The cost of a life....

James 1:27

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress,and to keep oneself unstained [a]by the world.

I've been thinking a lot about adoption. Our children are 3 years and 7 months and we've begun to think about perhaps adopting a child some day. Recently I read a little blog that listed things that you should never ask adoptive parents, one of which was, "How much did she cost?". That phrase in and of itself sounds pretty ridiculous. I mean children aren't items from a grocery store we buy. They aren't novelty items.

They are precious human beings. Some of which were tossed aside at birth just because they look different or were the wrong gender or have needs. Some were given up by parents who knew they couldn't sustain the young baby's life. Some mothers died in childbirth and some died afterwards leaving the child an orphan. These kids didn't ask to be cast aside or left by themselves. They simply were born and tossed into a life of loneliness and isolation.

I think about my own kids and how heart broken I would be if I had to give them up and then they spent their days wishing and hoping for affection from someone. Or if I had died and they were tossed around some foster care system helpless. Breaks my heart just thinking about it.

It brings me back to the question, "How much did she cost?" Why does cost have to be such a huge factor in adoption. If your heart is to adopt, then cost shouldn't be an issue. These are human beings being ransomed by the system. If one of our children were ransomed or in trouble, the money wouldn't matter would it? As parents we naturally want to protect our children and if they were lost or in trouble and needed help, we'd do whatever we could, nothing would stand in our way. Isn't this how we should view adoption?

These children need homes. They need love. They need someone to say, "I will move heaven and earth to rescue you out of that pit you are in. I will love you!" If your heart is to adopt, do it. Just go for it and don't look back. Read up on it and talk with people who have adopted. As with all kids, adding another one (or one in general) is quite the transition, but if your heart is in it, you can do it!

If you don't have room, but love on kids, then look into helping others adopt. There are quite a few foundations out there that provide grants to couples who want to adopt. There are also ways to help sponsor children in other countries to help their quality of life. We sponsor a child through Compassion International and love it. I highly encourage you to do the same! It's a great lesson for you and your family.

Above all else, I encourage you to pray. Pray about whether God would have you adopt, help others adopt and/or sponsor a child. You won't regret it!