basking in the blessing.

In the midst of adoption paperwork, financial worries, seemingly unnecessary delays in the process, the yearn in our hearts for things to happen faster, the worry we have over our future children, and so many other things, we may forget just how blessed we are.

We are blessed by friends, family, and strangers.  Whether you have just a little bit in your financial "adoption bucket" or quite a lot; if you are fully funded or far from it, chances are you have been blessed with favor from many people. 

"And my God will meet all of your needs, according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus."  Phillipians 4:19

When we are struggling to complete our paperwork, yearning for events to occur that seem to take so very long, we can forget what a blessing adoption really is.  We are blessed and humbled that God has given us the means to adopt a child.  Children who live in The Bad Place are suffering greatly, and it is hard on the heart to know that this happens.  But there are families who are stepping forward, to break the bonds of darkness for these children and allow them to enter into the light of God's love manifested in a family. 

"Father to the fatherless, defender of the widow - this is God, whose dwelling is holy.  God places the lonely in families." (Psalm 68:5-6)

Our family is grateful and blessed to live in a home that can accommodate another child.  We are pleased to know we can financially care for him and provide him with the needs he has.  Affording adoption (the outlay of thousands of dollars, often more than a person puts down on a home or a car) is not the benchmark to determine if someone is prepared to afford parenting.  Parenting is expensive over a long period of time.  Adoption is expensive over a much shorter period of time.  Those who criticize should immediately try to find $30,000.  If they cannot, they should immediately relinquish the children they have (for they cannot clearly afford to parent them) and if they have no children, should never for one moment consider having any until they can write a check - with liquid funds - for at least $30,000. 

For the rest of us, we should look at donation and support as a blessing that we bestow upon others and as a blessing to be received for ourselves- both of which are examples of God using ordinary people as "his hands and feet"; in essence, God's work through us.  The process of adoption is more than inviting a child into your family and parenting him or her.  The process of adoption reshapes a family; and those who obey God's command to care for orphans shall receive His blessings as a result. 

Lord, our family is grateful to live in a safe community, in a home large enough to accommodate another child.  We thank You that we are in a position to intervene on behalf of a child who was unwanted in his own country.  We pray for his family, that we may one day know them and teach our future son about them.  We express our gratitude to those who have supported us and blessed our family with their generosity and prayers.  We honor You with our obedience to reach the least of Your children and encourage others to do so.  We raise our voice in prayer for every family who reads our blog, prays for us, and encourages us.  We pray for those families who are in the process of adoption, and those whose hearts are open to adoption but who have not yet found their child(ren).  We thank You for helping us to find our future little boy and for the privilege it is to intervene in his life.  We thank You for every blessing we have in this process, and place our financial needs for this adoption squarely in Your hands as we prepare to travel to Bulgaria and meet our future son.

Please, if you are reading today, stop and examine the blessings that you have already received; whether you are adopting, or just caring about our adoption, or supporting others.  Don't forget what a privilege it truly is to open your arms to an unwanted child.