What do Christians need to know about adoption?
Most importantly, that overlooking orphans is ignoring one of the commands of Christ. You should know that your potential inability to adopt a child is not a good excuse for turning a blind eye towards the plight of orphans. Jesus specifically said in Matthew 18:10:
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.“ (ESV)
Ever change the channel when a charity commercial comes on spotlighting the dirt faced toddler with tattered clothes and a distended belly?
Maybe you looked away because the images are too painful. Footage of lone children wandering heaps of waste in India searching for something of value that they could trade for the privilege of a morsel of food is just too much for you.What about the somehow still smiling faces of young boys living in tent cities in Haiti whose parents died in the earthquake? Did they tug on your heart?
And when you see that beautiful Chinese baby girl with a cleft lip, you can somehow look past the physical. As she stares at you through the T.V. you see that same universal look you have seen in your own children’s young eyes. Her piercing gaze that cries out “love me” stings your heart dreadfully. And it should sting. Painfully sting. If you are a Christian, your attitude towards children should be a reflection of God’s heart. Psalm 68:5-6 makes it clear that God is the author and creator of adoption:
“Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home…” (ESV)
Our own salvation is a supernatural adoption that should give us a greater understanding of the impact that undeserved kindness can have on a person.
The Apostle Paul encouraged us to “walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Eph. 5:2). We must allow our hearts to be broken for what breaks His. This is a good kind of heartbreak- one that’s heavenly and moves us beyond mere compassion to meaningful engagement.
The facts:
Around the globe today there are almost 18 million children without the love, care and simple presence of a Mother or a Father. 18 million is more than the entire population of children in Texas or 9 times the number of employees that work at Walmart worldwide. It’s a staggeringly huge number. Some of these children are living on the streets and as a result have a higher risk of malnutrition, disease and death.
Even more untraceable is the group of children known as “social” orphans. These are children that may have one or more parents living, but for reasons of poverty, war or natural disaster, do not live at home with a family. These children will never make it onto an adoption list or likely even an orphan statistic, yet they live out their childhood as if they had no parents to speak of.
Isn’t this what orphanages are for?
Yes and no. An orphanage is meant to be a temporary solution. In fact, a study of orphanages in 33 European countries found the following:
“Young children (0 to 3 years) placed in residential care institutions without parents are at risk of harm in terms of attachment disorder, developmental delay and neural atrophy in the developing brain. The neglect and damage caused by early privation of parenting is equivalent to violence to a young child.”
The Christian Alliance For Orphans affirms this research with the belief that God created family as the necessary environment in which children can thrive and grow.
It is also important to know that right here in the U.S. there are nearly 400,000 children in foster care, a quarter of which are actively awaiting adoption.
Now that you’ve seen the stats, what can you do? Here’s 4 things to consider:
- Remain Open. Even if adoption is not on your immediate to-do list, know that God may have plans to use you when you least expect it. Like the story of Dawn Sapaugh:
You never know when God will bring someone right to your doorstep that needs the stability and love of a family.
- Pray. Pray for God to show you what you can do. Pray that God “equip you with everything good that you may do his will…” Hebrews 13:21(ESV). Pray that God would help you show love to the fatherless. And if you are brave enough, DO THIS: Actually pray right now for real orphans. Click here. Don’t fill out any of the fields, just click the search button and you will be face to face with pictures and profiles of kids in Texas awaiting adoption today.
- Give. Donate to organizations like The Christian Alliance For Orphans that support Churches and other organizations in equipping Christians to care for orphans. Also, Show Hope, which is an incredible organization started by singer Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife. Their ministry started out as a six story care facility in China providing medical care to special needs orphans, but now includes a growing adoption grant program that eases the financial burden of adoption.
- Serve. Adopt, foster, find a local orphanage that you can volunteer at or physically help someone who is pursuing these goals (like babysitting while they fill out adoption paperwork). Jen Hatmaker’s post titled The Truth About Adoption: One Year Later is a great resource for those wondering what to expect after adoption, but also an encouragement to those in the trenches.
We are called to minister to the millions, one at a time, as if we were serving Christ himself. Isn’t this what Jesus meant when he said in Matthew 25:40 “… as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” ? (ESV)
It would be easy to do nothing -to not even consider the impact of adoption. But you and I both know that we are not called to a life of “nothing.” You are called to show the earth shaking, unearned, limitless love of Christ to those who are in need.
November is National Adoption Month. Leave a comment and let me know how God is calling you to show Christ to the orphans of the world?