Christian Adoption
OpenAdoption, one of the newest apps available in the iTunes Store, brings adoption education and pregnancy options directly to mobile devices. The free app provides not only information and help, but also links to over 150 families waiting to adopt. It enables users to learn about and explore their adoption options, search for and review families that are ready to adopt, and utilize other adoption tools. Users will be pleased with the ease of use and excellent performance offered by the developer of the app. Click to visit the iTunes store to download the OpenAdoption app.
It also provides a full download of the book, So I Was Thinking About Adoption, geared toward women who are considering adoption of an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy. The technology allows anybody to instantly and privately access adoption planning tools.
The app was the brainchild of Mardie Caldwell, C.O.A.P. who was one of the first adoption professionals to take adoption services to the internet. Through Caldwell’s adoption center, Lifetime Adoption, she has helped thousands of women find the free and non-judgmental help they need as they consider various options for their pregnancy.
Non-iPhone users can view and use the app as a web-based version at www.AdoptionOptionApp.com. The same functionality and usability is incorporated in this web version that works similarly to the version available in the iTunes Store.
Christian Adoption, Open Adoption
Our children are not ours because they share our genes…
they are ours because we have had the audacity to envision them.
That, at the end of the day…or long sleepless night,
is how love really works.
— Unknown
Are you afraid of open adoption? Do you think it is not only uncomfortable but also unbiblical? Well, I want to share what I found in the Word of God. Before we find instances of open adoption in the Bible, you must understand that adoption is pleasing in God’s sight. There are many examples of Biblical characters encouraging and demonstrating adoption: The adoption of Moses by Pharaoh’s daughter, the adoption of Esther by her relative Mordecai after the death of her parents, and finally, Joseph’s adoption of Jesus as his own child. Apart from these people adopting children who are not biologically theirs, the Bible says we are the children of God through adoption. In fact the New Testament (Gal. 4:3–7; Eph. 1:1–6) describes the believer’s relationship with God through adoption. So, it is very clear that adoption is divinely authorized and has the blessing of God, our Maker.
But, what does the Bible have to say about open adoption? Well, Joseph’s adoption of Jesus is a beautiful example of this process. He welcomed Jesus as his own, even though Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. He recognized him as his own son and gave him all legal rights, including the claim to the Davidic family line. When Jesus was 12 years old, he wandered away from his parents during the Passover Feast in Jerusalem, and was found three days later in the temple talking to the teachers. When he was questioned by his mother, he replies, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49)
Now, no adoptive parent would want to hear something like this. We can only imagine how Joseph felt when Jesus calls God as His ‘father’. The Bible indicates that Jesus spent time alone in prayer, communicating with His Father God. Joseph could have allowed himself to get upset about this. But, he did not allow this kind of open communication with Jesus’ heavenly Father to sour his relationship with his adopted son. We read that Jesus was ‘subject’ to his parents as He grew in wisdom and stature (Luke 2:51). So, He enjoyed a close relationship with his earthly parents, while communing with His Father in Heaven.
Can we do the same with an open adoption? Yes, we can.
The focus of the adoption process should be the child. Your child’s birth family is very much a part of his or her life, whether you like it or not. What if Joseph and Mary had said to Jesus, “No, you may not tend to your Father’s business until you are 18 years old and an adult. Until that time, you are to have no contact with Him.” It may seem comical to consider that as we are talking about our Heavenly Father, but the issue of fear is the same.
An open adoption will remove feelings of insecurity and abandonment in your child that comes from not knowing anything about the birth family or not having any contact with them. It is your responsibility to maintain a healthy communication channel with your child’s birth family if you have agreed to that. If you fear complications from it, allow God to remove those fearful thoughts from your mind. Trust in Him and ask Him for the grace you need to opt for an open adoption.
Christian Adoption, Domestic Adoption, Open Adoption
“For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed”
-Luke 1:48
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 a child who needs you, more than you need him or her.
For my journey to motherhood, this is exactly how God worked. I lost pregnancy after pregnancy in an attempt to become a mother the only way I knew how. When I finally received the news that a successful pregnancy was not going to be an option, I prayed that God would remove this great desire to be a mother if it was not in His plans for my life. It was then, that He opened a window in my darkest days of desperation, as if to say “Mardie, simply follow MY path for your life.” God’s path led me through an adoption journey that blessed me not only with my son, but also with the work I do today through Lifetime Adoption Center. Two miracles that would not have existed for me had I not followed God’s leading.
If you are confused about adoption or your journey to parenthood, 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!
Christian Adoption
We recently received this note of praise from a pastor of a Southern California church, Skyline Church:
“Mardie,
Thank you so much for sending me a copy of your book, Called to Adoption.
When I first read the title of your book, it immediately grabbed my heart. I am the father of four adopted children and I too have a passion for it.
Thank you for the work you do.
Blessings on you,
Jim”
OpenAdoption, one of the newest apps available in the iTunes Store, brings adoption education and pregnancy options directly to mobile devices. The free app provides not only information and help, but also links to over 150 families waiting to adopt. It enables users to learn about and explore their adoption options, search for and review families that are ready to adopt, and utilize other adoption tools. Users will be pleased with the ease of use and excellent performance offered by the developer of the app. Click to visit the iTunes store to download the OpenAdoption app. 
