This is why I had not started a blog until adoption and I still stink at it! I get emails about how I have not posted in a while. I usually wait until I feel led to say something. Well, tonight I feel led and will probably offend someone - but those who know me know I do that regularly. You never have to guess how I'm feeling. I honestly wish more people would just express their true feelings and everybody could respect people's feelings, learn from them and if they differ, move on knowing this is what makes the world go round. That was a tangent all to say, I'm going to state how I really feel!
I realized and have expressed many times recently I could really coast to grand kids at this point. I work a part time job at the children's hospital 2 days a week. I am a mother of 3 awesome kids, all in school. We have reached the school, homework, piano lessons, soccer, football, etc. stage in life and I LOVE IT!! I love being a mom. I love helping with homework. I love reading books and being read to. I LOVE the sports and cheering my kids on. I love this stage of life. I even love teenagers and hanging out with them. So I'm ready for the next stage. I know at this point I could coast until grandkids.
BUT, God did not call me to coast. This is the simple answer to why we are adopting. We are all called to love and care for the orphans and widows. Now, your family might not be "called" to adopt, BUT you are called to do something. That is very clear in scripture. I wanted to put a word out because I have read on blogs and our list serv the beat down it takes to do fundraising and how that part can have such a negative impact on the adoption process. Fundraising is like a full time job and it is hard when the same families help, support, give over and over and others just smile at you. (some don't even smile, they are ugly! we won't go there) We are so humbled and appreciative of all the help we have received. We feel very blessed, but it is obvious that some are really struggling. I have no clue who reads this, but I want to challenge you to really help those who are willing to bring in another child. It is not something you wake up one morning and think, "hmm, I think I'll adopt." It is a long and strenuous process that only God can put together. Pray over that and see where you are supposed to fit in. None of us were called to coast - we were called to do God's work. And I promise you, you are in the plan to care for the orphans. If we all did our part think, wow, just imagine the work God could do for orphans.
This is so true!! I don't even feel like adopting was a choice we made...God chose it for us and we are just being obedient! People have a hard time understanding that sometimes!
ReplyDeleteI'm so with you on this. We are in the same boat- three kids, all in school, life is fun and happy and really pretty easy. But, God didn't call us to live easy lives, he calls us to live for Him and serve others. Thank you for being honest!
ReplyDeleteCandi,great post! There have been many times over the past 20 yrs that I have been tempted to coast, even said, that's it, we have enough. But God still whispers, "What about those that are still waiting? Surely, you can parent a few more." And I think, yes Lord, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! Praying for whoever God brings to your wonderful family!
ReplyDeleteGirl, I love this!! I am with you had the same thought at one point..Okay we've got our 3 kids, now let's just watch them grow! And God said, "Oh, no, I've got other plans for ya'll!" And I am SO GLAD He did!! I don't want to coast!!
ReplyDeletebeautiful...praying i never get to coast...what a blessing life would be, kj
ReplyDeleteI thought I would share this with you. I jsut posted it on my own site for my family. I tried to just email it to you, but for whatever reason it would not go through....and, yes, I did just order the shirt for this gentleman.
ReplyDeleteI have followed this lady named Kristi's blog for awhile. She has the most adorable daughter named Lucy Lane that she adopted from Ethiopia. She is an amazing woman. Tonight something really cool happened. I ordered "A one less orphan" T-shirt from one of the families she featured on her blog. On the back it says Adoption changing the world one child at a time. A family was selling them to raise money for their international adoption. I liked them because they were not "country specific", rather just a great sentiment about adoption. I had never seen an adoption T-shirt. I got one for RayD too and she loves it as well.
Anyway,tonight I was wearing it when I stopped to pick up dinner before Jacob's last regular season high-school football game. The gentleman at the counter asked in broken english what an orphan was. I explained it was a child without parents. He got teary and told me that he had been an orphan his entire life, but did not know the word for it in English. He told me he had been raised by his "mommom" but was never adopted. I am not quite clear on how he ended up in Colorado. He told me that he wanted to adopt someday and asked me if it was hard to do. I was able to talk to him briefly about my experience of adopting older children through the foster care system. It was a very touching encounter all because of a T-shirt. I am going to go back through her blog and find the family who I bought the shirt from. The gentleman very much wanted to know where to get it. I am going to get it for him and send it to him. I never comment on other's blogs, but I thought she would appreciate knowing that her words had a hand in connecting two hearts tonight in Colorado. So for the second time tonight, I stepped out of my comfort zone and shared with a stranger.
God is good all the time, all the time God is good. This was a totally a GOD thing.
Dianne
GREAT post Candi and SO true!!! It IS hard to watch others stand on the side line, even with a pat on the back and a "good for you". But I trust that God will tug on their hearts in a way I never could.
ReplyDeleteWow - very well said. May have to "borrow" parts of this for my next blog:-) My husband and I were just talking this morning about how we're doing another fundraiser and I said gee I hope people don't get upset that this is our third one but it just takes a lot of them to make a dint in $30K. He reminded me that we are simply providing an opportunity through what God has asked us to do in adopting, by allowing others to be a part of the blessing too.
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