- We do it for the glamour. I want to be just like Angelina Jolie.
- My husband makes a lot of money and we don't know what else to do with it.
- We "really love children." We don't ever want a moment to ourselves, so we fill our home with more and more children!
- We are trying to punish our older children by making them share everything, and having to sacrifice things like Disney World and the latest technological gadget.
- We enjoy going places and having people question us about the biological relation of our children...which ones are our real children, and which ones are "really" related.
- We are near perfect parents. You should really be more like us.
- It makes for great Christmas card photos.
- We really want our own reality show.
- Big vans are SO COOL to drive. We feel like rock stars in ours!
- We get bored easily.
Of course you can see that this list is a little snarky, and maybe a tad sarcastic. But for real, these are things people ask us about. That and, "Haven't you figured out what causes that?"....which makes no sense to us when talking about adoption. Maybe we should just answer "poverty,disease, death, and loss of family".
In all honesty, it's not my heart to make light of people's sincere genuine questions about why we would choose to adopt again. A lot of the time, though, I find myself having difficulty formulating an answer that keeps the conversation light, or even does justice to the weight of the reasons why. And most of the things I feel like I've already said at some point in my blog anyway. But for those inquiring minds who still want to know, I'll give you our list - Our real list, the one that reveals our hearts, and we think the heart of God.
- God commands us to. He doesn't necessarily command everyone to adopt, but he DOES command every believer to play a role in caring for the orphan. For us, we strongly believe - no, we KNOW - that that means adoption, at least for this season in our lives. We've surrendered our family to God's will for us, and want him to lead us in what that looks like. That means letting him decide our family size...not what "makes sense" to us or anyone else.
- There is legitimate need. Orphan statistics vary, as it is a very difficult thing to put a number on, but estimates range from 133 - 163 MILLION children. Those children are NOT all adoptable, but the ones who are deserve a home. The ones who aren't deserve the body of Christ to rise up and be part of providing holistic long-term solutions to the orphan crisis. ALL of these children deserve to be cared for in some way.
- We do love being parents. We never imagined when we said "I do" 20 years ago that we would have 8 children - NEVER. (I just hoped I could talk Nathan into more than two!) We know we are not perfect parents - far from it sometimes - but we do love our children, and strive to do what is right by them...to love them, teach them, provide security, encouragement, and tell them of God's great love for us. Being parents is the single greatest privilege we have on this earth. We do not take it lightly, and know that our children are among our greatest blessings. We know that our 8th child will also be a blessing, just as the first seven are.
- We never adopted because of what it could teach our 'at home' children, but the lessons and conversations that have come from it are invaluable. We have watched our older children mature, experience God's provision, and grow in their faith in ways they never would have if we hadn't stepped out to adopt. We have all had to learn to sacrifice more, wait our turn, and put others first.
- There is a little one half way around the world with no family to call their own. They are living in an orphanage with many other children...no mommy and daddy to tuck them in, to teach them about Jesus, to kiss their boo boos, or wipe their tears. If our decision to adopt - no matter how crazy it may seem - changes the life of that little one...isn't it worth it?? We think so.
