National Adoption Month: Reflecting on Our Call as Followers of Christ
Louisiana is pretty well-known for its die-hard LSU fans and the magnitude of people that come to Baton Rouge on game day. Sadly, even as a lifelong Louisianan, I’ve only been to Tiger Stadium or “Death Valley” as some call it, once in my life. Unfortunately, it wasn’t game day, so the stadium was empty. Even without the game day crowds filling the stadium, it was overwhelming. It’s such a huge and magnificent place. According to Wikipedia, the stadium can hold 102,321 people. That is amazing. For those of you that have been to Death Valley on game day, I can only imagine how it feels to be surrounded by that many pumped-up LSU fans.
Let’s think about another Tiger Stadium scenario for a moment though. Imagine that the stadium is filled to capacity. Imagine you are sitting there, in that vast stadium that most of you have probably been to at least once. Except, instead of super-charged LSU fans all around, there are 102,320 children of all ages sitting in the stadium. Who are these kids? These are children who do not have a family. These are children who have been through some sort of trauma or tragedy in their lives. These are children who probably have medical or special needs of some kind. These are children who are legal orphans, right here in our own country.
According to the website AdoptUsKids.org, there are approximately 108,000 children in the United States who are legally free and waiting for adoption. There are so many of these children, you wouldn’t even be able to fit them all in Tiger Stadium. 108,000 is a huge number of kids, but multiply that by three, and that’s about how many kids come into foster care in the United States every year. So even three Death Valleys couldn’t contain all those children. Now, think about this. UNICEF estimates that worldwide, there are between 148-153 million orphans. Know how many Death Valleys that would fill up? A lot. (At least 1450, actually). But I think you get the picture. We’re not just talking about statistics though: we’re talking about babies. Kids. Real living people. Children, boys and girls, who have no one and probably, nothing. So, why I am telling you all of this?
November is National Adoption month. Maybe you think that adoption doesn’t have anything to do with you. However, if you are a Christian, I would beg to differ. In fact, if you are in Christ, I’d say adoption is extremely important to you, whether you realize it or not. For those of us who are followers of Christ, adoption has already played a huge part in our lives, for we have been adopted into the family of God.
“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:14-17 ESV)
“In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:4-6 ESV)
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” (Galatians 4:5-6 ESV)
Through Jesus Christ, God our heavenly Father made us His very own sons and daughters. We were spiritual orphans. We did not seek after God, in fact, we hated Him. We had no way out of our sin and slavery. But God did not leave us as orphans. He gave us an eternal forever family. He made us heirs with our brother Jesus. We are His, and nothing can ever change that. Our spiritual adoption is beautiful and amazing.
As we reflect on our spiritual adoption, on the love and grace that our Heavenly Dad gave to us, it should stir our hearts for the hundreds of millions of children on this earth who are orphans. Foster care and adoption isn’t just about “charity” though; it is a mission, a fulfilment of the Great Commission. When you bring a child into your home through fostering them for a time, or through adopting them into your forever family, you get to tell them of the love of Christ. You get to show them grace and mercy and love. You get the chance to disciple them. They get to experience the Gospel that otherwise they may never know.
Maybe you are not called to adopt a child. However, Jesus calls all of us to love. He gives us the desire to love what He loves, and one thing He loves dearly is children. You are called to love widows and orphans. You are called to love your brothers and sisters in Christ who are fostering and adopting. You are called to love those who have already brought children into their families through adoption. Even those who are not called to adopt can help minimize the orphan crisis, domestically and internationally. There are so many things you can do to help. You can financially support a couple who is adopting. You can donate to one of the many great organizations in the U.S. and abroad that care for orphans. You can get certified to provide respite care for people in your community who are foster parents. You can pray for those who are in the trenches of orphan care. Trust me, the need is tremendous. There is always something to be done.
And then, there’s always the possibility that God is calling you to pursue foster care or grow your family through adoption. If that is something that God is putting on your heart, I would encourage you to do some research. Reach out to adoptive and foster families. Talk to your pastor and to friends and family. There are many great resources available to you online too. Adoption and foster care are hard, but they are worth it.
“When we adopt—and when we encourage a culture of adoption in our churches and communities—we’re picturing something that’s true about our God. We, like Jesus, see what our Father is doing and do likewise (John 5:19). And what our Father is doing, it turns out, is fighting for orphans, making them sons and daughters.” –Russell Moore, Adopted for Life
(This post was written by UFBC member, Carrie Smith)
