The second greatest challenge that we faced (and continue to face) when answering God’s call upon our hearts to be adoptive parents was the money. It’s quite a mountain that we must climb to meet our child on the other side.
“Wait,” you say, “What is the first – the greatest challenge? You can’t start off with number two!”
Well, my most logical friends, the greatest challenge was the reality of adoption itself – accepting someone else’s child, with little or no knowledge of its background, as our own dearly beloved child. It isn’t natural, it isn’t even second nature, to take that which was rejected and tossed out and to value it as a treasure beyond all cost.
The child we will be adopting has been rejected by its own mother and father, and rejected three more times by Bulgarian adoptive parents (according to Bulgarian law, a child is available to international adoption only after three sets of Bulgarian parents have declined to adopt it). It will have been branded as “special needs” by a doctor, dooming it to a future of neglect and dehumanization in an institution, unless, as if by some miracle, it is embraced by a new family, given a new name, a new future, a new hope.
Sound familiar? It should.
We were in just such a predicament when Jesus chose to answer God’s calling for Him. He embraced humanity. He embraced us! When we were rejected by all, deemed unlovable, broken beyond repair, God created an adoption plan for us – for you, for me, for every human being from the most despicable on up. We were cleaned up and placed in a holy, Loving Family, with the Creator of the Universe as our Abba Father. And we are in the process of being loved, being healed of all our “special needs”, brought up to have new family resemblance, so that when others look at us, they say, “Aren’t you related to Jesus? All you God kids look alike.”
But it came at a price – such a price! God gave His own Son over to death and abandonment, to be dealt our punishment, our just desserts. Yes, He overcame, He conquered, He had the victory, but first He experienced our low state, our pain, our suffering.
So then, when we look at the price we must pay for our son or daughter – it seems miniscule compared to the price that was paid by God to bring us into His family. What, only $30,000? Wow, we are getting a deal! We are sacrificing so little in comparison.
So we stepped out in faith, to reflect our Heavenly Father’s intentions to all of humankind, and said, “Yes, we will love and parent this child, though not our own flesh and blood, though marred and scarred and rejected by its own.” We are trusting that the God will help us be the parents he or she needs to grow up to be His child.
We are trusting God for the funds needed as well – for though we are willing to pour all our extra pennies, nickels, and dimes into this adoption, we cannot come up with so grand a sum out of our own resources. But we know since God has called us to this, and He will supply all we need to achieve it.
Once we have an approved home study, we will be able to apply for grants available through adoption non-profits. We hope to receive a couple of these, but similar to college scholarships, they can be quite narrow in scope and we may not be qualified for many of them. Even if we are chosen to receive funds, it will only cover a portion of the amount needed.
We are asking our friends and family to join us in this miracle of adoption. If you feel your heart being tugged and wish to bless us (and our future child), we would be very grateful and full of joy that you are joining with us in God’s work. And your prayers are even more important than your cash! We need those who love God and love us to cry out for God to move. So please pray and please give as you feel led.
Check out our “Feel Like Helping a Child Find a Good Home?” page for some ways to send us donations for our adoption fund.
Next week, we will be blogging a bit more about our climb of Mount Money, including some specific prayer requests. Please be sure to take a look at it when it comes out.
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