Let’s Talk Adoption!
Have you ever thought about Adoption?
My wife Kat and I recently finalized adoption with our son Zion. We have three biological sons. Jude and Calvin are twins and 10 years old, and Lennox is our 7 year old. We met young Zion when he was only 4 years old and now he is 7. Â It took three years to adopt him when everything was said and done. As we look back at the process there were times that very discouraging and there were also times when God’s people came around us and provided the comfort we needed to get through what we were going through. Kat and I developed our conviction of adoption as we’ve walked through this process for the past 9 years. We firmly believed that as Christ followers we were called to have an active hand in adoption. We were prayerful about to what extent we should pursue a life of tending to the widows and orphans of the world, so we sought out counsel from our relational world to get their perspective of adoption. There were people that we sought out because of their expertise and experience in adoption and those we sought out simply because of their life experience and Godly influence in our lives. We have been blessed through out the years from our church family and from those who have taken a special investment in our lives to be a part of our adoption story. Since the finalizing with our son Zion, we have been placed again; this time with our daughter, Ruby. She came to us at 6 months old and brings such joy to our home! Â This is story is still yet to finish, however, we are boldly sharing this story because of conviction of how God has called us to give this little girl a home to grow up and a family to love her. The more we share it, the more we see the work of God in little Ruby’s life. You may not know her, but now you’ve read about her and how we are asking for your prayers as we look to finalize adoption with her immediately. Â When people ask us why we decided to adopt we love starting the conversation with, ” Have you ever thought about adoption?”
Do you know anyone that has Adopted?
I like to quote Pastor Tom Mercer when he said, “In life, when we don’t know what to do, we lean on what we know to be true and then go where the evidence leads us.” For Kat and I, in this case, our way to lean on what we know to be true, was seeking God’s will in the Bible for wisdom on adoption. When we read Deuteronomy 10 that , “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing “, we read that God holds a value of the people in this world that typically go unseen. We also read in the book of James 1:27 that, “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.”  This biblical understanding grew our desire to fulfill God’s will for children without parents. When we place the view of eternity in mind, we recognize that God adopted us into His heavenly family for all of eternity. The book of John 1 :12-13 says, ” Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” If you are reading this and you’ve placed your trust and faith in God, you DO know someone that has adopted, God!
What Now?
After reading this, my hope is that you as a reader, would be encouraged to take more of an active role in knowing the different aspects of adoption. Please hear what I am saying. The Church, the gathered body of believers, should be more aware and involved in taking care of the widows and orphans, not that everyone has to adopt. There are so many aspects of adoption/foster care that call for people to be actively involved in and participate, and most people do not know about them because they are simply uninformed. There are many dynamics of foster care that can impact the lives of families that are on the brink of falling apart. Or even a section for certified folks that can serve in more of a respite care role. Respite care is so appreciated and needed for the people in foster care and adoption process that need a calculated break, and respite certified homes give the break to the family in need and care for the kids needing a safe place to be  in the mean time.  These are ways to be active in the lives of orphans, and it all starts with you. Again, my hope is that after reading this you would be encouraged to seek out info from our local county websites and public programs in order to play a more active role in this Biblical matter. Or how about this, if you ever had any questions email me and I’d love to have a conversation with you about this! mpowers@highdesertchurch.com
Blessings,
Pastor Mikey