Careless in the Care of God

I read a statistic recently that has been lingering with me:

• 33% of Americans consider adoption.
• 79% of those are concerned about the costs, the biggest deterrent.
• Less than 2% adopt. (From ABBA Fund website)

How sad! I completely understand that adoption isn’t a choice for every family. (Seriously, some days I wonder what in the world we’re doing shaking up our nice, comfortable life.) But it’s disheartening to know that of those who DO have the desire and passion for adoption, only a small percentage follow through.  

So I just want to put this post out there as a spark of encouragement for any of you who have thought about it and been deterred by the expenses… Yes, it IS expensive. You’ll have sticker shock. You’ll get angry when you think about the principle behind the money (i.e., paying for the privilege of making a lifelong commitment to a likely traumatized child…). The unexpected WILL happen and WILL come with a premium… but it IS doable and SO worth it!!

We started this adoption journey during the time when I transitioned away from working outside out home: 

Financial Commitment to Adoption - one income = craziness??? :)

We felt sure that we were supposed to do both of these things… the combination didn’t make sense mathematically, but it made sense in our hearts. It aligned with the vision we have for our family and lifestyle. Most importantly, it was what God undeniably laid on our hearts… and He has been so faithful to us as we have followed Him!

Since the beginning, God has provided for us in ways we would not have expected. I had kind of forgotten how encouraged we felt until I went back and re-read my previous post about it. J

We’ve fundraised… and been overwhelmed by your support.

We’ve applied for grants… and been grateful recipients.

We’ve sold possessions... and haven’t missed a single one of them.

We’ve made lifestyle changes… cut out cable, limited vacations, hung onto older model cars, stopped our lawn service, started buying second hand, etc… and none of these things seem important now that they’re off our radar.

But more than all of that, we are living under God’s blessing. One of the areas we did NOT cut was our tithe and charitable giving… and there’s no way to measure how God blesses that. It comes to us in ways that seem like happenstance or “lucky”, but to add up the sheer volume of these “coincidences” attests to it NOT being a fluke. And almost always, the financial blessing is correlated to a need that we have.

Latest example: This week we will be paying $1200 to cover our kids’ living expenses for the next 6 months in Africa. (Yes, you read that right. It is only $100/month to shelter, feed, clothe and education one child. $100. I can think of a long list of things I’ve spent $100 on that are nowhere near as significant.) Yesterday we received a refund on our mortgage and a note that our monthly payment is decreasing. The EXACT amount of the change? $1200. Perfect!

The school our kids will be attending...

  

Of all of our concerns and anticipated challenges related to this adoption, the financial worries are lowest on our list. The money works itself out every time… but what is more significant to us than the actual dollar amounts is the timing and manner in which our provision comes. God is showing us again and again how much we matter to Him... and we can rest careless in His care...

 “You can’t worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you’ll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can’t worship God and Money both. If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.” Matthew 6:24-26