but I think a lot of christians hide behind the "God has to tell me specifically to adopt" because of the sacrifices required. It's much easier to send a check in the mail(I am in no way minimizing the need and benefit of those who do that). I suppose some people see it differently. And I think there are people who for very good reasons can not adopt, but many more can. The statistics Ashley mentioned are very saddening. If there are those of us who can not adopt then we should be willing to give of ALL our resources to help those who can. I once heard of a church that started an adoption commitment and many many children have been adopted as a result of the encouragement and resources provided by their church.
ReplyDeleteJo, I'm so happy and excited for you.
Our boys are adopted domestically (stop by my blog and see how sweet they are!); our oldest we got from the hospital 3 days after he was born; our youngest we brought home when he was 10 weeks old. There is a great need for families of black babies; unfortunately private adoptions (like ours) are very expensive, costing thousands and thousands of dollars. We received financial help from a church that has a big emphasis on adoption (domestic and international); I so wish there weren't such a heavy financial burden linked to both domestic and international adoptions. We'd also attempted to adopt through the foster care system, but there was a ton of red tape, and it turned out that the daughter we'd hoped for was returned to a relative. We'd endured a very painful failed adoption, as well, before our boys came to us. We are a part of an adoption ministry where we regularly pray that God would move the hearts of people so that needy children can have a home. Lately, I've been thinking about adopting an older child...I'm not sure how that will turn out, but I feel like God wants to know that we are willing. All the best to you, dear one.
ReplyDeleteI have to say, I agree with Natalie! I believe the Spirit will lead you to adopt as Jennifer said, but at the same time... the Spirit lead my husband and I not to use birth control, but sometimes I am unwilling (although we still do it) or I make up excuses about why I could use it... instead of just trusting Him.
ReplyDeleteWith adoption I think people are often scared of starting the process because they are afraid they won't have the means to do it. That's how we felt. But we felt burdened to "open the door."
If we kept the door closed to adoption we would never know what God could do.
But we've opened it and we're not sure what that means.
So I guess what I'm saying is we can always open the door and allow God to plan our lives, just like with birth control. If the door is open to every area of our life, God can push us through the door or keep us where we are. it's in His hands.