Scripture
is clear that as believers we are to care for orphans. This looks
different for each of us. For some it means adopting a child into your
home, for others it may be foster care, or even a mission trip to serve and
care for orphans across the world.
Over the next year we
would like to share what adoption looks like for 24 individuals and their
families. Each post in the "Adoption in Real Life" series will be written by individuals who have been obedient
to God's call to care for orphans. They are willing to share what God has
taught them and as you will see from each post each story is unique. Isn't that part of the beauty of God’s lessons
for His sons and daughters . . . so that we can learn and grow from one
another.
Our hope is that you
will see "Adoption in Real
Life" and not just
something going on in the distance. Our prayer is that God will reveal
your role in adoption.
Please welcome
Jessica Irvin
You'd think with a house full of kids that the
last thing I'd be thinking of is more kids. Our family went from a married
couple with a dog to a family of 8 in just 7.5 years. With three the old fashioned way and three
through Ethiopian adoption, most would accurately say we’ve got our hands
full. But, even while I was in Ethiopia
picking up our 6th child, I just couldn’t shake the feeling that God was asking us to do
more--to make room for more, to care about more, to change the world for
more....
Our pastor preached an awesome series from
Acts. One particular week, he taught from
Acts 8 about (appropriately enough) Phillip and the ETHIOPIAN. Phillip is returning
from a long journey of sharing the gospel when an angel of the Lord says
"go south.” Now, Phillip has put in some serious time already. He had
planned to go home and rest and now God wants him to reroute his GPS and
"go south."
He could have thought up many good reasons why he
shouldn't go, but Phillip said "yes" to God and obeyed. Because of
that decision, "the Ethiopian" was changed and modern day
Christianity can be traced all the way back to Ethiopia—think about what would
have been missed if Phillip hadn’t been willing to forgo his own comfort to
advance the kingdom of God.
And so I ask, how much comfort are we willing to forgo?
And you may ask, "How does this even relate to
adoption?"
Well, adoption isn't easy.
The decision to adopt, the process, the
circumstances that lead to the child’s need to be adopted in the first
place,.....none of these things are particularly easy and one can think up
countless reasons (even good reasons....logical ones) why you shouldn't do it.
I've heard lots of “good” ones:
It's too expensive (not in God's
economy)
I don't think I could love a child that's not my own (A lie from the enemy-- none of
"our" children are "our own." They are ALL God's children--we're just
lucky enough to get to love them for a while).
My husband/wife doesn't want to (pray for them)
I just haven't felt called (James
1:27).............................
I've thought of a few reasons why adopting again would be crazy
for us:
We have 6 kids (true)
We have
six kids (yep)
We have six kids (that's about all I've got)
But, I can think of one
really good reason to do it---God did it for us.
The whole idea of Christianity rests on the truth that as Christians, we've all been adopted into God's family.
And let me tell you, our adoption was HARD. Our adoption COST more
than we could ever calculate. Our adoption took SACRIFICE.
But most of all, our adoption into God's family took great LOVE.
Truthfully, it would be
far easier and a lot more comfortable to say no to God's command to care for
the orphans and the widows in their distress—but as our baby boy (our 7th)
waits across the world for us to come for him, I can’t help but think about the
ones who will miss out on the love of a family if we as Christians choose to
walk away.
Our pastor has said, "God often chooses to use ordinary
people to do extraordinary things."
Well, we couldn't be more ordinary and I pray that he will use our
family to impact those around us for his glory.
Too much is at stake for us not to act.
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