The Line

I’ve been spending time lately digging in and trying to understand the complex issues surrounding poverty. There’s this invisible, and probably ever-changing, socio-economic line between secure and insecure. If you were to spend your life hovering right around that line, any unknown thrown your way could bump you from one side of the line to the other. Just think about the example of losing a job. It could happen to any of us… but that loss plays out differently depending on how close to the line we may be. You may have a large savings account or no savings. You may have health insurance through a spouse, or insurance may be lost with the job. You may be able to move home for awhile or you may not have a home to go to. You may have a network of peers to help you secure a new job quickly, or you may know no one else who is employed...

We had a rough year last year – with a lot of ups, downs and decisions. Any given day, what thankfully turned out to be a minor set back could have been major without a safety net. And that's not just a financial net. There are so many threads of security that are woven together to create our safety nets - family, relationships, support systems, mental health resources, education.

As I’ve been digesting all that I’m learning, my thoughts have been intermingled with adoption and foster care knowledge. Because realistically, if you are hovering on this invisible line without support and security, family decisions are more drastic and severe. Not having a parent who can parent is devastating. A child on one side of the line may be taken in by stable relatives, while a child on the other side of the line may have no option but foster care (in the States) or an orphanage (overseas).

You know my heart is tied up in adoption… It can be transformative and healing. Adoption redirects the trajectory of a child’s life. But adoption doesn’t erase tragedy and the child’s change in course comes at a huge expense with a great deal of trauma. What if that additional distress could be prevented? I’m thankful that we are able to walk through life with James and Esther in our family… but for their sakes, in an ideal world, I would have wanted to avoid this path for them.

This is where God has held me over the past few years.  Reading and just sitting on thoughts… it’s overwhelming and I haven’t really known how to process and apply my thoughts.

It’s led me to a new passion, Circles RVA. They are a national non-profit just starting in Richmond with this mission: BUILD COMMUNITY TO END POVERTY. Building community – creating a support system to help individuals move to a more secure and stable place across “the line”. This is deep, intentional, meaningful work and I am so incredibly excited to become a part of their organization. You’ll be hearing a lot more about it in the upcoming weeks!