I love the pro-life picture that adoption paints.
The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that all those of us who say we are pro-life should also be sure to demonstrate this in various ways (giving a child a family through adoption, helping pay for an adoption, opening your home to foster care, caring for widows, caring for the lonely elderly, etc).
The world needs to see consistency in our lives. There are thousands of ways you can do this. If it's not adoption, you should come up with your own way and influence those in your circle to do the same.
This cut me to the heart: Recently when we were watching the movie, Lake of Fire, (read my review here) one of the pro-abortion polemics that was communicated in various ways was that there simply are not that many people lining up to care for unwanted children.
This is true and it hurts when non-Christians point out our inconsistency.
In a day when every other African-American pregnancy ends in abortion, should not those that actually make it out alive, yet are still unwanted, receive a family? Should not Christians be lining up to do this? If adoption is not for you, in what ways are you fulfilling James 1:27?
Remember, as Christians we were once "without hope and without God in the world" (Eph 2:12) and God brought us near through the gospel. Of all people, we know what it means to be without hope. God commands his people to demonstrate this understanding in the way we interact with the world around us. Do we carry ourselves with a sense of entitlement or with a sense of humility that is ready to serve as we have been served by Jesus himself?
My hunch is that if we took being pro-life more seriously we might have a more winsome witness in our world that so desperately needs Jesus. I challenge us to do it.
4 comments:
Amen! You know I agree 100%! Our lives must reflect what so often only our mouths speak! Thank you for your beautiful testimony. I also love your post about them being "twins". We have had the same experience. I love that my children are color blind. They never see each other for their skin color and when we are at playgrounds/parks I have observed the same in how they interact with others. What a precious blessing to see, I pray others will be blinded as well. Many Blessings from one of your prayer warriors!
When I told a friend of mine that we are planning to adopt she explained to me (rather passionately) that I am "allowed" to hold to my pro-life views now that I am taking action on those beliefs. She is pro-choice and is raising a son outside of marriage. It was an interesting conversation. I told her that we aren't adopting simply because we are pro-life and yet it can not be separated from our compulsion to do so. I agree that there should be many more Christian families willing to forgo the comforts of the American dream in order to care for little ones in need.
Thanks also for the honest updates along the way. We will most likely be matched with an all African American baby and some days the thought of that is more than daunting!
Very nice! Tim and I were convicted by Isaiah 58 and "The least of these" verses in Matthew. If every Christian family decided to adopt a child from foster care, the system would literally be without children. How amazing to think that we could speak life into that many children if we wanted.
Oh, and our 4 kids will hopefully be here in January!
Amen brother! Amen!
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