One less Orphan

Awhile back, I did a review on a book called Love You More, which was a story about one family's journey through adoption.  The book gave light to the journey of adoption, how it works and how you can help.  Our family has not felt a call to adopt, but to say that adoption has not captured my heart would be a huge understatement.

The Lord, has intersected my heart with a couple of families that are currently going through the process of adoption.  It is a long road, filled with heartbreak, waiting, hope, heartbreak, waiting and more waiting.  But through the process of waiting and believing there is also a lot of expenses.  On average an international adoption costs between $20,000 - $30,000!

One of the families, whose story I am following just launched a website, called One Less Orphan.  It is a website where you can purchase merchandise and 100% of the proceeds will go to support theirs and a friend's adoptions.  But their dream is bigger than that too.  If their website is successful, they would like to link together and support other families in adoption.

As I sat reflecting on these things this morning the Lord brought me back to the book of James.  In James 1:27 it says,

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:

 to look after orphans and widows in their distress

and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Also, throughout the OT we see that the heart of the Father has always been towards the orphans and the widows:

Deuteronomy 10:18

He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow,

 and loves the foreigner residing among you,

giving them food and clothing.

Deuteronomy 24:17

Do not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice,

 or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge.

Deuteronomy 26:12

When you have finished setting aside a tenth of

all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you

shall give it to the Levite, the foreigner,

the fatherless and the widow,

so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.

Psalm 10:14

But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;

you consider their grief and take it in hand.

The victims commit themselves to you;

you are the helper of the fatherless.

Psalm 68:5

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,

is God in his holy dwelling.

Psalm 82:3

Defend the weak and the fatherless;

uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.

I think you get the point (but if not, there are even more verses in there!).  God loves the fatherless! It is something that we as the church should also love and find practical ways to support. 

I know that there is lots of things vying for our money, attention and time ~ I in no way want to guilt you into supporting this specific cause.  My desire, however, is to encourage you to look around for families that are pursuing adoption, hear their story and find practical ways (James 2:15-16) to support them in their process.

Finally, as I was reflecting on these courageous Moms who have to fight for their children I was reminded of the battle against the Amalekites:

Exodus 17

So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered,

and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11

As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning,

but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.

 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and

put it under him and he sat on it.

Aaron and Hur held his hands up—

one on one side, one on the other—

so that his hands remained steady till sunset.

13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

As I've watched the process of adoption, I've realized it is a very long road.  We as the church, can and should come alongside these courageous families and hold their arms up as they wait.  We know that the heart of the Father is for these children and we need to keep supporting them prayerfully and practically on their journeys home.
 
In Christ,