This is part 1 of, at least, 2.
"Coordinate the adoption of deaf orphans in the world!" What did He really mean?
"Coordinate the adoption of deaf orphans in the world!" What did He really mean?
In the beginning, one thing I questioned God about, more than once, was
why would He choose me for this task when I did not have a positive view
of adoption and/or foster care? Charles and I never adopted and never
fostered children. We did not ever feel God leading us in that
direction. But we did have multiple friends, through the years, who
experienced heart wrenching situations because they adopted or provided
foster-parenting. These situations were not just cause for temporary
heart-ache that came and went, but they were and are life-altering ones
that will never be forgotten and have forever impacted our friends
lives.
Now I know. He knew that I would not sugar-coat this thing called adoption to the families that He sent my way; I had seen both sides of adoption. He knew it would take my seeing families ripped apart, with my own eyes. These were my friends, the parents, who had simply opened their all-consuming loving hearts to those who had known no love, assuming they would be overjoyed to have someone finally love them--when in reality, they could not be.
For many years, the adoption world was filled with stories of only 'happily ever after endings'. For the most part you only heard the negative ones if your life some how personally touched those that were secretly dying inside and trying desperately to maintain some semblance of sanity because of the noble act of adoption and/or fostering. Resources for these families in desperate need were non-existent and they were forced to deal privately with the guilt of their failure, falsely believing the lie that their love for their adopted/fostered child(ren) was just not strong enough.
Now I know. He knew that I would not sugar-coat this thing called adoption to the families that He sent my way; I had seen both sides of adoption. He knew it would take my seeing families ripped apart, with my own eyes. These were my friends, the parents, who had simply opened their all-consuming loving hearts to those who had known no love, assuming they would be overjoyed to have someone finally love them--when in reality, they could not be.
For many years, the adoption world was filled with stories of only 'happily ever after endings'. For the most part you only heard the negative ones if your life some how personally touched those that were secretly dying inside and trying desperately to maintain some semblance of sanity because of the noble act of adoption and/or fostering. Resources for these families in desperate need were non-existent and they were forced to deal privately with the guilt of their failure, falsely believing the lie that their love for their adopted/fostered child(ren) was just not strong enough.
Today, multiple resources are now available for these families and the self-quilt is beginning to be balanced with the knowledge of how great neglect and lack of nurture affect children adopted and fostered from the hard places. This does not take into account for those who have been abused in others ways, especially sexually. In addition, the Internet, blogs, and Facebook have opened up the truths on the other end of the spectrum of adoption, children who have been so scarred by their past that they cannot receive their adoptive/foster parents love and the reality of human-trafficking of children as it really does relate to adoption is made more easily accessible.
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Resources:
Tapestry Ministry of Irving Bible Church
Empowered to Connect
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