Adoption isn't plan B

Sarah posted her first blog post, so I thought I’d follow her up today. The Lord has been teaching the two of us so much through adoption. Whether it is faith in God’s provision for finances to follow through with his call on our life to adopt; simple lessons like trusting we will find a location to have a yard sale, or big lessons about the picture of the gospel in adoption. Adoption has already taught us about our former condition and the rescue of Christ for those without hope.  Adoption definitely is a clear picture of what Christ did for us as Christians. I hope through this long process many friends and family will be challenged to ask how they could help the 143 million orphans around the world. Could God be calling some of them to adopt as well? James 1:27 tells us 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.” Many see adoption as plan B, after all “normal” avenues are pursued or large quantities of money are spent for chance fertility, but the question must be asked as to when you stop to consider the 145 million without parents? God has commanded the Church to take care of the orphaned. The Church must be brought near to the crisis and therefore, the need for adoption as a major focus among all Christians. “Adopted for Life” by Russell Moore taught me a lot about the presentation of the gospel in the process of adoption. Ephesians 1:5 says that God “predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” We all as Christians have been adopted into the family of Christ. Some may ask why we would adopt internationally with another race. We ask “why not?” Christ went beyond the Hebrew nation and adopted all of us of another race as Gentiles. If Christ did not care about adoption-we all would be lost in our sin. The church of the West needs the orphan far more than the orphan needs the Christian. The Church is the arms and heart of Christ as agents of change in every nation. Adoption is one vital area of change. Orphans are those without anyone to provide, care, and fight for their protection. There are approx. 300,000 churches in America; why are there still 145 million orphans? We are consumed with ourselves and we do not have faith for storing treasures in heaven. I believe Roe vs. Wade has likely not been overturned because the church is not radically pro-adoption. Like culture at large we see orphan care as optional. Adoption really can save the American church from their toxic self-absorption and materialism that consumes it as we speak. Adoption is not a pet project; adoption is the gospel. At this moment there are 75 million orphans in Asia and 50 million orphans in Africa. One country full of orphans is Ghana, West Africa which has an estimated 1 million orphans out of a population of 30 million. Having traveled to Ghana in the past I was able to see personally the large number of orphans roaming the streets of major cities like Accra and Tamele.


Sarah and I are very excited about the opportunity of sharing the gospel through adoption. As people see our child as obviously ethnically different, we will consistently use the opportunity to share why we adopted and how our heavenly Father adopted us as well. At the same time, we will give a precious child without parents a loving family and home. We both know that our future child will bless us far more than any sacrifice we could ever make to adopt. We cannot wait to invest our lives into our child.