Christian Adoption
For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed
This was what Mary said when she met Elizabeth in Judah. Mary was probably 19 years old when the angel of the Lord met and proclaimed to her that she would bear the Son of God. The angel also announced that her relative Elizabeth has conceived despite her barrenness, for “with God nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:37). It is a wonderful scene where these two women meet. Elizabeth was old and barren, yet with child, while Mary was very young and pregnant without ‘knowing a man’. We see God’s hand in both these miracles that defy the natural order of things.
Most of us suffering from infertility may wonder why God is putting us through this trauma, when He can heal us ‘right away’ and make us pregnant. Well, if there’s one thing we need to know about God, it’s this: He cannot be confined in a neat box! He has many acts up His sleeve and is the sovereign God who decides how and when to answer our prayers. There are times when God will do the unexpected and take us on a path we never even dreamed of.
I believe the person who said “The longest journey of any person is the journey inward”, had a long walk with God! Our struggles with infertility can be a wonderful opportunity to get rid of all the spiritual, mental, and emotional infections and dirt that have slowed us down in our walk of faith. When we trust in, rely on, and put our confidence in the Rock of Ages, we embark on an exciting journey that will take us to the place of complete rest, peace, and joy in Christ.
God works in ways that are beyond our comprehension. Sometimes, we may not like what He has planned for us. But, if we believe that we are in His thoughts and He has good plans that give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11), we will welcome any surprise He throws at us. Christian adoption may be one of the surprises God has in store for infertile couples. He knows the inborn yearning in every woman to become a mother and He understands this feeling. Adoption may be His way of meeting your need to become a mother and giving a life of comfort, security, love, and faith to an abandoned child.
If you are confused about adoption, I encourage you to spend some time today in prayer. Ask God to show you what to do and lead you in your decisions concerning adoption. Believe that one day you will have a child who will rise up and call you blessed!
Adoption Prayer, Open Adoption
When life knocks you to your knees—well, that’s the best position in which to pray, isn’t it?—Ethel Barrymore
Finding out that your teenage daughter, whom you thought was sexually inactive, is pregnant can be devastating for any parent. But, it is even more shocking when you thought you had raised her in a good family with firm Christian values. While this is an incredibly difficult time, it is also the exact time when you need to turn to God and ask Him to help you handle the situation.
Remember that your daughter is scared right now and needs your unconditional love and forgiveness. She needs her parents to help her make tough decisions concerning her future and the future of the unborn child.
While you may be tempted to give in to your emotions, you can learn how to hold tight to God through this wonderful example. Greg Asimakoupoulos narrates the incident of a pilot called Henry Dempsey. On a flight from Portland to Boston, Dempsey went to the rear of a small aircraft to investigate an unusual noise he had heard. When he reached the tail section, the plane hit an air pocket and Dempsey found out, too late, that the noise was coming from the rear door that wasn’t properly latched. The door flew open and Dempsey was sucked out of the plane. The co-pilot quickly alerted the nearest airport and made an emergency landing. While helicopters searched the ocean for Dempsey, they actually found him clinging on to the outdoor ladder of the aircraft. He had caught the ladder as he fell out and held on to it for 10 minutes as the plane flew 200mph at an altitude of 4,000 feet! Asimakoupoulos says “Things in life may feel turbulent, and you may not feel like holding on. But have you considered the alternative?”
Hold on to God because it is never too late for your daughter to make the right decision – a decision to choose life with a Christian family. http://mydaughterispregnant.com/ is a wonderful resource for mothers wanting to help their teenage daughters do the right thing.
Excerpt from Robert J. Morgan, Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations, and Quotes, electronic ed., 622 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000).
Christian Adoption
As an adoptive parent herself, the author of Called to Adoption understands the importance of working real person as your adoption professional – it is key to your adoption success in adopting a baby or child. It is important that you can relate to your adoption professional, and that they have an identity. Lifetime Adoption’s passion is adoption; the people who work at Lifetime Adoption are very passionate about the adoptive families, children, and birth parents that they work with. They have an open door policy, lots educational programs and info to help you make the right decision for you! LifetimeAdoption.com
Christian Adoption
Nationwide adoption center Lifetime Adoption is in need of loving Protestant married couples interested in adopting newborns and occasionally older children nationwide. Our clients are seeking families who are active in their church.
One such adoption situation is a Caucasian birthmother who would like to maintain contact through letters and photos. She states no substance usage throughout her pregnancy, and needs minimal assistance with medical expenses.
Another birthmother is expecting a full African American baby and would like to place with an African American or bi-racial couple. There is a history of bi-polar disorder in her family, and birthmother states that she manages her bi-polar disorder through medication.
Currently, Lifetime Adoption has a number of birthmothers due who are hoping to look at families ASAP. You may view the Birthparents Seeking Adoptive Families page online to learn about more situations.
To apply to adopt through Lifetime, please visit LifetimeAdoption.com/ and fill out a free application.
Adoption Prayer, Christian Adoption
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
-The New King James Version., 2 Co 3:18 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
As I read this verse this morning, I wondered what it means to be ‘transformed from glory to glory’. As I thought about it, I realized that God’s ultimate goal is to transform us from within to reflect His image. But, this transformation does not happen overnight. There is a saying that ‘it is not time that heals, but what we do in that time that brings the healing’. Every challenge or trial we face in this life is an opportunity to transform us more into God’s likeness.
What do we do when we pray for something and God makes us wait for an answer? Do we complain, doubt, worry, and feel like giving up? Do we envy all the other women who are blessed with children (biological or adopted), have great husbands, and possess spiritual and material blessings? It is so easy to give in to our feelings of jealousy when we compare our blessings with those of others. We may even end up disappointed with God or question our worth in His eyes, beating ourselves up on why we are not blessed like ‘that woman’. But, God makes it very clear that we must make Him the center of our lives in order to feel fulfilled. No child can fill that God-shaped hole in your heart.
Don’t compare your ‘glory’ with someone else’s glory. God knows our individual needs and concerns, and He will bless each one of us according to what He knows we need and can handle. His timing is absolutely perfect. He is never late and never early, but right on time! So, be confident that He will bless you at the right time with the child He has chosen for you.
