The cost of foster/adoption.

Was asked today for a brief thought on the cost of adoption.

First, of all adoption will cost more than you can ever imagine, more time, more money, more stress, more willingness to accept your lack of control, more prayer, more patience, more understanding.  Second, you are not prepared, you can not prepare, you can not understand, you can not do this on your own power.  Third, you and your wife are prayerfully considering something so close to God’s heart that James calls it “pure and undefiled religion”. Religion is not just going to a building a few times a year on Sunday.  Religion is the daily walking out your faith to be more like our Father in heaven.  This journey will give you a chance in this life to walk closer to the Lord than most people can fathom.  The Lord chose to love us, His children in spite of the messes we can make of our lives.  Through Jesus’s sacrifice we can enter the throne room of God cleansed of the messes we often find ourselves in.  Finally, you are about to walk down this path of accepting messes you did not create.  Do you want to have some tiny sliver of understanding of God’s love for us?  Walking alongside children from hard places will open your eyes to that love.  As parents you can only see the remnants of those messes whether through behaviors, lasting addictions or emotional repercussions in children you may bring into your home.  You are going to find a way to love the children in spite of the mess.  You will need the Holy Spirit leading you as you lead your family, you will need to be in the word.  Everything you cling to now, you will gladly give up.  It is completely worth it, the blessings along are worth the Cost.

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