Adoption is a beautiful picture of the gospel lived out. \u00a0It is what Jesus did on the cross, his sacrifice has brought us into a family we never would have been a part of otherwise. \u00a0Adoption is also costly. \u00a0It cost Jesus his very life! \u00a0In modern times it costs a large sum of money, as well as time, and other sacrifices in order to bring a child home. \u00a0In looking at adoption I realized many agencies charge fees that are equivalent to what my husband made the first few years we were married. \u00a0Put that into perspective, to bring a child into your home through adoption can cost a year’s salary! \u00a0The first few years we were married the amount of money we lived on was so small that we qualified for government assistance. \u00a0Yet here we are a decade later, in the thick of it, crunching the numbers, dipping into our savings, praying and researching agencies, all to bring home a child.<\/p>\n
Is it worth it? \u00a0Is what Jesus did on the cross worth it? \u00a0Or do you wish he would have been less willing to make that sacrifice? \u00a0Everyday as we go through our routines we are making choices. \u00a0Some choices are simply for our own personal comfort, some are for the needs of our family, some are great sacrifices for the needs of others we have never even met. \u00a0But, we spend our days making choices.<\/p>\n
So, who is called to adopt? \u00a0Whether a family embraces adoption or not is just another choice they have to make. \u00a0Is everyone called to bring a child into their home? \u00a0I don’t believe so, but everyone can have a heart of adoption. \u00a0So what does that look like? \u00a0There are actually many wonderful ways to live out the calling to care for the widow and orphan in their distress.<\/p>\n
“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<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Some families may be in a place financially where they can give towards adoption expenses, but they can’t care for a child, they can give. \u00a0Some families may not have the finances to give, but they have baby items or toys they are no longer using, they can be donated to a family who is adopting, or to an agency that helps mothers in crisis. \u00a0Some families have a love of children but feel overwhelmed in their current season and can’t take on the responsibility of another, they can offer to babysit so adoptive parents can have a night out.<\/p>\n
All can pray.<\/p>\n
We can pray and ask God to strengthen the mothers considering abortion, that they may have the ability to have a selfless love and choose life for their child, even if that means it’s a life they won’t get to be a part of everyday. \u00a0Regardless of what we think when we look at adoption from a purely pro-life perspective, choosing to head down the road of adoption for a birth mom is a very difficult choice. \u00a0There are many reasons for this, but the biggest and perhaps simplest is that to choose adoption is a choice that requires the birth mom to grieve a loss. \u00a0The best way I’ve heard it explained is to think about having a miscarriage. \u00a0You know there was a life there, yet you never got to know that child, they were taken from you before you even had a chance to know them. \u00a0It’s the empty arms after leaving the hospital that may be the most difficult part. \u00a0As a mother, you know your child is in good hands, with a loving family that you hand picked in the case of adoption, in the arms of Jesus in the case of miscarriage, yet there is still an emptiness in your heart that will never be filled. \u00a0Mothers in this valley of decision need our love, prayer and support. \u00a0They are in a very vulnerable position. \u00a0When we find ourselves in these type of situations those are the times when our enemy the devil swoops in and whispers the lie that there is an easy way out. \u00a0The thought of growing and nurturing a child for 9 months and then giving that child to someone else is unfathomable to a mother, even a mother who knows she isn’t in a position to provide for a child. \u00a0Often these mothers will justify abortion all the while not realizing that they will still grieve the loss. \u00a0Adoption and abortion are both choices that will result in a mother having to grieve. \u00a0The difference is that in adoption there is hope that the mother will be able to continue to have some kind of relationship with her child, maybe even be a part of his or her life. \u00a0The days of adoption being a big secret are largely over. \u00a0In every state in the United States open adoption is being praised and celebrated not only for it’s benefits to the child in knowing who their birth mother is, but to the birth mother as well. \u00a0It brings great comfort to many birth moms to see their baby growing and thriving and being loved by parents who cherish him or her.<\/p>\n
Having a “heart of adoption” doesn’t necessarily have to mean you personally adopt. \u00a0It simply means seeing things through the Father’s eyes. \u00a0He is what a heart of adoption looks like. \u00a0He sent his son to live a selfless life and die a death he didn’t deserve, adoption is interwoven beautifully through out scripture. \u00a0Read the story of Moses, or Esther, or even Jesus, who was adopted by Joseph. \u00a0You will see the Father’s heart of adoption. \u00a0It is what selfless love looks like. \u00a0Adoption is redemption.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Adoption is a beautiful picture of the gospel lived out. \u00a0It is what Jesus did on the cross, his sacrifice has brought us into a family we never would have been a part of otherwise. \u00a0Adoption is also costly. \u00a0It cost Jesus his very life! \u00a0In modern times it costs a large sum of money, … <\/p>\n
Continue reading “Who is called to adopt?”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":93,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[13,8,14,4],"class_list":["post-140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-adoptionisredemption","tag-life","tag-nationaladoptionmonth","tag-bound4life"],"yoast_head":"\nWho is called to adopt? - Bound4LIFE - St. Louis<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bound4lifestl.org\/?p=140\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Who is called to adopt? - Bound4LIFE - St. Louis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Adoption is a beautiful picture of the gospel lived out. \u00a0It is what Jesus did on the cross, his sacrifice has brought us into a family we never would have been a part of otherwise. \u00a0Adoption is also costly. \u00a0It cost Jesus his very life! \u00a0In modern times it costs a large sum of money, … Continue reading "Who is called to adopt?"\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bound4lifestl.org\/?p=140\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Bound4LIFE - St. Louis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/Bound4LIFEstl\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-11-24T04:42:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-11-24T14:19:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bound4lifestl.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/NotProtest.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"76\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Melissa Jacobs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Melissa Jacobs\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bound4lifestl.org\/?p=140#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bound4lifestl.org\/?p=140\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Melissa Jacobs\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bound4lifestl.org\/#\/schema\/person\/7ef15173e8b4a7b7dcc02df04c60257e\"},\"headline\":\"Who is called to adopt?\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-11-24T04:42:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-11-24T14:19:10+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bound4lifestl.org\/?p=140\"},\"wordCount\":992,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bound4lifestl.org\/?p=140#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.bound4lifestl.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/NotProtest.png\",\"keywords\":[\"#AdoptionIsRedemption\",\"#LIFE\",\"#NationalAdoptionMonth\",\"bound4life\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.bound4lifestl.org\/?p=140#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bound4lifestl.org\/?p=140\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bound4lifestl.org\/?p=140\",\"name\":\"Who is called to adopt? 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