Last month I wrote about something uncommon that my husband and I felt like God was calling us to, but we hadn't shared it with our family yet, so I had to keep things vague. This month I am happy to tell you that we have begun the long road of adoption. It is one of those things that is both breathtakingly exciting and tie-your-stomach-in-knots scary all at once.
We've known for years that this is something God might call us to, but He hadn't--until recently. And once He called us, He didn't let up until we heard exactly what He was had for us.
We know that God's Word says, Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27), but we didn't know that for us part of that meant actually adopting an orphan into our family. We sponsor children already through different organizations, and that is certainly taking care of orphans, but God had more for our family. He desires (and we desire) for one of them to take our name, to become our family.
Why do I tell you this? Well, I tell you for a number of reasons. I tell you because there are well over a hundred million orphans. I tell you because God wants us to take care of orphans--whether through adoption, child sponsorship (Compassion and World Vision are two amazing organizations to do this through), foster care, or mentoring children at a local elementary school. I tell you because our hearts should be broken over the things that break God's heart, and the cry of the orphan certainly breaks God's heart. I also tell you because our church has an adoption/foster/orphan care ministry that is in the early stages called The Journey, and I am excited to see how God is going to use it to awaken Believers to orphan care.
But most of all I tell you so that you might consider: What does God have for me in this? Not everyone is led to adopt, but everyone is called to obey God's Word. How are you taking care of the orphans? What more might God have for you?
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