Something almost all adoptive parents have in common is the “comments” we receive from people who are curious and/or disapproving of our decision to adopt. Sadly, these comments are not just when we are standing in line at Walmart, but also when we introduce our kids to fellow church members. Some comments are insensitive and some are downright rude…
So, you cannot have kids of your own?
Why would not you adopt kids that look like you?
How much did she cost?
And so on…
Don’t they know that the Bible teaches that we ourselves have been adopted? Have they not read the verse about how true religion is caring for the fatherless? We think to ourselves.
But, how long did it take us to move from a point of intellectual knowledge of these biblical truths to actually internalizing and obeying them? For many of us, a long time. And thankfully, many of us had people in our lives who were patient with us as we worked through prejudices, ignorance of the plight of the orphan, and stereo-types. And, more than our loved ones, God has been so patient with us. He does not record all of the stupid things we say and whisper them to his angels in order to get a good laugh. Oh no, he is patient, warm, kind towards us as we stumble through this thing called the Christian life.
And the Lord has purposed to grow his church in love of the orphan through so many adopting. He is purposing that your very adoption process is not just to grow your faith, but to grow the faith of those sitting in the pew next to you that may have insulted you with their questions. So let us be patient with our brothers and sisters in the Lord and embrace the fact that the Lord very well may be purposing to stretch and grow them through your adoption journey.
