November is Adoption Month

November is such an appropriate time to celebrate the wonders and joys of adoption, don't you think? Because without it, there are a TON of us who wouldn't have nearly as much to be thankful for! (And that includes all of you who were adopted into the family of God through the work Jesus did on the cross.) So, it seems completely appropriate to me that the month we celebrate Thanksgiving would be the month we celebrate the thing that I am most thankful for and that I feel is extremely close to the heart of God.

I read the best post today from my friend over at A Thorn Among Roses. You'll have to head over there yourself, I'm not going to recap it, but I think it's so perfectly stated. And it inspired me to focus this whole month on awareness and some other tributes to this thing we so passionately support.... adoption!

Today I just want to say that I have heard from SO many people over the course of my professional and personal experience with adoption that they are interested in adoption, or have thought about adopting, but so many follow that up with an excuse on why they can't do it. Most of the time it centers around finances, but sometimes it centers around room in the home, time, etc. You don't have to be Brad and Angelina to give a home to a child. They won't mind sharing a room, they're already living with about 100 other children!

I can tell you that if God put it on your heart, then He has a blessing waiting for you; an inheritance He wants you to claim that will bless you beyond your wildest imagination. The kicker is that you have to put it all out there and step through the door, He's most likely not going to drop a child on your doorstep, ding-dong ditch you and run off. (Although, that would actually be pretty nice!)

We live in a place where there aren't warehouses of babies just around the corner like there are in many countries in the world. You can't walk past an orphanage on your way to get water or catch the train. But those children are staring you in the face, nonetheless. If you are reading this, then you know they exist. And once you know they exist, you can't just pretend you don't know! You can't because God already knows that you know! So, if you have been thinking about adoption, or if God has put it on your heart, then I CHALLENGE you... I can't state it strongly enough.... to explore that urging this month! Pray! Ask God to reveal Himself to you on the topic and ask Him to close the door on it or make your burden so strong that you can't miss it. I guarantee you that if you are truly seeking Him on it, He won't be lukewarm. He's going to challenge you, He's going to require something of you, but as is typical with God, He's also going to bless you in every aspect of your following His leading and He's going to equip you to do what He calls you to do. Put aside all the excuses you've been coming up with. Just set them aside for a little while and listen. Truly put those excuses to the test. Truly hold them up to the Light and see if you can't see all the holes in those excuses. When you lay them at God's feet, I guarantee they won't seem as big as they did when you were carrying them around yourself!

There will be more. I have alot to say on the topic (shocker!) so if you're feeling convicted and uncomfortable, then you probably ought to skip the blog for the month. :) But in the meantime, please challenge your reasons for not taking a step toward education and discernment. See where God's wild ride will take you!

Proverbs 24:12

"Don't excuse yourself by saying, "look we didn't know." For God understands all hearts and sees you!

PS - Don't forget to sign up for Living Beyond Yourself and the Google Group we are going to use to discuss the weekly lessons! Information is in an older post if you need it.